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IBM Power 720 and 740 Technical Overview and Introduction
2.7.9 Fibre Channel over Ethernet
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) allows for the convergence of Fibre Channel and
Ethernet traffic onto a single adapter and converged fabric.
Figure 2-17 compares existing Fibre Channel and network connections and FCoE
connections.
Figure 2-17 Comparison between existing Fibre Channel and network connection and FCoE connection
Table 2-18 lists available Fibre Channel over Ethernet adapters. They are high-performance
Converged Network Adapters (CNA) using SR optics. Each port can provide Network
Interface Card (NIC) traffic and Fibre Channel functions simultaneously.
Table 2-18 Available FCoE adapters
EN0A
577F
PCIe2 16 Gb 2-port Fibre
Channel adapter
PCIe
Full height
AIX, IBM i,
Linux
EN0B
577F
PCIe2 LP 16 Gb 2-port Fibre
Channel adapter
PCIe
Low profile
AIX, IBM i,
Linux
a. A Gen2 PCIe slot is required to provide the bandwidth for all four ports to operate at full speed.
b. Use within IBM i it is not supported. Instead, use it with the Virtual I/O server.
Note: The usage of NPIV through the Virtual I/O server requires a NPIV-capable Fibre
Channel adapter such as the FC 5729, FC 5735, FC 5273, FC EN0A, and FC EN0B.
Feature
code
CCIN
Adapter description
Slot
Size
OS support
Ethernet
and Fibre
Channel
Cables
Ethernet
Cable
Fibre Channel
Cable
FC Switch
Ethernet Switch
CEC or I/O Drawer
Ethernet
CEC or I/O Drawer
FC
Rack
Fibre Channel (FC)
Device or FC Switch
Ethernet
Cables
Ethernet
Cable
Fibre Channel
Cable
FCoE Switch
CEC or I/O Drawer
Rack
Fibre Channel (FC)
Device or FC Switch
FCoE
Ethernet Device/
Switch
Ethernet Device/
Switch or FCoE
Device/Switch
Feature
code
CCIN
Adapter description
Slot
Size
OS support
5708
2B3B
10 Gb FCoE PCIe Dual Port
adapter
PCIe
Full height,
short
AIX, Linux
5270
2B3B
PCIe LP 10 Gb FCoE 2-port
adapter
PCIe
Low profile,
short
AIX, Linux