On January 4, 2015, the SNIA NVM Programming Technical Work Group received the Storage Visions 2015 Professional Storage Development Visionary Award , Storage Visions, a partner program of the Consumer Electronics Show, showcases digital storage and the entertainment content value chain as the storage conference of CES. The Storage Visions "Visionary" Awards recognize companies advancing the state of the art in storage technologies utilized in consumer electronics, the media and entertainment industries; visionary products for the digital content value chain; and digital storage end users. This most recent honor recognizes TWG work on creating next generation programming models, and follows an August 2014 award to the NVM Programming Model as a Best of Show at Flash Memory Summit for the Most Innovative Flash Memory Enterprise Business Application. The SNIA Non Volatile Memory (NVM) Programming Technical Work Group (TWG) delivers specifications describing the behavior of a common set of software interfaces that provide access to non-volatile memory (NVM). The TWG goal is to encourage a common ecosystem for NVM-enabled software without limiting the ability to innovate. The TWG’s current work is the NVM Programming Model specification.  This specification describes behavior used by applications and kernel components to access:

• Emerging features for traditional block NVM (SSDs) and
• A new programming model for persistent memory (PM) - NVM hardware designed to be treated by software similarly to system memory.

On January 4, 2015, the SNIA NVM Programming Technical Work Group received the Storage Visions 2015 Professional Storage Development Visionary Award ,

Storage Visions, a partner program of the Consumer Electronics Show, showcases digital storage and the entertainment content value chain as the storage conference of CES.

The Storage Visions “Visionary” Awards recognize companies advancing the state of the art in storage technologies utilized in consumer electronics, the media and entertainment industries; visionary products for the digital content value chain; and digital storage end users.

This most recent honor recognizes TWG work on creating next generation programming models, and follows an August 2014 award to the NVM Programming Model as a Best of Show at Flash Memory Summit for the Most Innovative Flash Memory Enterprise Business Application.

The SNIA Non Volatile Memory (NVM) Programming Technical Work Group (TWG) delivers specifications describing the behavior of a common set of software interfaces that provide access to non-volatile memory (NVM). The TWG goal is to encourage a common ecosystem for NVM-enabled software without limiting the ability to innovate.

The TWG’s current work is the NVM Programming Model specification.  This specification describes behavior used by applications and kernel components to access:

• Emerging features for traditional block NVM (SSDs) and
• A new programming model for persistent memory (PM) – NVM hardware designed to be treated by software similarly to system memory.

On January 29^th, we continue our Cloud Developer’s series by hosting a live Webcast on OpenStack Manila - the OpenStack file share service. Manila provides the management of file shares (for example, NFS and CIFS) as a core service to OpenStack. Manila currently works with a variety of vendors’ storage products, including NetApp, Red Hat, EMC, IBM, and with the Linux NFS server. In this Webcast we will:

• Introduce the Manila file share service
• Review key Manila concepts
• Describe the logical architecture of Manila and its API structure
• Explain what’s new in Juno, the latest release of OpenStack
• Highlight the roadmap for Manila in the next release, OpenStack Kilo, and beyond

Register now for this live event that we expect will be informative and interactive. I hope you’ll join us.

On January 14, 2015, the CSI continues its Developer Tutorial series by hosting a live Webcast on OpenStack Cloud Storage. As you likely know, OpenStack is an open source cloud operating system that provides pools of compute, storage, and networking.

OpenStack is currently being developed by thousands of developers from hundreds of companies across the globe, and is the basis of multiple public and private cloud offerings.  Register now for this SNIA-CSI Webcast to hear Sam Fineberg, Distinguished Technologist at HP discuss:

• Storage aspects of OpenStack including the core projects for block storage (Cinder) and object storage (Swift)
• Emerging shared file service
• Common configurations and use cases for these technologies
• Interaction with the other parts of OpenStack
• New developments in Cinder and Swift that enable advanced array features, QoS, new storage fabrics, and new types of drives.

I’ll be moderating this live event and Sam and I will be available to answer your specific questions. It should be an informative and interactive session. I hope you’ll join us!

