Is 10Gig just an Ethernet speed bump? Fat Pipe? Or what else!!

It’s just an Ethernet Speed Bump to alleviate the 1Gigabit NIC sprawl in virtualized environments and to promote data center consolidation. 10Gigabit Standard Ethernet goes through Phase 1 adaption providing the big fat pipe, while storage traffic consolidation on to it with proven technologies like iSCSI is on going side by side.

Now it’s more than that! …

Phase 2 adoption of 10GE is with Enhancements to Ethernet to support FC traffic, leveraging widely implemented FC storage infrastructures in data centers. Since new technologies are added and being evaluated, this phase 2 adoption needs to go thru maturity period. These new convergence technologies CEE/DCB (Converged Enhanced Ethernet based of Data Center Bridging IEEE standards) and FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) get implemented in the Server/Network edge first, then Core of the network, and later at Storage End with FCoE Arrays etc… 

‒      Provides Single Fabric: Reduces management and deployment costs, as Fabric of Choice

‒      Optimized for virtualization: More VMs means more server and network traffic so an efficient network is required. Multi-core processor-based platforms handle larger workloads so need  faster network throughput to reduce latency to storage devices

 ‒      Drives storage over Ethernet: Consolidate LAN and SAN (w/ FCoE) FC infrastructure/traffic on a single 10Gig Enhanced Ethernet based of DCB standards, with full traffic isolation & robust Quality of Service with Congestion Management.

Single wire with 10GE

10GE Turbo-Boosts Infrastructure Consolidation in Data Center

–      Reduces the number of cables and server adapters

–      Lowers capital expenditures and administrative costs

–      Single fabric type simplifies setup and VM migration  

–      Reduces server power and cooling costs

–      Blade Servers and Virtualization drive consolidated bandwidth

So much going on with 10Gig Ethernet, as we see the hockey stick happening with it’s adoption…2010 for 10Gig…coincidence… not really…it’s just happening!!

10GE Adaption

It may take few years for complete infrastructure to upgrade to 10GE technology – ALL 10Gig !! 

Cost of 10GE still needs to come down for further adaption, while performance & throughput of 10GE technology has some challenges in virtualized environments inhibiting further adoption at server level…Should we still wait??

I would say, it’s time to adapt:

10GE, it just works!

What do you think it is? Share your thoughts…

Looking in to my DataCenter Crystal Ball…all I could predict about fabric trends for convergence…Do you see it similar???

 

 

 

My Data Center Cystal Ball, What's Your's?

 

CY2010: Data centers will have either pure iSCSI or FC implementation, from storage point of view

• 10Gigabit Standard Ethernet adaptation for consolidating 1Gigabit Ethernet infrastructures to support virtualized data centers accelerating data center consolidation.
• SAN traffic continues to converge on to Standard Ethernet with iSCSI implementations (mostly Greenfield deployments) and 10GE infrastructures. 10GE iSCSI arrays become common in storage deployments furthering iSCSI adaptation.
• FC networks remain separate, while 10Gigabit Enhanced Ethernet and FCoE is evaluated by early adaptors of these technologies, as products get released in the later in 2010.

CY2011-2014: Data centers will have mixed iSCSI & FC/FCoE.

• As Enhanced Ethernet standardizes in the middle of 2010, and early standard based products become available by the end of 2010, evaluation of 10GEE starts.
• During mid 2011, existing FC infrastructures start to merge with early deployments of 10Gigabit Enhanced Ethernet networks with FCoE capabilities promoted by investment protection strategy.
• At the same time iSCSI deployments leverage benefits of Enhanced Ethernet, furthering it’s adoption. New storage deployments will be either 10G iSCSI or 8G FCoE arrays.
• This pattern will continue till 40G Enhanced Ethernet products start shipping some time 2012-2013 accelerating the adoption of iSCSI further. 16G FCoE arrays start showing up during that time as an alternative to iSCSI.
• 40GEE evaluations and early adoptions at the core network throughout 2014 in to 2015.

CY2015 and beyond: Data centers will have converged storage (predominantly iSCSI and to some extent FCoE to attach older storage infrastructure).

• Converged Enhanced Ethernet networks become mainstream as 40Gigabit Ethernet deployments in the core networks and 10Gigabit Ethernet at the edge becomes common.
• iSCSI based Storage arrays becomes predominant due to high speeds and performance as compared to FC/FCoE arrays.
• 100G Enhanced Ethernet!!

 Share your’s…let’s compare 😉