Remote Storage - Intel XL710-Q2 User Manual

Optimized for CPU utilization
Maximize Interrupt Moderation Rate.
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Keep the default setting for the number of Receive Descriptors; avoid setting large numbers of Receive
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Descriptors.
Decrease RSS Queues.
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In Hyper-V environments, decrease the Max number of RSS CPUs.
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Remote Storage

The remote storage features allow you to access a SAN or other networked storage using Ethernet protocols.
This includes Data Center Bridging (DCB), iSCSI over DCB, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE).
DCB (Data Center Bridging)
Data Center Bridging (DCB) is a collection of standards-based extensions to classical Ethernet. It provides a
lossless data center transport layer that enables the convergence of LANs and SANs onto a single unified
fabric.
Furthermore, DCB is a configuration Quality of Service implementation in hardware. It uses the VLAN priority
tag (802.1p) to filter traffic. That means that there are 8 different priorities that traffic can be filtered into. It also
enables priority flow control (802.1Qbb) which can limit or eliminate the number of dropped packets during
network stress. Bandwidth can be allocated to each of these priorities, which is enforced at the hardware level
(802.1Qaz).
Adapter firmware implements LLDP and DCBX protocol agents as per 802.1AB and 802.1Qaz respectively.
The firmware based DCBX agent runs in willing mode only and can accept settings from a DCBX capable
peer. Software configuration of DCBX parameters via dcbtool/lldptool are not supported.
iSCSI Over DCB
Intel® Ethernet adapters support iSCSI software initiators that are native to the underlying operating system.
In the case of Windows, the Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator, enables connection of a Windows host to an
external iSCSI storage array using an Intel Ethernet adapter.
In the case of Open Source distributions, virtually all distributions include support for an Open iSCSI Software
Initiator and Intel® Ethernet adapters will support them. Please consult your distribution documentation for
additional configuration details on their particular Open iSCSI initiator.
Intel® 82599 and X540-based adapters support iSCSI within a Data Center Bridging cloud. Used in
conjunction with switches and targets that support the iSCSI/DCB application TLV, this solution can provide
guaranteed minimum bandwidth for iSCSI traffic between the host and target. This solution enables storage
administrators to segment iSCSI traffic from LAN traffic, similar to how they can currently segment FCoE
from LAN traffic. Previously, iSCSI traffic within a DCB supported environment was treated as LAN traffic by
switch vendors. Please consult your switch and target vendors to ensure that they support the iSCSI/DCB
application TLV.