On January 14, 2015, the CSI continues its Developer Tutorial series by hosting a live Webcast on OpenStack Cloud Storage. As you likely know, OpenStack is an open source cloud operating system that provides pools of compute, storage, and networking. OpenStack is currently being developed by thousands of developers from hundreds of companies across the globe, and is the basis of multiple public and private cloud offerings.  Register now for this SNIA-CSI Webcast to hear Sam Fineberg, Distinguished Technologist at HP discuss:

• Storage aspects of OpenStack including the core projects for block storage (Cinder) and object storage (Swift)
• Emerging shared file service
• Common configurations and use cases for these technologies
• Interaction with the other parts of OpenStack
• New developments in Cinder and Swift that enable advanced array features, QoS, new storage fabrics, and new types of drives.

I’ll be moderating this live event and Sam and I will be available to answer your specific questions. It should be an informative and interactive session. I hope you’ll join us!

At our recent live Webcast “Real-World FCoE Designs and Best Practices,” IT leaders from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Gannett Co. shared their experiences from their FCoE deployments – one single-hop, one multi-hop. It was a candid discussion on the lessons they learned. If you missed the Webcast, it’s now available on demand. We polled the audience to see what stage of FCoE deployment they’re in (see the poll results at the end of this blog). Just over half said they’re still in learning mode. To that end, here are answers to the questions we got during the Webcast. As you will see, many of these questions were directed to our guest end users regarding their experiences. I hope that it will help you in your journey. If you have additional questions, please ask them in the comments section in this blog and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Q. Have any issues come up where the storage team needed to upgrade SAN switch firmware to solve a problem, but the network team objected to upgrading the FCFs?  This assumes a shared firmware release on both network and SAN switch products (i.e. Cisco NX-OS)

A. No we need to work together as a team so as long as it is planned out in advance this has not been an issue.

Q. Is there any overhead at the host CPU level when using FCOE/CNA vs. using FC/HBA? Has anyone done any benchmarking on this?

A. To the host OS it is the CNA that presents a HBA and 10G Ethernet adapter, so to the host OS there is not a difference from what is normally presented for Ethernet and FC adapters. In a software FCoE implementation there might be, but you should check with the particular implementation from the OS vendors for this information.

Q. Are there any high-level performance considerations when compared to typical FC SAN? Any obvious impact to IO latency as hosts are moved to FCoE compared to FC?

A. There is a performance increase in comparison to 8GB Fibre channel since FCoE using Ethernet and 64/66b encoding vs. 8/10b encoding that native 8GB uses. On dedicated links it could be around 50% increase in performance from 10GB FCoE vs. 8GB FC.

 Q. Have you planned to use of 40G – FCoE in you edge core design?

A. We have purchased the hardware to go 40G if we choose to.

 Q. Was DCB used to isolate the network traffic with FC traffic at the CNA?

A. DCB is a set of technologies that includes DCBX, PFC, ETS that are used with FCoE.

 Q. Was FCoE implemented on existing hosts or just on new ones being added to the SAN?

A. Only on new hosts.

Q. Can you expand on Domain_ID sprawl ?

A. In FC or FCoE fabrics each storage vendor supports only a certain amount of switches per fabric. Each full FC or FCoE switch will consume a Domain ID, so it is important to consider how many switches or domain IDs are allowed in a supported fabric based on the storage vendor’s fabric recommendations. There are technologies such as NPIV and vendor specific technologies that can be helpful to limit domain ID sprawl in your fabrics.

Remember the poll I mentioned during the Webcast? Here are the results. Let us know where you are in your FCoE deployment plans.

 

 

