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user28362
Asked: 2010-01-16 02:40:34 +0800 CST

Using SAN Fiber Channel network for TCP/IP, possible?

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I would like to know if it is possible to use the FC-switch (that is used for a SAN) also for TCP/IP traffic.

We have servers (virtual machines) that must have a fast network for copying much data. It would be better to use the existing FC network than a slower 1 Gb network.

Is this possible?

tcpip fibre-channel

4 Answers

  1. That is possible. It's called IPFC and RFC 2625 specifies it. You have to have an TCP/IP stack for your HBA. Tell more details, which HBAs and Switches etc.

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  2. Yes, it is possible - QLogic (at least) HBAs support IP over F/C, and many switches also support it. However, if you want to push large amounts of data across it you are in contention for bandwidth with the disks, so you may have to keep an eye on total utilisation.

    You may need to get extra licensing for your switch to support IP.

    F/C is possibly the most expensive networking technology in widespread use, so unless you are really stuck with it, you are probably better off using something else. If you have standalone servers then 10Gbit Ethernet or Infiniband is probably cheaper for the bandwidth than fibre channel.

    If you're using blades then you're pretty much stuck with whatever is supported by the blade chassis. If the HBAs in your blades support IP over F/C then you could use it. See if the chassis can be upgraded to support Infiniband.

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  3. Edit - I stand corrected, well spotted pfo.

    No, you can transit FC traffic over IP (FCIP) but not the other way around sorry.

    Can you not just force the specific VMs onto the same host, nothing's as quick as a vSwitch.

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  4. It's possible, but these are the requirements:

    • HBAs that support it (boils down to drivers and firmware)
    • FC Switch that supports it
    • Operating systems that support it (Solaris supposedly supports IPoFC for every adapter I'm told)

    I'd give'r a try either way.

    I'm pulling my knowledge from here (great read): http://noteablecomputers.com/ipfc.txt

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