Emulex OCE10102-F Benefits of Network Convergence and FCoE, Emulex OneConnect OCe10102-F FCoE CNA

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Deployment Guide: Network Convergence with Emulex® OneConnect™ OCe10102-F FCoE CNA and Windows Server Platform

Benefits of Network Convergence and FCoE

The combination of network convergence and FCoE provide the following key benefits to IT organizations:

nInfrastructure simplification—Network and storage I/O is converged over a single 10GbE infrastructure that supports SAN and Local Area Network (LAN) connectivity with common adapters, switch ports and cables.

nProtection for existing Fibre Channel investments— FCoE is designed to fully leverage existing Fibre Channel investments. Deployments begin at the edge of the data center and storage traffic is routed by a Fibre Channel forwarding switch into the existing Fibre Channel SAN. Full interoperability with installed Fibre Channel switches and arrays means no need to “rip and replace”. Even more critical, there’s no requirement to move and potentially disrupt access to data. A common management framework across Fibre Channel and FCoE connected servers protects existing investments in management tools and processes and lowers long-term operating costs.

nIncreased IT efficiency and business agility—A converged network streamlines and eliminates repeated administrative tasks such as server and network provisioning with a “wire once” deployment model. The converged network also improves business agility letting data centers dynamically and rapidly respond to requests for new or expanded services, new servers and new configurations.

Emulex OneConnect OCe10102-F FCoE CNA

The Emulex OneConnect OCe10102-F is a single-chip 10GbE CNA that supports FCoE while leveraging mature Fibre Channel management tools and processes (see Figure 4). The OCe10102-F offloads Fibre Channel protocol processing from the CPU, providing high performance storage connectivity and optimized CPU utilization. The additional processing power retained by CPUs provides more CPU bandwidth for enterprise applications and enables the deployment of more VMs per virtualized server.

Emulex FCoE CNAs leverage ten generations of advanced, field- proven LightPulse™ Fibre Channel HBA technology, making them ideal for server I/O consolidation.

Figure 4 Emulex OneConnect OCe10102-F FCoE CNA

Converged Network Deployment Models

The combination of DCB-enabled Ethernet switches and Emulex CNAs has facilitated the adoption of FCoE and 10GbE as the converged network fabric.

FCoE switches are typically provisioned at the edge of the network. They detect Ethernet frames with encapsulated Fibre Channel frames and supply the Fibre Channel Forwarding function for communication to the SAN. Fibre Channel frames are routed over a FC uplink port that can be connected to a Fibre Channel switch (E-port or NPIV mode) or storage array (F-port)

Ethernet ports on the switch provide connectivity to the LAN.

Figure 5 Converged network deployment and access to SAN