| QUESTION & ANSWER |
IP storage in three minutes |
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By Mark Lewis, Editor
10 May 2004 | SearchStorage.com |
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Need the basic facts about IP storage and don't have a lot of time? This quick interview with Gary Orenstein, author of "IP Storage Networking: Straight to the Core" gives you the facts about iSCSI, TOE cards and how IP will interact with Fibre Channel. These questions were raised from Gary's recent webcast "Build economical storage utilities with IP."Do you see IP storage replacing Fibre Channel (FC)? Will the stigma of IP for SMBs and and FC for enterprise hold true?
Gary Orenstein: IP and FC are likely to complement each other for specific needs. While IP will fit well with the SMB market, it will also serve portions of the enterprise market. For example, a company that has a large FC SAN may also choose to connect some servers to the SAN via IP which can be more cost effective than FC.
How will IP interact with FC?
Gary Orenstein: There are a number of companies providing IP to FC conversion switches. iSCSI may be used to connect large numbers of inexpensive servers to centralized FC storage through such a product.
Can I build my IP SAN with Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switches, or is there a specific "storage" switch platform requirement?
Gary Orenstein: Yes, you can build your IP SAN with regular GbE switches. Depending on your performance requirements you may want to invest in GbE switches that support more sophisticated features like Virtual LANs so you can segment some of your traffic.
Are there any intelligent IP switches, like we are seeing in the FC space?
Gary Orenstein: The underlying connectivity (IP or FC) resides far below the intelligence layers of features such as replication. IP switches have had sophisticated capabilities (like multicasting) far longer than FC switches. In fact, many of the advances in FC switching are based on developments in the IP networking industry.
Are TOE cards really necessary?
Gary Orenstein: If performance requirements are high, TOE cards will help. Otherwise, they may not be necessary.
Where can I find more information on IP storage and iSCSI?
Note from the editor: SearchStorage.com has an enormous amount of information on IP storage. Here are some links to get you started:
Creating an iSCSI SAN using only Ethernet switches
Guide to implementing iSCSI
Top ten IP storage tips
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