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QLogic Ramps FCoE Converged Network
Adapters
John Webster
December 15, 2009
QLogic Ramps FCoE Converged Network Adapters
Two protocols, one wire
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) expands the reach of Fibre Channel (FC)‐based storage networking into the more ubiquitous realm of Ethernet. As such, it is different from the more familiar iSCSI protocol which encapsulates standard SCSI packets for transmission over standard Ethernet LAN communications links. With FCoE, FC packets that contain the SCSI “payload” are encapsulated and sent over a new, more robust version of Ethernet referred to variously as Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE), Enhanced Ethernet (EE), Data Center Ethernet (DCE) and lossless Ethernet depending on which vendor you are speaking to1. Figure 1: FCoE Packet FCoE promises to simplify the administration of data center communications fabrics by converging both Ethernet (LAN) data communications with FC SAN I/O communications between servers and storage devices. It also offers administrators the ability to utilize FC‐based storage networking with servers that are currently connected to an Ethernet LAN without running an FC cable between servers and SAN switches. This paper is the first in a series of reports aimed at storage administrators who are currently researching FCoE with an eye to future deployment. Here we provide a brief examination of FCoE and its potential benefits, a look at QLogic as a potential source for FCoE infrastructure components, and also provide an abbreviated set of recommendations for IT administrators. We suggest that those interested in researching FCoE as a technology begin to consider the impact that a converged Fibre Channel/Ethernet fabric will have on data center operations and staff roles. In the near future we will publish reports on other vendors pursuing this opportunity and add to our research in this space.Is Converged Enhanced Ethernet in Your Future?
Before you try to answer whether or not FCoE is in your future, perhaps you should first look at a prerequisite: Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE)1. CEE differs from standard Ethernet in a number of ways, but for our discussion it is important to know at least three things about CEE up front. 1. It is not supported on the same standard Ethernet LAN infrastructure that is ubiquitous today. 2. It guarantees packet delivery (i.e. is “lossless”). Standard Ethernet does not. 3. Because of its lossless quality, it is a necessary prerequisite for FCoE deployments. Therefore, new Ethernet infrastructure will be required to support FCoE. While this will necessitate an investment in new data center communications infrastructure components, the investment may well 1 For the purposes of this discussion, we will simply refer to Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE) to describe Data Center Ethernet, Converged Ethernet, and Lossless Ethernet as these terms all refer to the same technology. Copyright 2009, Evaluator Group, Inc. Page 1 of 6pay future dividends beyond FCoE support. CEE can also be used as a conduit for iSCSI as well as NFS and CIFS protocols. We believe that as time goes on, CEE will become the predominant way to network FC, iSCSI, NFS and CIFS protocols. Figure 2: Connectivity Convergence Ultimately, the deployment of CEE will enable FCoE, while enhancing the performance of iSCSI and NAS‐ connected storage as well. Thus, CEE will become the predominant transport for all LAN and SAN protocols in the future.
From FC to FCoE
Due to the limited availability of native FCoE storage systems, and the limitation on the size of networks built using native FCoE, the most likely place for early FCoE deployments will be for server I/O consolidation. Practically, this involves using Converged Network Adapters (CNAs, described in more detail below) in place of HBAs, NICs and TOEs on servers, with FCoE transported over CEE‐capable, edge switches. The majority of products shipping today support this deployment model. As CEE equipment is enhanced and issues with transporting FCoE and other protocols over converged networks are addressed, the opportunity will arise for more flexible end‐to‐end FCoE deployments as vendors are rapidly adding support for CEE and FCoE. One driver that will help push the adoption FCoE past this deployment model is the addition of a virtual I/O layer that will likely be necessitated by the rampant growth of server virtualization projects.QLogic and FCoE
QLogic is well known in storage networking. Its product line spans the I/O chain from FC‐based host bus adapters to switches to adapter cards and switches embedded on storage devices. In addition to FC‐ based connectivity products, it also offers connectivity solutions for iSCSI and InfiniBand users. We doQLogic Ramps FCoE Converged Network Adapters
not believe that QLogic has some hidden agenda with regard to the promotion of one storage networking protocol, FC or Ethernet for example, over all others. QLogic will address and concurrently support a number of storage networking protocols with more or less equal veracity as long as there is a defensible market for them. The Converged Network Adapter (CNA) is a critical link in the FCoE I/O chain (see Figure 3). It essentially combines the functionality of a FC HBA and an Ethernet NIC onto a single server‐installed communications adapter card. The FCoE CNA allows IT administrators to extend existing FC infrastructure to LAN‐attached servers without having to support both a FC HBA and an Ethernet NIC for each server. This results in cutting in half the number of cables, switch ports and adapters required to bring servers into the FC world. Figure 3: Converged Network Adapter QLogic was the first FCoE CNA vendor to introduce a single chip implementation of FCoE meaning that all essential FCoE functions are implemented on a single chip rather than multiple chipsets. QLogic was able to do so partially because it possessed a robust and field‐proven FC software “stack” that has evolved from delivering nearly 7 million FC ports (on HBAs and switches) since 2001, and also because being first to market with an elegant solution helps secure early design wins from OEMs. QLogic has also been prominent in the interoperability and standards arenas. It has participated in all of the FCoE industry plug‐fests held to date, and has been instrumental in the development of the FCoE protocol standard within ANSI T11. Copyright 2009, Evaluator Group, Inc. Page 3 of 6QLogic’s 8100 Series CNAs
