So following on from my previous post, I threw out the comment that FCoE was nowhere. Lets dig into that a bit and turn over the garden bed of truth. Where else to start but fibrechannel.org
- From http://www.fibrechannel.org/FCoE.html#Q5
Q5: Where is FCoE in the standards process?
A: The project has been approved and meetings have been scheduled to agree upon details of the standard. There is wide agreement on most fundamental aspects of the technology. The wide technical interest assures that the standard is likely to meet its target date of 2H’08.
- Interesting. We have a Cisco Nexus 7000 (1 billion dollars of R&D) claiming a key benefit is to combine FCoE and DCE ( Data Centre Ethernet - which is apparently so different from other ethernet that it gets its own TLA) and FCoE is not out of standards any time soon.
No comparison with 802.11n is implied or intended.
But Cisco is laying down some serious commitment to FCoE. Is this going to drive acceptance ? Are people going to deploy FCoE ? This makes it seem inevitable ?!?
Does Cisco have any anyone else supporting them ?
Here is an interesting fact I wasn't aware of:
Q17: Can FCoE traffic and LAN traffic run on the same link?
A: Yes.
So now I get the point of FCoE. One monster server with two 10GB ethernets, will have support for both storage and data connections, and a big-ass load of virtual machines inside. I thought that was called iSCSI though. You know, the technology that has been around for ten years now.
Experience suggests that iSCSI is being resisted by the storage people. It doesn't have features that they need apparently. (It would if they got onto it, but maybe it is not in their interest to do so ? Adding new features to iSCSI wouldn't take much).
So is FCoE the technology that will act as the catalyst for transition to iSCSI. Possibly.
And since FCoE can't be routed to remote data centers, this is strictly limited. Surely FCIP is better than this, what I can't understand is why iSCSI is not considered.
I still wonder why Cisco is emphasising the storage element of the Cisco Nexus 7000. Obviously decisions about storage take years to happen, while the networking community can integrate new technologies in months. Cisco might be banking on networking people to pick the Nexus as the next thing after the C6509 and working it out without being told. So this might be a way for Cisco to target the SAN folks and get the slow wheels of change happening in the forward planning.
Also of interest is that Intel put FCoE software into Open Source in December http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/121807-intel-fcoe-specification.html.
Q18: What are the benefits to running both FCoE and LAN traffic on the same link?
A: IO consolidation, e.g. fewer adapters, consistent management, power savings, cable management.
Well thats important. They forgot to point out that you can already do this in iSCSI...... oops sorry, forgot myself there.
Q19: How much credence should I give to Robert Metcalfe when he says “Fibre Channel is dead”?
A: None.
Well that is a little bit snotty. I also think that FibreChannel hasn't got a long term future and its a bit defensive to say it like that. How many technologies are the storage people going to play with before they accept convergence and simplicity ?
FCoE looks distinctly like whipping a losing horse from where I am standing.
