Re: [Xen-users] Network based storage - NBD/AoE/iSCSI other?

[Tom Mornini <tmornini@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Oct 8, 2006, at 5:53 PM, Luke Crawford wrote:

> On Sun, 8 Oct 2006, Thomas Harold wrote:
> > > My main point was that compared to a 1GB Ethernet 'dedicated to  
> > > storage' network, a 1GB FC network is cheaper and faster;   I  
> > > believe this to be true even if your end disks are SATA.  (but  
> > > like I said, I might be wrong on that part;  I'm not really  
> > > familiar with pricing for network-attached IDE arrays; I can't  
> > > afford gigabit Ethernet equipment of a quality I'd like to  
> > > maintain, and I use 10 or 15K scsi/FC for everything that matters  
> > > anyhow.)
> > For a small business, you can probably setup a small SAN for not  
> > that much. 16/24 port "smart" gigabit switches that support VLANs,  
> > trunking, jumbo frames can be had for under $500.  Put two of  
> > those together and you have a fault-tolerant SAN fabric.  Dual- 
> > port server gigabit NICs for $180 each to connect to the SAN  
> > switch fabric.  Do some bonding of multiple dual/quad port NICs  
> > for bandwidth / fault-tolerance on the SAN unit.
> 16 port 1G fibre-channel brocades go for around $100.  how much are  
> the 16 port cisco gig switches?
Why do you insist on comparing used fiber channel equipment to new  
Gigabit?
You can absolutely get 16 port gigabit switches for $100.

http://tinyurl.com/kyrmp

Of course, with fiber channel, you need to add in the expense of  
fiber channel
HBAs as well, and those are more than gigabit ethernet HBAs as well,  
and many
modern motherboards have dual and even quad gigabit ports onboard at  
no extra
cost.

Additionally, in a used marketplace, the price paid reflects the  
market's
judgement on the worth of the item in question. If used ethernet  
switches
did cost more than used fiber channel switches, it's because people  
found
them worth more.

I, for one, have no interest in going down the fiber channel road. It  
had
its place, and still does at the high end for those who can afford  
it, but
it's pretty clear that an investment in fiber channel is an  
investment in
the past, IMHO.

--
-- Tom Mornini


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