HP N1200 - StorageWorks Network Storage Router Manuel utilisateur

Abstract.............................................................................................................................................. 2

Introduction......................................................................................................................................... 2

Traditional data center topology............................................................................................................ 2

Converged fabrics with 10 Gigabit Ethernet ........................................................................................... 3

iSCSI .............................................................................................................................................. 3

Fibre Channel over Ethernet .............................................................................................................. 4

FCoE for convergence in the data center ................................................................................................ 5

Migrating to converged fabrics.......................................................................................................... 5

Data center bridging ........................................................................................................................ 6

Virtualization in converged networks...................................................................................................... 8

Server virtualization.......................................................................................................................... 8

NIC virtualization............................................................................................................................. 8

Flex-10 for Virtual Connect................................................................................................................ 8

Summary ............................................................................................................................................ 9

For more information............................................................................................................................ 9

Call to action ...................................................................................................................................... 9

Converged fabrics: Emerging technologies

for simplifying data center infrastructure

technology brief

Abstract

Converged fabrics is a solution for simplifying data center management by consolidating all

communication (server, storage, network, and remote management) onto a single fabric, in contrast to

the more complex and costly approach of using proprietary fabrics for inter-process communication

(IPC) and storage.

This technology brief explains the emerging and growing unified fabric technologies in which HP is

involved. These technologies include 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet

(FCoE) and how they work together to tie multiple network fabrics into a single, converged

infrastructure.

Introduction

The complications of implementation, management, and cost of multiple network fabrics have

prompted HP and other vendors to investigate converged fabric solutions, also known as unified

fabric or fabric consolidation. Any network topology constructed with one or more switched network

nodes can be described as a fabric. Therefore, fabric is the term commonly used to refer to individual

network types, including communication, storage, management, and high speed networks.

Converged fabrics is a solution for simplifying data center management and reducing infrastructure

costs. It consolidates all individual network types onto a single fabric, in contrast to the more complex

and costly approach of using proprietary fabrics for IPC and storage. The converged fabrics solution

is the common interconnect and can be either Infiniband (IB) or 10GbE.

HP expects converged fabrics technology to significantly lower infrastructure and management costs

without sacrificing performance. This technology brief focuses on how 10GbE will be used as the

common interconnect for converged fabrics.

Traditional data center topology

Some common characteristics of current data center infrastructure are underused capacity, inflexible

single-purpose resources, and costly management. The reason is that data center topology typically

includes separate, heterogeneous network appliances to manage different types of data. Each of

these appliances adds to the complexity, cost, and management of the data center. Multiple networks

require unique switches, network adapters for each server, and network management systems

targeted for each network.

Businesses may support as many as four unique networks to manage Storage Area Network (SAN)

data, IPC clustering data, remote management data, and Ethernet communications data. Each data

type typically uses a different network and interconnects, which adds to the complexity of network

architectures and to unifying network fabrics.

Converged fabrics with 10 Gigabit Ethernet

One obstacle to using Ethernet as a basis for converged fabrics has been its limited bandwidth. As

10GbE technology becomes more widely implemented, HP expects 10GbE network components to

fulfill the needs of applications that require either the 10GbE bandwidth or its low-latency benefits.

With the emergence of 10GbE, a unified Ethernet switching fabric for all data center applications is

expected to serve as the basis for future data center consolidation and architectural evolution. With

Ethernet and Internet Protocol (IP) as the unified switching fabric, administrators will also have

maximum flexibility in selecting network management tools. As Ethernet bandwidth increases, fewer

physical links can carry more data (Figure 1).

Figure 1. All traffic types sharing the same link

Currently, two of the most promising transport standards for converged fabrics are Internet Small

Computer System Interface (iSCSI) and FCoE.

iSCSI

iSCSI follows the SCSI architectural model, which is based on message exchange between an initiator

and a storage resource, or target. iSCSI initiators access targets using the iSCSI protocol. While the

target is usually a drive enclosure or another computer, it can also be any other storage device that

supports the iSCSI protocol, such as a tape drive. The iSCSI stack at both ends of the path

encapsulates SCSI block commands into Ethernet packets for transmission over IP networks.

