Convergence of Data and Storage

Storage in a datacenter was typically achieved using two separate architectures. The LAN network, used for Servers, Users and services and the SAN network (using Fiber Channel) for the storage.

Using this way meant supporting two different networks with different devices and different administration methods. Each server communicating with the SAN and LAN network had to have unique networks card for each network. The switches of the LAN nerwork can’t work with fiber channel, and vice versa. All of this, resulting in more costs (since you always have to think of 2 different networks).

That led the market where we are today. Companies came up with a convergence solution, trying to unify those two networks in one. That meant less costs and less administration time.

There are two main technologies to implement this convergence. FCoE (Fiber Channel over Ethernet) and iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface). It appears that FCoE is gaining more importance in a datacenter design.

In our datacenter we will use FCoE since Juniper (our network hardware company) has already some devices ready to work with this technology.

As the name says, FCoE maps Fiber Channel frames over Ethernet. This means we can use a specific devices that supports FCoE and instead of having two different architectures we will have just one big converged network.

Of course, the Fiber Channel networks have some characteristics that FCoE must have too, in order to be sure we won’t lose packets and such. Some advantages of FCoE are:

• Lossless of packets
• Lower the costs of capital expenditures
• Higher throughtput at lower host CPU utilization
• Lower your operational expenses
• Reduce cooling and power requirements
• Interoperability with existing Fiber Chanel SAN
• Have less cabling clutter and congestion

For our final design we will be using the QFX3500 switches that support FCoE: