Network convergence is changing the lowly Network Interface Card (NIC) into a Converged Network Adapter (CNA) superhero. How is this humble workhorse of the data center becoming such a strategic element with incredible superpowers? Two words: Enhanced Ethernet. Much like getting exposed to the right gamma rays, Ethernet is now imbued with the powers of IP networking –  NAS, ISCSI, RDMA and Fibre Channel in a single wire (or optical cable, as the case may be).

However, given all of these powers, choosing a 10GbE NIC is not as simple as it used to be. Here is a list of things to look for in your next 10GbE NIC or CNA:

1. Network Convergence-ready 10GbE – And, no, this should not cost extra. Make sure you look for a card that can run all of the network convergence protocols. Also, be sure the base NIC does not carry a tax to support these extra capabilities if they’re not being used.

2. Field Upgradable Protocols – You should be able to empower your NIC/CNA with additional protocol offloads in the field when and where you need them. Look for a vendor partner that puts your needs first and provides a simple protocol enablement process that lets you implement network convergence on your own timeline.

3. High Performance with Hardware Acceleration – Do you want to run software iSCSI or have full hardware offload to maximize performance and scalability? You should be able to choose, and not be locked in or pay for things you don’t want. Make sure your NIC/CNA vendor can support both software and hardware protocol implementations, and that you only pay for what you want to use.

4. Full Hardware Protocol Offload-capable – Do you want to maximize performance, scalability and virtualization on every CPU core? The best way to do this is to pick a NIC/CNA that provides full protocol offload for TCP/IP offload engine (TOE), iSCSI (TOE plus ISCSI encapsulation) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) (TOE plus Fibre Channel encapsulation). This has been proven to save 20% of available CPU resources that can be reallocated to run more virtual machines per CPU core and improve data center consolidation.

5. Unified and Integrated Management – In a converged world, management is about integration, integration and integration. Standalone tools can be great, but they need to work upstream with existing frameworks (such as OpenView and Tivoli), server managers (including IBM Director and HP Insight Manager) and base operating system and hypervisor tools. This means that the view of every virtual NIC (VNIC), virtual CNA (VCNA) and virtual Host Bus Adapter (VHBA) is easy to find, configure and support.

6. Enterprise Reliability – As IT converges on NIC/CNAs to run many classes of I/O, proven enterprise reliability is paramount. Since Fibre Channel is now one of the core protocols in a converged network, having an enterprise-proven Fibre Channel stack with over 7 million host and 60 million target ports is one of the things IT managers should look for in their NIC/CNA choice.

Choosing the right 10GbE infrastructure is a critical decision.  Make sure as you choose your NIC/CNA option that it has the right superpowers to deliver the converged network you are looking for now and in the future.

Tags: cnas, convergence, network, nic
Posted in Technology, convergence | 4 Comments