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Deployment Guide: Network Convergence
with Emulex
®
OneConnect
™
OCe10102-F
FCoE CNA and Windows Server Platform
At a Glance
Windows users look to Emulex for high
performance, scalable, reliable connectivity
solutions. With converged networking, Windows
users now have greater choices when deploying
a Storage Area Network (SAN) with iSCSI and
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) protocols. The
Emulex OneConnect Universal Converged Network
Adapters (CNAs) leverage ten generations of
advanced, field-proven LightPulse™ Fibre Channel
Host Bus Adapter (HBA) technology, making them
ideal for server I/O consolidation.
This deployment guide reviews Data Center
Bridging (DCB) as the foundation of network
convergence; includes a technology overview of
FCoE; and provides a detailed description of how
to configure an Emulex OneConnect FCoE CNA
and deploy converged networking with FCoE in a
Windows Server environment.
Products
n
Emulex
®
OneConnect
™
OCe10102-F FCoE CNA
n
Emulex OneCommand
™
Manager application
n
Emulex AutoPilot Installer
®
n
Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2008 R2
How to deploy converged networking with a Windows Server platform using Emulex FCoE technology
Introduction
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is a standard developed by INCITS T11
that fully leverages the enhanced features of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE)
for I/O consolidation in the data center. The Emulex OneConnect Universal
Converged Network Adapter (CNA) is the first adapter to provide protocol
offloads for TCP/IP, FCoE and iSCSI with a single product platform. It
allows companies to wire once, creating a seamless upgrade path to
solidify the benefits of network convergence.
Emulex has a long and successful history of working closely with Microsoft
and other partners to leverage new technologies that evolve in converged
network environments. This deployment guide presents information about
network convergence and also provides an overview of how to realize the
maximum benefits when deploying OneConnect FCoE technology with
Windows Server 2003, 2008 and 2008 R2.
Network Convergence
The combination of high bandwidth demand, increasing network sprawl
and the growing need for more adaptive networking infrastructure is
posing a major challenge for data center managers. Pain points in today’s
data center networks include:
n
Multiple network fabrics, each dedicated to a
specific type of traffic
n
High numbers of adapters and switch ports
n
Complicated cabling infrastructure
n
Complex management of switch and adapter firmware
and associated service contracts