March 9th, 2009
[0] Leave a Comment or Question
Migrating to FCoE sounds good on paper, but a key concern for network administrators is how to protect existing network performance when FCoE moves in. In the past, network planners brought in expensive Fibre Channel equipment because of the guarantees it provided through its dedicated link architecture: guaranteed performance, guaranteed latency, and guaranteed robustness. Ethernet is well-known for not providing these guarantees.
In order for network administrators to feel confident enough to migrate to FCoE, they will need to be able to test and verify real-world performance against the marketing claims of FCoE equipment manufacturers. For example, the IEEE FCoE standards being developed provide delivery guarantees, better latency performance, and higher bandwidth utilization. While the standard drafts are as good as they sound, developers and administrators still need a way to verify that a particular implementation has been successful in meeting latency requirements.
Likewise, administrators will need to be able to verify end-to-end performance. An FCoE link is comprised of an Ethernet link accessing Fibre Channel storage. Measuring performance up to the transition point fails to take into account all of the unexpected foibles of what happens when crossing protocol domains. Developers and administrators need to be able to prove performance end-to-end; it’s simply too important a decision to leave to trust or assumption.
Finally, key to generating sales of FCoE is the ability to compare native Fibre Channel to FCoE implementations. Disruptive technologies need to not only reduce cost compared to incumbent technologies, they also need to provide greater functionality and/or benefit in order to overcome the inertia of the market buying what it is already used to. Hard numbers will always sell more than wordy promises.
Reaching the technological milestones of FCoE is important, but being able to prove value is what will carry FCoE to market successfully.
Posted by Joy Jiang at 11:52 am. Filed under General | Permalink
0 / Leave a Comment or Question »
The preceding editorial column is the private opinion of the author. The individuals who post here work at Finisar Corporation. The opinions expressed here and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors and are not necessarily reviewed in advance by anyone but the individual authors, and neither Finisar nor any other party necessarily agrees with them. The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to be an endorsement or representation by Finisar or any other party. By posting you agree to be solely responsible for the content of all information you contribute, link to, or otherwise upload to the Website and release Finisar from any liability related to your use of the Website. You also grant to Finisar a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free and fully-paid, transferable (including rights to sublicense) right to exercise all copyright, publicity, and moral rights with respect to any original content you provide. Comments may take up to 24 hours to post and may be screened by a moderator if necessary.
Safe Harbor Statement: The statements contained in this document that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding Finisar Corporation's expectations, beliefs, intentions, or strategies regarding the future. All forward-looking statements made by Finisar Corporation are based upon information available to Finisar Corporation as of the date hereof, and Finisar Corporation assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These and other risks relating to Finisar Corporation's business are set forth in Finisar Corporation's Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission , and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Leave a Reply