HP DL360 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology for industry-standard servers - Page 2

Abstract This paper examines 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) technology as the network architecture of choice to address requirements for increased bandwidth and reduced latency. 10GbE also provides broader opportunities for network redundancy in data center environments and other situations where these properties are essential. The paper also explores 10GbE as the technology for converging heterogeneous network fabrics in data centers and network backbones. Introduction The standard for 10GbE over fiber, 802.3ae, was approved by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Standards Association (IEEE-SA) in 2002. The IEEE-SA followed in 2004 with approval of 802.3ak, the standard for 10GbE over CX4 copper twin-ax, and in 2006 with 802.3an, the 10GbE standard for 10GBASE-T, copper twisted pair. 10GbE was designed as a high-speed network standard with the ability to converge local area networks (LAN), metropolitan area networks (MAN), wide area networks (WAN), and regional area networks (RAN). In addition to high bandwidth, 10GbE offers the advantage of being Ethernet based, which enables network administrators and data center managers to employ existing infrastructure, technology, and expertise when transitioning to this standard. Why 10GbE technology is important Using faster multi-core processors is increasing bandwidth requirements per server. Customers in a broad range of advanced computing environments - including financial markets, government, defense, sciences, and media - are working with ever more complex data sets requiring 10GbE bandwidth. There are a number of reasons to move to 10GbE: Aggregating connections to reduce cabling High-bandwidth applications such as video on demand (VOD), data backup, and network storage High-performance, latency-sensitive computing requirements like those for High Performance Computing (HPC) clustering implemented within financial services environments. These system configurations provide real-time trading floor information and trading analytics Merging LAN, data, and storage traffic onto a single fabric network, also known as a converged network (CN) Server consolidation using virtual machine software has become accepted practice in data centers and other enterprise environments. As more virtual machines are loaded onto a physical server, the requirement for additional network bandwidth per physical server grows. Current network architecture Current network architecture uses separate, heterogeneous networks to manage different types of data. Each of these networks adds to the complexity, cost, and management overhead. Types of data Several types of server data are being managed in business environments: Business Communication - Practically all business communication is based on Internet Protocol (IP). This is primarily data moved over LAN. Examples include email, file sharing, web services, streaming media, and internet services. Management - This data is usually IP-based remote switch, server, and management consoles. Although some companies may combine general IP traffic with management traffic, most IT administrators separate these networks either physically or with virtual LANs (VLANs). 2