Ethernet in the Data Center

 

The Data Center Ethernet subcommittee will address the challenge that there is no current, collective standards effort driving a holistic approach to Ethernet that is optimized for future trends in data centers.

 

White Papers

SC09 White Paper - November 09

Continuous reduction of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is the ultimate goal for building next generation data center networks. Key technology transitions applicable to future data centers are network convergence and virtualization. The Ethernet Alliance multi-vendor, multi-technology showcase demonstrates a proof-of-concept converged network based on 10GbE showing its ability to provide high performance networking for various traffic types, including LAN, SAN and IPC traffic. This showcase highlights how network convergence takes advantage of high speed Ethernet to deliver client messaging, storage, and server application communications over a unified network while maintaining the same level of high performance delivered in separate networks. In addition data center interconnect technologies such as 10GBASE-T and SFP+ 10GbE Direct Attach Cables will be demonstrated.

iWARP Brings Low-Latency Fabric Technology to Ethernet- November 09

In November 2009, the Ethernet Alliance announced a focused group effort inside the Ethernet in the Data Center subcommittee to support market development for the iWARP technology.  As a technology, iWARP is becoming mature with multiple vendors developing and shipping iWARP adapters – known as rNICs – and with production operating system support from Linux and Microsoft.  The University of New Hampshire Interoperability Lab (UNH-IOL) has established an iWARP Consortium to assist vendors in testing for iWARP compliance and interoperability.

Ethernet Jumbo Frames - November 09

This paper is intended as a resource to help better understand what Jumbo frames are, the implications of their use and the types of applications which drive their use.  It is also recognition that Jumbo frames aren’t going away….  

Storage Traffic in a Converged 10 Gigabit Ethernet Network - May 09

The advantages of IEEE 802.3TM Ethernet are well documented and established for implementation in traditional Local Area Networks (LAN). The role of Ethernet in the LAN data center is evolving beyond the interconnection of clients, servers and switches. The modern Ethernet, specifically 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10 GbE), is becoming the new interconnection technology of choice for Storage Area Networks (SAN) using the Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) protocol on an IP-based network. The usage of Ethernet infrastructure is being further extended by a relatively new protocol that maps Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE). This allows servers, storage, and management devices to communicate over Ethernet links in a converged data center fabric.

Data Center Bridging  - Nov. 08

Networks are the essential part of any modern data center and they must deliver reliability, availability and high performance. Enterprises rely on their data centers to run business operations, service providers rely on their data centers to generate revenues by delivering network services, and content providers rely on their data centers to distribute revenue-producing content. Ethernet is the most widely deployed networking technology today. Currently, it fulfills increasingly demanding requirements for a variety of business needs. But can Ethernet technology evolve to help data centers improve costeffectiveness and meet the demands for next-generation services.

Supercomputing 2008 10 Gigabit Ethernet Converged Data Center Demonstration - Nov. 08

The Ethernet Alliance converged data center demonstration shows the deployment of several types of mixed traffic over a multi-vendor 10 GbE infrastructure with physical links that consist of both UTP copper, twinax copper and fiber optic media. The SAN/LAN network is converged at Layer 2 using Ethernet as the common transport protocol. The demonstration data center runs 10 GbE application-to-application traffic, iSCSI storage and low latency traffic with a streaming video environment from iSCSI storage, FCoE over a lossless Ethernet network and converged traffic types via virtualized servers. The Ethernet Alliance demonstration shows a physical data center built with equipment from multiple vendors, switches, network interface card (NICs), converged network adapters (CNAs) and cabling systems that supports a complex yet realistic set of 10 GbE application environments.

Presentations

The Data Center Subcommittee is focused on existing and emerging Ethernet technologies and standards for the Data Center.

 

 

Articles

 

Press Releases 


Videos

Ethernet Alliance 10GbE Converged Data Center Demonstration SC08