Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) for Converged Networking

FCoE - Will provide an opportunity to reduce data centre costs by converging data and storage networking. Standard TCP/IP and Fibre Channel traffic can both run on the same high speed 10Gbps Ethernet wire, resulting in cost savings through reduced adapter, switch, cabling, power, cooling, and management requirements. FCoE has gained rapid market traction because it delivers excellent performance, reduces data centre TCO, and protects current data centre investment.

High Performance - The QLogic Converged Network Adapter (CNA) boosts system performance with 10Gbps speed and full hardware offload for FCoE protocol processing. Cutting edge 10Gbps bandwidth eliminates performance bottlenecks in the I/O path with a 10X data rate improvement versus existing 1Gbps Ethernet solutions. Additionally, full hardware offload for FCoE protocol processing reduces system CPU utilization for I/O operations, which leads to faster application performance and higher levels of consolidation in virtualized systems.

Lower TCO - The CNA reduces data center costs through convergence. Now, one CNA can do the work of a discrete FC Host Bus Adapter (HBA) and Ethernet NIC. This convergence also means fewer cables, fewer switches, less power consumption, reduced cooling, and easier management. The QLE8042 also preserves familiar FC concepts such as WWNs, FC-IDs, LUN masking, and zoning, thereby eliminating training costs that would be required for a new storage technology.

Investment Protection - The CNA for FCoE is designed to preserve existing investment in Fibre Channel storage and core Ethernet switches and routers for data networking. The CNA leverages the same identical software and driver stacks that have been deployed and battle-hardened in millions of previous installations.

Unmatched Expertise - QLogic has an unparalleled advantage in delivering this new CNA technology. QLogic is the undisputed leader in both FC and iSCSI HBAs, with years of experience providing FC and Ethernet based products. While some competitors have expertise in either networking or storage, no other I/O provider can match QLogic's expertise in FC and Ethernet hardware and software solutions.