At our recent live Webcast "Real-World FCoE Designs and Best Practices," IT leaders from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Gannett Co. shared their experiences from their FCoE deployments – one single-hop, one multi-hop. It was a candid discussion on the lessons they learned. If you missed the Webcast, it's now available on demand. We polled the audience to see what stage of FCoE deployment they're in (see the poll results at the end of this blog). Just over half said they're still in learning mode. To that end, here are answers to the questions we got during the Webcast. As you will see, many of these questions were directed to our guest end users regarding their experiences. I hope that it will help you in your journey. If you have additional questions, please ask them in the comments section in this blog and we'll get back to you as soon as possible. Q. Have any issues come up where the storage team needed to upgrade SAN switch firmware to solve a problem, but the network team objected to upgrading the FCFs?  This assumes a shared firmware release on both network and SAN switch products (i.e. Cisco NX-OS) A. No we need to work together as a team so as long as it is planned out in advance this has not been an issue. Q. Is there any overhead at the host CPU level when using FCOE/CNA vs. using FC/HBA? Has anyone done any benchmarking on this? A. To the host OS it is the CNA that presents a HBA and 10G Ethernet adapter, so to the host OS there is not a difference from what is normally presented for Ethernet and FC adapters.  In a software FCoE implementation there might be, but you should check with the particular implementation from the OS vendors for this information. Q. Are there any high-level performance considerations when compared to typical FC SAN? Any obvious impact to IO latency as hosts are moved to FCoE compared to FC? A. There is a performance increase in comparison to 8GB Fibre channel since FCoE using Ethernet and 64/66b encoding vs. 8/10b encoding that native 8GB uses. On dedicated links it could be around 50% increase in performance from 10GB FCoE vs. 8GB FC.  Q. Have you planned to use of 40G - FCoE in you edge core design? A. We have purchased the hardware to go 40G if we choose to.  Q. Was DCB used to isolate the network traffic with FC traffic at the CNA? A. DCB is a set of technologies that includes DCBX, PFC, ETS that are used with FCoE.  Q. Was FCoE implemented on existing hosts or just on new ones being added to the SAN? A. Only on new hosts. Q. Can you expand on Domain_ID sprawl ? A. In FC or FCoE fabrics each storage vendor supports only a certain amount of switches per fabric. Each full FC or FCoE switch will consume a Domain ID, so it is important to consider how many switches or domain IDs are allowed in a supported fabric based on the storage vendor's fabric recommendations. There are technologies such as NPIV and vendor specific technologies that can be helpful to limit domain ID sprawl in your fabrics. Remember the poll I mentioned during the Webcast? Here are the results. Let us know where you are in your FCoE deployment plans.    

ESF has some exciting plans for 2015! We’re busy covering all things “Ethernet Storage” with topics on FCoE and iSCSI use cases, Cloud File Services, Object Storage, NVMe over Fabrics, SMB 3.0, NFS and more. We’re writing White Papers, hosting live expert Webcasts, publishing articles, and of course using this blog and Twitter to keep you updated on all that’s going on.

To help us in our mission to drive the broad adoption of Ethernet-connected storage networking technologies, we want to deliver content on the Ethernet Storage topics that matter most to you. Please take this quick poll – really it’s quick – only two questions – and help us shape the conversation for 2015. We look forward to your input and appreciate your support of SNIA-ESF. SNIA-ESF quick poll.

 

 

 

ESF has some exciting plans for 2015! We're busy covering all things "Ethernet Storage" with topics on FCoE and iSCSI use cases, Cloud File Services, Object Storage, NVMe over Fabrics, SMB 3.0, NFS and more. We're writing White Papers, hosting live expert Webcasts, publishing articles, and of course using this blog and Twitter to keep you updated on all that's going on. To help us in our mission to drive the broad adoption of Ethernet-connected storage networking technologies, we want to deliver content on the Ethernet Storage topics that matter most to you. Please take this quick poll - really it's quick - only two questions – and help us shape the conversation for 2015. We look forward to your input and appreciate your support of SNIA-ESF. SNIA-ESF quick poll.      

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) has been growing in popularity year after year. From access layer, to multi-hop and beyond, FCoE has established itself as a true solution in the data center.

Are you interested in learning how customers are using FCoE? Join us on December 10th, at 3:00 pm ET, 1:00 pm PT for our live Webcast, “Real World FCoE Designs and Best Practices”. This live SNIA Webcast examines the most used FCoE designs and looks at how this is being used in REAL world customer implementations. You will hear from two IT leaders who have implemented FCoE and why they did so. We will cover:

• Real-world Use Cases and Customer Implementations of:
  • Single-Hop FCoE
  • Multi-Hop FCoE
  • Use of FCoE for Inter-Switch Links (ISLs)

This will be a vendor-neutral live presentation. Please join us on December 10^th and bring your questions for our panel.