|
|
 |
| . |
Fibre-Channel
is an interface standard for connecting computers to mass storage devices
such as disk drives,
disk arrays and
tape libraries. Developed
more than a decade after SCSI,
which it was intended to replace for high performance applications, the
Fibre-Channel standard was specified around faster data throughput speeds, and
longer distances because of its use of fiber-optic cable.
Data reliability
was also significantly better than parallel SCSI because data errors due to
crosstalk and line reflections were effectively designed out.
The
differences in spelling (Fibre in this standard versus Fiber in
the cable) were done deliberately by the standard creators.
In recent
years, new versions of SCSI, such as
iSCSI have nearly caught
up in speed terms (and iSCSI over
InfiniBand is even
faster) so the original performance differences are now blurred. ...from
Megabyte's Storage
Dictionary |
| . | |
|
| |
 |
Megabyte
found that Fibre-channel
was a really quick way of getting around. | |
Expect 16GFC by 2011 - says
FCIA
Editor:- October 20, 2009 - the Fibre Channel Industry
Association announced its has completed the technical work on
16Gb/s
Fibre Channel (16GFC) - which provides a natural value migration from 8GFC.
Product
roll-outs are anticipated in 2011 according to FCIA Chairman - Skip Jones.
Editor's
comments:- I first published a directory of Fibre-channel adapters way back
in 1994. The first FC connected storage array product listed in that
was the
SPARCstorageArray
from
Sun Microsystems.
It's reassuring that users in the FC market can anticipate another
level of performance evolution - but FC is no longer a growth market. So this
could be the last post for FC - just as
15K RPM
was the end of the road for hard disks.
For dispersed systems
ethernet based storage (NAS)
long ago became the dominant network storage connect - while for local use and
higher performance InfiniBand
and PCIe have taken
hold in distinct functional pockets.
Emulex Offers Bridging Hand to SSD Designers
Editor:-
October 13, 2009 - Emulex
is expanding its
InSpeed
chip bridging technology to simplify the job of designing fast native
SAS and
Fibre-channel compatible
flash SSDs.
"SandForce is working
closely with Emulex to enable customers to build enterprise-class SSDs that
connect to Fibre Channel or SAS systems," said Thad Omura, VP of marketing,
SandForce. "Emulex's next generation InSpeed flexible bridging options
enable our SATA-based Enterprise SSD Processor, to be used with either Fibre
Channel or SAS systems. In initial testing, we've found the new InSpeed bridge
technology provides a robust and high performance solution for SSD applications."
SSD Controllers / IP
ATTO Demos 6,400MB/s HBA at IBC
Editor:- September
10, 2009 - ATTO
Technology is
demonstrating
its 6Gb/s SAS HBAs
and 8Gb/s Fibre Channel HBAs this week at IBC
in Amsterdam .
Demos include a quad-channel card that delivers the
fastest available Fibre
Channel data transfer rate of 6,400MB/s. Storage Events,
Record Breaking
Storage
FCIA Reports on 2nd FCoE Plugfest
Editor:- May 20,
2009 - the Fibre Channel
Industry Association today
announced that
it successfully completed its 2nd FCoE Plugfest the week of May 12th at the
University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab.
"This year's FCoE Plugfest was timed appropriately given tough
economic times we are facing today – IT decision-makers are looking for
savings in numerous areas such as power, space and cooling management while
preserving their existing Fibre Channel investments" says Skip Jones,
chairman FCIA and director Technology and Planning at
QLogic. "Last
week's FCoE Plugfest proved that this new technology is ready for prime time and
ready to deliver the cost-savings that customers are looking for and underscores
the arrival of a new efficient data center."
Storage Events,
Storage ORGs
New Real-Time Design / Debug Tool for FC / NAS OEMs
Editor:-
March 25, 2009 - Absolute Analysis
has
announced
enhancements to its range of
serial data test tools
- such as...
- ability to check system behavior in the presence of latency (failure and
recovery) for Fibre Channel and Ethernet protocols, including
FCoE,
AFDX,
iSCSI, IP, IPv6, TCP
- ability to corrupt one or more network events in real-time and simulate
data loss, data corruption, protocol errors and data errors, and check device
under test error recovery procedures.
"Absolute Analysis is proud to offer engineers a much-needed
single solution featuring the integration of sophisticated tools for use in data
communications, telecommunications, and military communications, to capture,
analyze, delay, modify, and verify data at full line rate," stated Dennis
Murphy, President of Absolute Analysis. "This release... enables
in-line, real-time impairment testing coupled with a powerful error injector and
analysis that far exceed existing industry offerings." Storage Testers & Analyzers
Virtual Instruments Offers Clearer Views for SAN Traffic Analysis
Scotts
Valley, Calif. - November 11, 2008 - Virtual Instruments today
announced availability of its SAN Traffic Analysis Point module.
An
add-on component for its NetWisdom solution, TAP (which costs $300 per
port) enables real-time Fibre
Channel network transaction monitoring, analysis and diagnosis. Unlike
Mirror or SPAN ports, TAP devices show complete visibility of network traffic
and mirror the data flowing between two network points.
Virtual
Instruments' CEO, Mark Urdahl said - "IT administrators can find
themselves in serious and expensive situations when the storage network
experiences a problem or down time with limited visibility into the root-cause
of the problem. Having Virtual Instruments' TAP device is like having a window
into your SAN traffic. It
provides unprecedented access to SAN transactions so that performance and
troubleshooting issues can be proactively identified and resolved, allowing our
customers to realize tremendous cost savings."
...Virtual
Instruments profile, Storage
Testers & Analyzers
New Article - FC SAN SSDs
Editor:- September 13, 2008 -
Storagesearch.com today published a new article and directory on the
subject of - "Fibre-Channel SSDs."
"I've tracked
the SAN storage market
since the first commercially launched products in
1994" said editor
Zsolt Kerekes.
"As the number of market-active
SSD oems listed on
Storagesearch approaches 90
companies I thought I should make it easier for readers to disentagle the info
related to this important market segment - which was getting lost in tables
deep in our SSD
Buyers Guide. The new SAN SSD page lists all current vendors and also
explains how this market fits into a historic context." ...read the article |
|
| Multiple
Vendors Announce Support for FCoE |
Editor:- April 11, 2008 - this
week Emulex
and Intel
launched 10Gb/s Fibre
Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) adapters.
Emulex explained the
thinking behind this. With FCoE, customers may now leverage the ubiquity of
Ethernet to converge both storage and networking traffic, improve overall
efficiency and simplify the infrastructure. Designed to natively transport Fibre
Channel traffic over the Ethernet network, FCoE will take advantage of lossless
Ethernet in the data center. A lossless Ethernet fabric provides the level of
performance and reliable delivery of data required for enterprise storage
environments.
Intel's PCIe dual port FCoE adapter will be in volume production in
May and will be priced at $799. The entire Intel 10GbE family will have FCoE
support on Red Hat Enterprise Linux by July and on Windows later this year.
FCoE will be a new standard with support from leading storage and
switch oems. The first mention on these news pages was in
October 2007 -
when QLogic unveiled its products.
In theory FCoE may help customers
with an installed base of legacy FC applications reduce costs by moving them
onto Ethernet environments. In practise, as we saw with the long drawn out
birth pangs of the iSCSI
market - tidying up all the loose ends could take many years. |
| . |
storage history
Fibre-channel
- 1999
Fibre-channel
- 2000
Fibre-channel
- 2001
Fibre-channel
- 2002
Fibre-channel
- 2003
Fibre-channel
- 2004
Fibre-channel
- 2005
Fibre-channel
- 2006 | |
