In my last entry, I talked about how we’ve been busting the myth of 10G infrastructures with the use of virtual network interface (vNIC) technology in IBM Virtual Fabric. Now I would like to talk about the second unique feature of Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapters (VFAs) that is turning 10Gb Ethernet (10GbE) infrastructures into essential tools of high-performance data centers. The second unique feature is the ability to upgrade the VFA to support a combination of vNIC with storage protocols. In other words, the Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapter can support all I/O needs that the server has.
It is this concept that turns 10GbE infrastructures from nice to have to essential for today’s data centers. This is a single adapter that can support all networking and storage traffic and do it in a way that is flexible to the needs of the administrators of each system. The ability to converge onto a single I/O infrastructure provides the capability to reduce costs, reduce complexity and improve performance. Is there anyone out there who does not want to get better performance in a simpler configuration at lower cost?
What is it about Emulex Virtual Fabric Adapters that reduces costs, reduces complexity and improves performance? Emulex VFAs are part of IBM’s Virtual Fabric Solution, and it is this solution that delivers all of those benefits. Let’s take a look at each of these.
Reduces costs. Very simply, by implementing the IBM Virtual Fabric solution, organizations will purchase a lot less equipment than they would for a traditional 1GbE Infrastructure. Think about the I/O recommendations for a typical VMware environment, as an example. VMware recommends six Ethernet ports and two storage ports. In order to achieve that in an IBM BladeCenter environment, each blade server would have to be fully populated with two I/O adapters and the chassis would need up to eight switch modules to support the VMware infrastructure. With the Virtual Fabric solution, each blade server only needs the Emulex VFA and the chassis only needs two BNT Virtual Fabric switches. The Virtual Fabric implementation is up to 49% less expensive, even though it is 10GbE-based rather than 1GbE-based.
Reduces complexity. Using the same example as the last paragraph, an IBM BladeCenter chassis would have half the number of adapters and 75% less switches. There are a lot less parts to manage, which makes the administrator’s job a lot easier.
Improves performance. Remember that Virtual Fabric allows you to provision bandwidth into up to four vNICs per channel, or eight per adapter. As a 10GbE infrastructure, this averages out to 2.5Gb/s per channel when using all eight vNICs. As I discussed in part one, bandwidth can be allocated, but is needed in 100Mb/s increments from 100Mb/s up to the maximum 10Gb/s bandwidth of the adapter. Even better, this bandwidth can be allocated dynamically and scheduled without the need for a reboot. Consider the possibility of allocated 5Gb/s to the vNIC handling e-mail traffic during the work day, with other vNIC splitting the remaining bandwidth as needs dictate. After hours, when the need for e-mail bandwidth goes down, most of that bandwidth can be allocated to ports running another essential process such as backup. Virtual Fabric opens up a whole new world of possibilities for administrators.
Emulex 10GbE Virtual Fabric Adapters provide a single source for all I/O needs with better performance for lower cost and less complexity. With all of these advantages, why would anyone want to continue using the more expensive, feature-limited 1GbE infrastructures that they are eventually going to need to replace some day anyway? Myth busted.
The purpose of our blog are to facilitate an ongoing conversation on what's going on in our industry, with our partners and customers. We encourage your comments. Your ideas and feedback are what makes our blogs interesting, timely and useful for our readers.
We want to publish your comments, however, all comments are moderated. Offensive, off-topic or fraudulent comments won't be approved. We also expect a basic level of civility; disagreements are expected, but mutual respect is a must. We will not post comments that contain vulgar or abusive language; personal attacks of any kind; or offensive terms that target specific ethnic or racial groups. Comments that make accusations will also not be posted.
By submitting a comment, you agree to these terms; having your name displayed with your comment and that you are 18 years old or older. Your name and personal information will not be used for any other purpose, and your e-mail address will not be published.