Emulex Whitepaper
Network Convergence with Emulex and Windows
2
Advanced Management Solutions
Introduction
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is a standard developed by
INCITS T11 that fully leverages the enhanced features of 10 Gigabit
Ethernet (10GbE) for I/O consolidation in the data center. The Emulex
OneConnect Universal Converged Network Adapter (UCNA) is the first
adapter to provide protocol offloads for TCP/IP, FCoE and iSCSI with
a single product platform. It allows companies to wire once, creating a
seamless upgrade path to solidify the benefits of network convergence.
Emulex has a long and successful history of working closely with
Microsoft and other partners to leverage new technologies that evolve
in converged network environments. This deployment guide presents
information about network convergence and also provides an overview
of how to realize the maximum benefits when deploying OneConnect
FCoE technology with Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2008 R2.
Network Convergence
The combination of high bandwidth demand, increasing network
sprawl and the growing need for more adaptive networking
infrastructure poses a major challenge for data center managers. Pain
points in today’s data center networks include:
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Multiple network fabrics, each dedicated to a specific type of traffic
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High numbers of adapters and switch ports
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Complicated cabling infrastructure
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Complex management of switch and adapter firmware and
associated service contracts
n
How to maximize server virtualization return on investment (ROI)
Data Center Bridging and FCoE
The IEEE Data Center Bridging (DCB) standard enables multiple traffic
types over a single link, or network convergence, with FCoE and
Ethernet using the same cable. With DCB, data centers can achieve
the following:
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Consolidate
—Replace multiple 1GbE links with a high-bandwidth
10GbE infrastructure, significantly reducing the number of switch
ports, adapter ports and cables.
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Converge
—Unify networking and storage traffic to a single network,
eliminating the need for dedicated networks for each traffic type.
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Virtualize
—Virtualize the underlying physical network infrastructure
and provide service level guarantees for each type of traffic. In
addition, the solution must be capable of responding to dynamic
changes in network services based on the business demands of
data center applications.
At a Glance
Windows users look to Emulex for high
performance, scalable, reliable connectivity
solutions. With converged networking,
Windows users now have greater choices
when deploying a storage area network
(SAN) with iSCSI and Fibre Channel
over Ethernet (FCoE) protocols. Emulex
OneConnect Universal Converged Network
Adapters (UCNAs) leverage ten generations
of advanced, field-proven LightPulse
™
Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA)
technology, making them ideal for server I/O
consolidation.
This deployment guide reviews Data Center
Bridging (DCB) as the foundation of network
convergence; includes a technology overview
of FCoE; and provides a detailed description
of how to configure an Emulex OneConnect
FCoE CNA and deploy converged networking
with FCoE in a Windows Server environment.
Products
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Emulex OneConnect OCe11102-F
and OCe10102-F FCoE CNAs
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Emulex OneCommand
™
Manager
application
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Emulex AutoPilot Installer
®
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Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2008 R2
