Fibre Channel (FC) has come a long way since its introduction to provide a networking solution that would provide the efficiency and speed necessary for storage to be networked and shared across multiple hosts. However, recently some have begun to question whether FC still has relevancy. The answer is a simple and definitive yes! It is all about the right technology for the job. Come and hear Ben Woo, Managing Director, Neuralytix, describe why Fibre Channel is the right tool for your job.

1. Is FC Still Relevant?
April 22, 2014
Ben Woo, Managing Director
Sponsored by Emulex Corporation

2. © Copyright 2014, Neuralytix, Inc. – All Rights Reserved | www.neuralytix.com | @Neuralytix 2
Audience Participation …
• What best describes your existing storage network today:
o Only FC
o Primarily FC (with some FCoE, IB, Ethernet, FCIP, etc.)
o Primarily non-FC (with some FC)
o Only non-FC
o None of the above

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•Yes!
Is FC still relevant?

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The Right Technology for the
Job
Ethernet may not be the best fit for storage

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 Mature technology
 Well understood by storage
administrators
 Flexible network design
 De facto standard in most
datacenters
 High performance
 Low latency
Fibre Channel Benefits

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Comparison of storage
networks
1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32*
Gbps
10, 40, 100*
Gbps
1, 10, 40, 100*
Gbps
10, 20, 40, 56, 100*
Gbps* Future

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• Scale-up databases
• Dense virtualization
o Private Cloud
o VDI
• Low latency/ultra-high
performance
o SSD
• All data, structured or
unstructured, end up on
block storage
Performance = Advantage

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Emulex ExpressLane™
• Flash storage shares the SAN with
traditional rotating media
• Mission-critical requests are stuck
behind requests to slow storage
• Current queuing mechanisms are
optimized for throughput, not
latency
QoS SolutionSSD Latency Challenge
• ExpressLane creates separate
queues for low latency storage-
Identified by LUN
• Individual queues are coalesced for
latency not overall bandwidth
• Queue associations are made from
OneCommand Manager

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Emulex CrossLink™
• Flash requires coordination between nodes
• Current solutions (TCP/IP and UDP) suffer from
“roundabout” stack-hopping
• Latency & QoS issues over Ethernet hamper
coordination with storage devices
• Trust issues (storage networks deemed implicitly
secure)
• Separate Ethernet connectivity requires
additional wiring & management
SSD Coordination Solution
SSD Isolation
Challenge
• In-band FC Messaging solves
latency & “stack-hopping” for cache
or device coordination
• Uses standard & proven FC-CT
protocol for FC and FCoE
• Simple interface- kernel or API

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Emulex & Brocade ClearLink
(D_Port) Support
Emulex # 1 Gen 5 HBAs + Brocade #1 Gen 5 switches,
Together Providing Superior SAN-wide Diagnostics
ClearLink is a rich SAN diagnostic mode from
Brocade Gen 5 FC switches (16GFC)
ClearLink is now supported by all 16G (only) Emulex
LightPulse Gen 5 FC HBAs (XE201 based)
Identifies and isolates marginal link level failures and performance issues:
SFP, port, & cable

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Neuraspective™
• Bringing all network traffic (WAN, MAN, LAN & SAN) can
create new complexities
o Mismatch of packet types
o Client versus server package
• Need predictable, scalable storage network  reliable
o FC has proven to be reliable
• Protect existing investment
o Most datacenters already run FC
o Many enterprises have invested $M’s in FC
• ↑VM density = low latency, high IOPS, ultra-high bandwidth

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Before we finish …

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Ben Woo
bwoo@neuralytix.com
@BenWooNY
@Neuralytix