Figure 2 illustrates a message exchange between an initiator and a target. The process begins when

an application sends a request to the operating system (OS) to read or write data. The OS generates

the appropriate SCSI commands and data request in the form of a message. Before the message can

be sent over an IP network, it is processed through iSCSI to encapsulate the request into the

Transmission Control Protocol over Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol stack (attaching routing, error

checking, and control information) for transmission over the network. This can be accomplished using

driver-level or OS-level software, or it can be offloaded to the host bus adapter (HBA). The HBA

transmits the packets over the IP network. When the packets reach the target device, they go through

a reverse process to reassemble the data, which is then moved to the SCSI controller. The SCSI

controller fulfills the request by writing data to or reading data from the target device. For a read

transaction, the target returns data to the initiator using the iSCSI protocol.

Figure 2. Message exchange between an initiator and target using the iSCSI protocol mode

Initiators include software initiators and HBAs. Software initiators require CPU resources to manage

the protocol stack. A more efficient approach is to offload protocol management to an iSCSI HBA,

such as the HP NC373i Integrated Multifunction Gigabit server adapter.

iSCSI allows Ethernet server adapters to function both as network adapters and as storage HBAs. This

flexibility provides access to storage boxes and to servers over a single connection, which simplifies

network infrastructure. HP multifunction adapters support hardware-assisted, or accelerated iSCSI

operation―that is, offloading the iSCSI software to the server adapter for improved system

performance.

Fibre Channel over Ethernet

FCoE is an emerging technology being developed by the International Committee for Information

Technology Standards (INCITS) T11 technical committee. FCoE relies on flow control to recognize that

a buffer is almost full and to request that the sender stop transmission until the buffer has emptied and

transmission can start again. FCoE is based on Enhanced Ethernet (EE), sometimes referred to as Data

Center Ethernet (DCE) or Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE). The Institute of Electrical and

Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is working to enhance the IEEE 802 Ethernet standard to allow FC to run

efficiently over Ethernet. Two recent Ethernet improvements are lossless Ethernet, which prevents lost

packets, and pause-based flow control, which allows the network to selectively pause different classes

of traffic.

FCoE encapsulates Fibre Channel (FC) frames within the Ethernet fabric and uses the same Open

Systems Interconnection (OSI) layer as IP networks (Figure 3). In a real application environment, logic

dictates using one common FCoE connection between the server and network. FCoE will use the same

common driver stacks, cabling, and management applications being used today.

Figure 3. Protocol stack comparison

There are several advantages to FCoE:

FCoE uses FC drivers, switches, and other infrastructure.

Existing FC security and management applications are unchanged.

FCoE uses a 10GbE fabric with no data loss.

Existing SAN management tools can be used to access storage.

FCoE can use enhanced Ethernet features such as traffic priority and flow control.

FCoE for convergence in the data center

HP is enthusiastic about the possibilities FCoE offers for network convergence. FCoE has the potential

to scale in most IT environments, using the same physical Ethernet layer and common management

applications in use today.

Migrating to converged fabrics

The traditional data center model uses multiple HBAs and NICs in each server to communicate with

various networks. The converged model will consolidate the HBAs and NICs in a server into a single

converged network adapter (CNA) to provide a unified I/O server deployment (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Standard compared to unified I/O server deployment

Data center bridging

Data center bridging (DCB), which is another name for DCE or CEE, prioritizes traffic types and

bandwidth sharing within an Ethernet link. It provides the following enhancements to the existing

Ethernet 802.1 bridge specifications that will be used in converged network deployments where all

applications can be run over a single Ethernet link:

Congestion Notification (CN), which will provide congestion management to reduce data loss

Priority-based Flow Control (PFC), which will provide a link-level flow control mechanism to prevent

loss due to congestion

Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS), which will provide a common management framework to

assign bandwidth to different traffic classes

A discovery and capability exchange protocol to ensure consistent configuration across the network

