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2
Planning
Selecting a Test Architecture
When planning the pilot of a unified network, it is important to choose both Fibre
Channel and traditional Ethernet-based traffic flows. Combining a test SAN
infrastructure and a test LAN infrastructure is often the easiest and most available
option for a pilot project. Alternatively, a critical business application test system
can closely simulate a production environment. The architecture you choose must
demonstrate that a unified network improves efficiency and performance in your
environment. The reference architecture described in this guide was assembled
from equipment that was available in the QLogic NETtrack Developer Center. You
will need to substitute your own equipment, and modify the installation and
validation process accordingly.
Organizational Ownership—Fibre
Channel/Storage, Ethernet/Networking
A critical factor for successfully implementing a unified data center fabric is the
stability of network and storage management practices. Cooperation between the
network and storage management teams is important as they configure the
converged data center fabric.
Where and How to Deploy
The unified fabric has two components:
10Gb Ethernet switches that support DCB and FCoE—These switches
support the connection of traditional Ethernet and Fibre Channel
infrastructures. These switches are known as a top of rack (TOR) switches,
implementing DCB and encapsulating Fibre Channel frames into Ethernet
frames for transport over 10Gb Ethernet media.
10Gb Converged Network Adapters that support both Ethernet LAN and
Fibre Channel SAN over 10Gb Ethernet media—These adapters replace the
NIC and Fibre Channel host bus adapter, and connect to a DCB-enabled
10Gb Ethernet switch.
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