As many of you know, Emulex is a strong proponent of network convergence. However, we recognize that the move to network convergence is going to be about what you put in next…not rip and replace. I have seen some dialogue online in the blog-o-sphere, twitter-verse and the vendor FUD-o-rama about how network convergence will require rip and replace: “if it works don’t fix it, “you don’t need convergence,” and the FUD goes on. Emulex does not believe IT managers are going to rip and replace to add 10Gb Ethernet (10GbE) or network convergence to the data center. We do think that IT managers are at a crossroads. We see three major choices for them in 2010:

• Do they stay with 1GbE or move to 10GbE for their IP networks? This is probably the most fundamental choice as they look at the next server refresh cycle. Blade servers, virtual I/O and consolidation of virtual machine (VMs) are tempting many to look at making the transitions to 10GbE vs. 1GbE. Emulex believes this year, we will see significant moves toward 10GbE in the data center. It will be a long three-to-four-year transition, but the momentum is moving that way.
• If I am going to 10GbE, should I plan for network convergence? No vendor can really answer this question for you completely. But if you think you are going to move to 10GbE and might use convergence in the future, shouldn’t you pick a 10GbE network interface card (NIC) that could be upgraded to support your potential convergence needs? That is why we adopted our pay-as-you-go model. Pay for the NIC function you need today, at NIC prices. Then enable additional hardware-based features when and if you need them. The key here is to pick a 10GbE NIC that gives you a path forward to convergence when you want it.
• Should I go straight to a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) + NIC card? Some vendors are saying yes. Why? They want to sell you a more expensive card and claim they can save you a reboot in the future. The competitor in question cites the need for HA as the reason that IT mangers should bypass a 10GbE NIC or upgradable 10Gb Universal Converged Network Adapter (UCNA) like the Emulex OneConnect family because you might need to reboot in the future to add FCoE. We think this is a flimsy argument. Emulex sells both 10GbE NICs and 10GbE FCoE + NIC adapters so we can provide any level of function you need at the right price. However, the real question is, why pay for what you don’t need? One of the key goals of network convergence is lower operational expenses and capital expenses, and we give you the best path forward to lower both with our flexible pay-as-you 10GbE UCNA. Even if you don’t buy a UCNA, please don’t let that argument make you pay for an FCoE card when a NIC will do the job.
• Should I just leave everything as is with IP and Fibre Channel networks? Undoubtedly, many IT managers will opt for this path for the next few years and Emulex will be happy to provide our world-class 8Gb Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters (HBAs).

In the end, Emulex wants to be a partner with you for your I/O strategy. Our goal is to maximize your data center operations, lower your operating costs and provide you with the flexibility required to optimize your IT strategy.

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