In the first phase of migration to converged fabrics, CNAs and a converged fabric bridge will provide

connectivity between servers, the LAN/WAN, and the SAN (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Traditional deployment and converged fabrics, phase 1

The next phases of deployment will occur as existing data centers are updated or as new ones are

built. Eventually only a single pair of redundant CNAs will be required per server. Separate FC,

10GbE, and IB switches will be replaced by converged network switches (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Converged fabrics deployment, phases 2 and 3

Virtualization in converged networks

As enterprises attempt to better utilize existing computing resources, server and network virtualization

is growing rapidly. HP Virtual Connect (VC) is a set of interconnect modules and embedded software

for HP BladeSystem c-Class Enclosures that simplifies server connection setup and administration. HP

VC includes the HP 1/10G Virtual Connect Ethernet Module for c-Class BladeSystem, the HP Virtual

Connect Manager, and the HP Flex-10 Ethernet Interconnect Module. VC uses c-Class BladeSystem

adapters within the server and a new class of Ethernet interconnect modules to simplify connecting

those server NICs to the data center fabric. VC also extends the capability of standard server NICs by

securely administering Ethernet MAC addresses.

Server virtualization

As more virtual machines are loaded onto a physical server, the requirement for additional bandwidth

increases. VMware best practice calls for six 1-Gb NICs in each physical server running virtual

machines. Using this VMware guideline, just two physical servers loaded with virtual machines could

fully utilize a single 10-Gb NIC. More information about virtual machine technology is available in

the technology brief entitled “Server virtualization technologies for x86-based HP BladeSystem and HP

ProLiant servers” at

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01067846/c01067846.pdf.

NIC virtualization

For HP BladeSystem c-Class server blades, the HP VC Ethernet Modules allow IT administrators to

interconnect multiple modules and define uplinks to their data center Ethernet switches. The VC

Ethernet Modules allow the administrator to select which server NIC ports will be connected to each

external network.

Flex-10 for Virtual Connect

To help fully utilize 10GbE connection bandwidth, HP introduced Flex-10 technology in the

BladeSystem c-Class architecture. Using Flex-10, administrators can partition the bandwidth of a

single 10-Gb pipeline into multiple “FlexNICs.” The bandwidth of each partition can be set to a

user-defined portion of the total 10-Gb connection. Speed can be set from 100 megabits per second

to 10 gigabits per second in 100 megabit increments.

There are advantages to partitioning a 10GbE pipeline:

More NIC connections per server, which is especially important in a virtual machine environment

Ability to match bandwidths to network functions (for example, virtual machine migration,

management console, and production data)

More information about Flex-10 technology is available in the technology brief entitled “HP Flex-10

technology” at

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManual/c01608922/c01608922.pdf.

Summary

Converged fabrics is an emerging technology for simplifying data center management by

consolidating server, storage, and network traffic over a common interconnect. HP is introducing

intelligent, dynamic technologies such as Flex-10 to maximize the use of 10GbE connections and

facilitate the transition to converged fabrics in the data center. HP expects converged fabrics

implementation in the data center to significantly lower infrastructure and management costs without

reducing performance. For more information

For more information

For additional information, refer to the resources listed below.

Resource description

Web address

HP Multifunction Networking Products

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/proliant-

advantage/networking.html

HP ProLiant networking

Ethernet network adapters

http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/networking/in

dex-nic.html

“Server virtualization technologies for x86-

based HP BladeSystem and HP ProLiant

servers” technology brief

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManu

al/c01067846/c01067846.pdf

“10 Gigabit Ethernet technology for

industry-standard servers” technology brief

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManu

al/c01608915/c01608915.pdf

“HP Flex-10 technology” technology brief

http://h20000.www2.hp.com/bc/docs/support/SupportManu

al/c01608922/c01608922.pdf

HP Virtual Connect Technology web page

http://isscontent.americas.hpqcorp.net/products/blades/virtual

connect/

Call to action

Send comments about this paper to [email protected].

herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and

services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such

products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an

additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or

omissions contained herein.

TC090205TB, February 2009

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