CCIE Data Center

Storage Networking
IP Storage

FC vs. FCoE vs. FCIP vs iSCSI

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What is iSCSI?
Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI)
SCSI over TCP over IP

Completely separate protocol stack from Fibre

Channel
Think IPX vs. IPv4

Typically used in small to mid-range SANs

No dedicated SAN switches required
Implies no SAN switching knowledge required

1/10GigE iSCSI hardware offload cards available

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iSCSI & CCIE DC

iSCSI is not SAN Switching
End hosts run just IP
Storage Array runs just IP
Transport is anything IP

How does it apply to us?

MDS as an iSCSI to FC Gateway

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MDS & iSCSI

MDS is effectively a translational bridge for Fibre
Channel & iSCSI
Think bridging between Ethernet & Frame Relay in IOS

How iSCSI gateway works

FC Targets FLOGI as usual to FC Fabric
iSCSI Initiators send Discovery to MDS
Implies MDS has IP enabled Ethernet interfaces

MDS applies Zoning/Access Lists

iSCSI Initiator thinks FC Target is iSCSI Target
FC Target thinks iSCSI Initiator is FC Initiator
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MDS iSCSI Gateway Configuration

Configure FC to Targets
Configure IP to Initiators
Enable iSCSI
Configure Zoning / Access Control
Point server at MDSs IP address

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iSCSI Access Control

Like in FC, access control must be enforced
Mounting someone elses volume can be catastrophic

Access control can be enforced as

Zoning Based
Normal pWWN, FCID, Alias, etc.
Initiators IP address
Initiators iSCSI qualified name (IQN)

iSCSI Based Virtual Target

IQN
IP Address & Subnet
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What is FCIP?
Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP)
SCSI over FCP over TCP over IP

Same protocol stack as Fibre Channel

Think IPv6 over IPv4 GRE Tunnel
Initiators & Targets are still Native FC (or FCoE)

Used for FC SAN Extension

Data replication over long distance
Native FC is sensitive to latency and drops
TCP already has built in congestion management,
retransmission, etc.
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FCIP & CCIE DC

Extend the SAN over the DCI
E.g. FC SAN over OTV
Actually SCSI over FCP over TCP over IP over
Ethernet over MPLS over GRE over IP over Ethernet

How does it apply to us?

MDS as an FCIP Gateway

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MDS FCIP Gateway Configuration

Configure normal FC to Initiators & Targets

Configure IP connectivity between MDSes
Configure FCIP Tunnel
Tunnel now counts as a TE_port
Normal FC Switching design now applies

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Q&A

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