Tag: Storage Protocols

Fibre Channel SAN Hosts and Targets Q&A

John Kim Leave a comment

At our recent SNIA Networking Storage Forum (NSF) webcast “How Fibre Channel Hosts and Targets Really Communicate” our Fibre Channel (FC) experts explained exactly how Fibre Channel works, starting with the basics on the FC networking stack, link initialization, port types, and flow control, and then dove into the details on host/target logins and host/target IO. It was a great tutorial on Fibre Channel. If you missed it, you can view it on-demand. The audience asked several questions during the live event. Here are answers to them all:

Q. What is the most common problem that we face in the FC protocol?

A. Much the same as any other network protocol, congestion is the most common problem found in FC SANs. It can take a couple of forms including, but not limited to, host oversubscription and “Fan-in/Fan-out” ratios of host ports to storage ports, but it is probably the single largest generator of support cases. Another common problem is the ‘Host cannot see target’ kind of problem.  

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Storage Technologies & Practices Ripe for Refresh – Part 2

Alex McDonald Leave a comment

So much of what we discuss in SNIA is the latest emerging technologies in storage. While it’s good to know all about the latest and greatest technologies, it’s also important to understand those technologies being sunsetted. In this SNIA Networking Storage Forum (NSF) webcast series “Storage Technologies & Practices Ripe for Refresh” we cover technologies that are at (or close to) being past their useful life.

On June 22, 2021, we’ll host the second installment of this series, Storage Technologies & Practices Ripe for Refresh – Part 2 where we’ll discuss obsolete hardware, protocols, interfaces and other aspects of storage.

We’ll offer advice on how to replace these older technologies in production environments as well as why these changes are recommended. We’ll also cover protocols that you should consider removing from your networks, either older versions of protocols where only newer versions should be used, or protocols that have been supplanted by superior options and should be discontinued entirely.

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Is the Sun Setting on Some of Your Technologies?

Tom Friend Leave a comment

So much of what we discuss within SNIA is the latest emerging technologies in storage. While it’s good to know about what technology is coming, it’s also important to understand the technologies that should be sunsetted.

It’s the topic of our next SNIA Networking Storage Forum (NSF) webcast on February 3, 2021, “Storage Technologies & Practices Ripe for Refresh.”  In this webcast, you’ll learn about storage technologies and practices in your data center that are ready for refresh or possibly retirement. Find out why some long-standing technologies and practices should be re-evaluated. We’ll discuss:

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Fibre Channel vs. iSCSI – The Great Debate Generates Questions Galore

Alex McDonald Leave a comment

The SNIA Ethernet Storage Forum recently hosted the first of our “Great Debates” webcasts on Fibre Channel vs. iSCSI. The goal of this series is not to have a winner emerge, but rather provide vendor-neutral education on the capabilities and use cases of these technologies so that attendees can become more informed and make educated decisions. And it worked! Over 1,200 people have viewed the webcast in the first three weeks! And the comments from attendees were exactly what we had hoped for:

“A good and frank discussion about the two technologies that don’t always need to compete!”

“Really nice and fair comparison guys. Always well moderated, you hit a lot of material in an hour. Thanks for your work!”  

“Very fair and balanced overview of the two protocols.”

“Excellent coverage of the topic. I will have to watch it again.”

If you missed the webcast, you can watch it on-demand at your convenience and download a copy of the slides.

The debate generated many good questions and our expert speakers have answered them all: Read More