The most recent release of QLogic’s CNA, the 8100 Series, is based on QLogic’s Network Plus architecture. Network Plus leverages APIs, software, and management tools that are common to their FC HBA products to preserve interoperability and a common “look and feel” as customers transition to FCoE. The 8100 series features QLogic’s single‐chip CNA implementation with an integrated FCoE offload engine that that saves the application host from devoting processing cycles to support FCoE connectivity—a decided plus in virtualized server environments. We believe protocol processing offload is an important requirement when I/O latency is a prime consideration versus other solutions that use software initiators running on the application host. The single‐chip design also draws significantly less power vs. multi‐chip FCoE CNA implementations. The 8100 series is presently comprised of single and dual 10GbE port models and vary by connectivity option (copper twinax, LR optics, or SR optics). All models support the PCI Express Gen 2 standard. Additional technical specifications include: • Connectivity o Active & passive copper o Optical SR (300 meters max) o Optical LR (10 Km max) • Fibre Channel Protocols o SCSI‐FCP o FC‐TAPE • Ethernet NIC features o IP, TCP, & UDP checksum offloads o Large & giant send offloads (LSO, GSO) o Receive Side Scaling (RSS) o Header‐Data Split o NetQueue • Platform Support o x86, x64, IA64, SPARC, PowerPC • OS Driver Support (NIC & FCoE) o Windows, Linux, VMware, Solaris, AIX • Boot Support o LAN (PXE, UEFI, Fcode) o SAN (BIOS, UEFI, Fcode) • Management Tools o SANSurfer for LAN and SAN o OS based networking toolsQLogic Ramps FCoE Converged Network Adapters
Routes to acquiring QLogic CNAs
QLogic CNAs are currently available through OEMs and resellers. Vendors currently offering QLogic 8100 Series CNAs include: • Resellers o QLE8150‐CU‐CK Single Port 10‐GbE Ethernet to PCIe, Copper o QLE8152‐CU‐CK Dual Port 10‐GbE Ethernet to PCIe, Copper o QLE8140‐SR‐CK Single Port 10‐GbE Ethernet to PCIe, Optical o QLE8142‐SR‐CK Dual Port 10‐GbE Ethernet to PCIe, Optical • EMC o QLE8150‐CU‐E‐SP Single Port 10‐GbE Ethernet to PCIe, Copper o QLE8152‐CU‐E‐SP Dual Port 10‐GbE Ethernet to PCIe, Copper o QLE8140‐SR‐E‐SP Single Port 10‐GbE Ethernet to PCIe, Optical o QLE8142‐SR‐E‐SP Dual Port 10‐GbE Ethernet to PCIe, Optical o EMC lab‐qualified for Symmetrix V‐Max, DMX, and CLARiiON CX3/CX4 • IBM o QLogic 10Gb CNA for IBM System x (Marketing part number 42C1800) o QLogic 10Gb CNA for IBM POWER Systems (Feature 5708) o QLogic 2‐port 10Gb Converged Network Adapter (CFFh) for IBM BladeCenter (Marketing part number 42C1830) • NetApp o QLE8152 Dual Port 10Gbps Enhanced Ethernet to PCIe Converged Network Adapter (qualified for NetApp FAS3040, FAS3070, and FAS3100 series; the FAS6000 series; the FAS2050; the V6000 series; and the V3100 series, as well as any server qualified with these NetApp storage systems.)Recommendations for Users
In conversations with enterprise‐level storage administrators and Evaluator Group user clients, we have found an increasing awareness of this new storage networking interconnect. While not all see FCoE on their data center road maps, roughly more than half say they will embark on at least a pilot project within the next twelve to eighteen months. A handful, generally from large financial services IT departments, are eager to get started right away. If you currently use FC SAN technology exclusively to interconnect your storage and server environments, it may not make much sense to spend a lot of time investigating FCoE at this point. Why inject a new storage transport layer if the one you use now is perfectly adequate and will remain so for the foreseeable future? Conversely, the same can be said if you use Ethernet (NAS and/or iSCSI) for storage networking. However, if you now use both and/or can see a point in the future where the data center fabric is predominantly Ethernet‐based, then now is the time to at least research this new technology with an eye to kicking‐off a pilot project in the near to very near future. Why? The required components are Copyright 2009, Evaluator Group, Inc. Page 5 of 6available now to structure an end‐to‐end FCoE SAN—components that will become more available and more widely supported within the next twelve to eighteen months. Start now and you will be that much further down the road to having to support only one fabric for all data center communications. We note that there are at least two types of projects that lend themselves to potential FCoE deployment: • Scale‐out server virtualization projects with high I/O requirements where CEE and FCoE can be deployed at the “edge” of the fabric • Additional server I/O consolidation projects where leveraging CEE and FCoE makes sense for additional storage that can support native FCoE attachment as these storage platforms become available. Currently NetApp is the only vendor offing native FCoE storage arrays. SMB organizations that do not require significant infrastructure improvements may delay investigation into FCoE and CEE equipment for another year or so. For SMBs who already have a significant investment in FC equipment, new storage deployments should continue to utilize FC connectivity. Additional enhancements to FC infrastructure, including upgrading to 8‐Gb FC equipment, is recommended over the next one to two year period. For SMBs who predominantly utilize Ethernet connected storage such as NAS or iSCSI, Evaluator Group recommends these firms continue to invest in standard Ethernet infrastructure. New CEE Ethernet infrastructure investments are unlikely to provide quantifiable benefits until CEE prices begin to approach pricing parity with standard Ethernet in two to three years. Finally, if you do plan to embark on a path that leads to data center fabric convergence, you should at least start thinking now about the potential impact to data center operations, policies, and procedures. Who within the data center operations group will manage the converged fabric? A converged fabric will require at least some convergence at the IT and data center staff level as well. Are you comfortable with that?
