Brocade FCOE Handbook Overview

Data networking and storage networking technologies have evolved on parallel but separate paths. Ethernet has emerged as the technology of choice for enterprise data networks, while Fibre Channel (FC) became the dominant choice for enterprise shared Storage Area Networks (SANs). Ethernet and Fibre Channel continue to evolve achieving higher speeds and adding new features.

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is an encapsulation protocol that builds on the success of Fibre Channel combined with new lossless Ethernet to solve server I/O challenges in the data center. This book reviews the new technologies and explain their features and benefits. It also investigates the implementation and uses of FCoE. In addition to that, the book discusses the usage models of FCoE and lossless Ethernet, and shows how they can be combined in solutions that simplify physical infrastructure.

The new lossless Ethernet infrastructure consolidates I/O traffic for storage and data networks over shared Ethernet links. It includes sections on FCoE and Data Center Bridging (DCB) industry standards, architecture models, Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) to add multipathing to Layer 2 networks, Converged Network Adapters (CNAs), and FCoE in the data center. If FCoE and DCB are new to you, you will find basic information. And, if you are familiar with the basic concepts and issue, you can take a deeper dive into the protocol itself, network behavior, and solutions such as Top-of-Rack (ToR) and End-of-Row (EoR) deployments.