One of the arguments that detractors of network convergence like to use is that network convergence will require IT shops to rip and replace equipment. The odd thing is this argument even comes from some vendors selling network convergence gear, but we will save that topic for a future blog. As I said in my last blog, IT shops are not going to rip-and-replace, they will add and extend when it comes to network convergence. As we all know IT shops tend to run their product lifecycles on 3-4 year amortization schedules and then move on to the next-generation of servers, CPUs, storage and networking. The move to network convergence and 10Gb/s Ethernet (10GbE) will not be any different, so the argument about rip-and-replace is not relevant.
We have stated in many public forums, including our CEO Blog and industry analyst discussions that 2010 will be the year of pilots, 2011 will be the first year of deployment and 2012-2013 will be the years of mass adoption. That means a 3-4 year adoption cycle, which in not uncommon for major technology transitions. In my last blog, I said that in 2010 many IT managers will make a strategic choice to move towards 10GbE and I have seen nothing yet that changes my thoughts about that. In fact, the video below of Frank Berry at IT Brand Pulse helps make the point. As he says, “I am recommending that data center administrators consider Emulex Universal Converged Network Adaptors (UCNAs) as a stable alternative to NICs (Network Interface Cards) based on lossy 10b/s Ethernet for five key reasons:”
- The unified network adaptor market volume will be dominated by Converged Network Adapters (CNAs) used in NIC and LOM (LAN On Motherboard) applications. It’s simple in 2010, 98% of server ports will be Ethernet, NICs or LOM and the remaining 2% will be Fibre Channel HBAs or InfiniBand Host Channel Adapters (HCAs).
- Priority number one for data center networking adapter manufacturers to succeed long-term is to get a foothold in the 10 Gb/s Enhanced Ethernet NIC and LOM market. For the huge base of servers that need Ethernet connectivity, Emulex OneConnect UCNAs are the first in a new class of 10Gb/s Enhanced Ethernet adapters with OEM validation of NIC functionality rich enough for the data center. This means that data center managers for the first time have a platform for the vast majority of the server ports upon which they can build out additional converged networking capabilities in the future.
- Solid execution on the first-to-market strategy for 10 Gb/s Enhanced Ethernet-based NICs is positioning Emulex to compete successfully against Intel and Broadcom in the 10Gb/s NIC market. Current adapters from NIC manufacturers, such as Broadcom and Intel, support traditional LAN, WAN and iSCSI storage networking with lossy 10Gb/sEthernet but do not support unified networking based on Enhanced Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). Plus, current adapters from Fibre Channel HBA manufacturer QLogic are built on Enhanced Ethernet, but are validated by OEMs only for FCoE storage networking.
- Virtual I/O solutions from HP, Cisco, and IBM help answer a pervasive customer problem. With server virtualization sweeping the data center, server administrators want more I/O bandwidth for these dense compute nodes, fewer adapters and the ability to provision network resources to individual virtual machines. The result is a requirement for virtual NICs running on powerful 10Gb/s physical NICs.
- Emulex’s 10GbE design wins with HDS, HP, EMC, IBM and NetApp for NIC, iSCSI and FCoE implementations demonstrate that OEMs are buying into its 10Gb/s Ethernet-first strategy and Emulex’s pay-as-you-go model for converged networking capabilities. The pay-as-you-go aspect of IBM Virtual Fabric Solutions is critically important at this point of CNA market development. Server administrators typically need just a slice of full CNA functionality for each server or virtual server and vendors will be adding important new features to CNAs in the months and years ahead. With a modular pay-as-you-go scheme, OEMs and customers can deploy new features when they need them and when they become available.
As we continue to work with OEMs and IT managers it is clear that rip-and-replace is not the way forward, but 10GbE is, and our pay-as-you-go options give IT managers a simple and clear path forward without compromise.
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Frank Berry – Winning Strategies for Unified Data Center Networking
Frank Berry – CEO and Senior Analyst, Unified Networking Practice, Discusses winning strategies for Unified Data Center Networking. |
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