ACADEMIA

Overall, the standardization process for Enhanced Ethernet is still not finalized, so in the meantime, a variety of related technologies and solutions have been rolled out (DCE, CEE, - different vendor brandings of almost the same technology). All of them claim to be a subset of Enhanced Ethernet, but how close to the final standard they will be, and what interoperability issues they will create, remains to be seen. The final success of FCoE and DCB is very much dependent upon the willingness of the different vendors to support the new standard as a common denominator – otherwise each vendor-specific implementation will remain a niche technology.

For managers of enterprise data centers, FCoE’s promise for cost-effectively converging Fibre Channel and Ethernet—the two dominant enterprise networking protocols—is too great to be overlooked. At the same time, its hype as today’s single unifying fabric for all enterprise LAN and SAN traffic must be closely scrutinized. There is a compelling value proposition for the adoption of FCoE on some types of midrange and rack mounted servers.  But, for many years to come, the real-world enterprise data center based on high end servers will have to continue to support a range of existing multiprotocol fabrics. The challenge faced by data center managers will be smartly matching technologies with applications to most affordably satisfy technical requirements and business objectives. Protocol-agnostic Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM) will continue to serve as the convergence mechanism for an array of uniquely valuable protocols, linking together multiple enterprise-class data centers, as well as transporting converged fabrics where required.

IT decision makers are faced with a difficult decision as they consider the merits of a converged network solution and possible migration paths. Indeed, this is why WDM is still the data transport of choice.

Todd Bundy, Director, Global Alliance Management Enterprise, ADVA Optical Networking

Todd Bundy has 26 years in the storage networking industry. He is a recognized expert in SAN and optical networking, and specializes in storage applications over various types of networks to meet corporate contingency plans.

Throughout his career, Todd has participated in many successful large-scale Disaster Recovery and Data Center Consolidation projects with companies like IBM, EMC, HDS, HP and SUN using ADVA (FSP Fiber Service Platform) WDM technology.

In his work with ADVA Optical Networking, Todd is helping support new standards in optical storage networking like 8G and 16G Fiber Channel, 5G and 10G Infiniband, and 10G and 40G FCoE/DCB (Fiber Channel over Enhanced Ethernet). In pursuit of new operating standards, he leads ADVA Optical Networking's Interoperability programs to support the infrastructure intelligence needed to take "Cloud Computing" to the next level.