iSCSI vs. FC SANs: Three Reasons Not to Choose Sides
In the on-going war between storage technologies, Fibre Channel and iSCSI continue to battle it out. Fibre Channel provides low-latency and high availability, making it the ideal storage platform for business critical applications.
But Fibre Channel can be expensive and complex to manage. With IP everywhere, iSCSI is easy to implement and manage and much more affordable than Fibre Channel. But iSCSI may not match the performance and availability of Fibre Channel. So how do you choose?
Compellent believes the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Most businesses need both Fibre Channel and iSCSI server connectivity to optimize their storage resources. Fibre Channel delivers the performance required for select applications while iSCSI enables an organization to cost-effectively add new devices to their storage area network by utilizing existing IP infrastructure.
It is Compellent’s position that storage customers shouldn’t be forced to take sides when purchasing a SAN. Customers should be able to choose the technologies that make sense for their IT infrastructure today and still have the flexibility to change technologies as business needs change or implement new technologies as they become available. A highly scalable, standards-based hardware architecture, such as the one Compellent provides, can free customers from technology risk by providing the capability to mix and match server interface or drive technology.
This position brief will explore three reasons it makes sense to select a SAN that allows you to pick the right technology for each application. Customer examples will illustrate how the three reasons play out in the real world.
Reason One: Each Technology Has it’s Place
If customers can design a storage solution specific to their unique needs, they can utilize iSCSI connectivity when manageability and cost are the key criteria, and opt for Fibre Channel when availability and performance are the most important requirements. Fibre Channel was designed for business critical, performance intensive applications like SQL or Exchange databases, while iSCSI works well for file and print and departmental servers.
In reality, as iSCSI becomes a more mature technology, the lines between requirements and results are becoming blurred. Both Fibre Channel and iSCSI technologies have a place in a data center, and Compellent believes customers should be able to choose the right technology for their specific requirements. OfficeWare, a Kentucky-based business equipment dealership, learned this first hand. OfficeWare recently replaced an iSCSI-only SAN after encountering performance issues.
With the initial iSCSI-only SAN, OfficeWare was experiencing considerable delays when copying files and starting up or shutting down servers. When preparing to install a core business management application, the team realized they needed a SAN with higher performance to support OfficeWare’s ongoing growth. “To take our IT organization to the next level of service we needed a flexible, high performance storage solution,” said Chris Resch, chief technology officer for OfficeWare. “To avoid technology lock-in the second time around, we selected a SAN that simultaneously supports Fibre Channel and iSCSI. We get performance with Fibre Channel, while having the flexibility to connect servers via both Fibre Channel and/or iSCSI at any time.”
Reason Two: Affordability Can Put Technology Within Reach
Although Fibre Channel was built specifically for storage, the cost and complexity can put certain technology solutions out of reach for some companies. Compellent believes iSCSI provides businesses the opportunity to implement solutions they couldn’t afford to implement with Fibre Channel. As one of the most frequently required, but least implemented technologies, remote replication is a perfect example.
Many storage administrators find tape backups unreliable, leaving the company exposed to potential data loss. But when it comes time to purchase and implement a remote replication solution, the cost and complexity of Fibre Channel offerings has prevented widespread use.
Remote replication over IP networks can provide a robust and easy to use disaster recovery solution without the complexity or cost of Fibre Channel, bringing business continuance within reach for companies of any size. IP-based replication uses existing networks, infrastructure and staff and is simple to set up and use without specialized training or scripting, making it accessible to companies who might not have been able to implement and manage a Fibre Channel solution.
AHC, the largest attorney based receivables management company in the healthcare industry, selected a storage system that allowed Fibre Channel connectivity for high-performance local operations and iSCSI server connectivity for an otherwise prohibitively priced remote replication solution. AHC can recover in roughly 30 minutes, instead of the weeks it would have taken to recover from tape should a disaster or disruption occur in any of their locations.
“With iSCSI replication, we got business continuity at half the price,” said Chris Stettler, IT director for AHC. “By using SCSI controllers, we can cost-effectively replicate over IP helping us to prepare for and recover quickly from a disaster—a very real possibility for our Boca Raton, Florida office.”
Reason Three: Avoid Technology Lock-in
With the rapid changes in technology, it’s quite possible that three years from now the conversation will shift from Fibre Channel vs. iSCSI to two entirely different technologies. Selecting an iSCSI or Fibre Channel only solution limits flexibility and can lock a business into a single technology, regardless of any technologies that may be on the horizon. It is Compellent’s position that businesses shouldn’t be forced to make difficult technology choices, or bet on any particular technology solution. Selecting a solution that is essentially technology agnostic allows businesses to avoid these unnecessary technology risks.
When purchasing their first SAN, Moss & Associates, the largest construction company in South Florida selected a SAN with the ability to simultaneously support iSCSI and Fibre Channel server connections. This allows Moss to utilize the right technology based on an application’s criticality. “We selected a SAN that allows us to have the best of both worlds without being locked into any given technology. Fibre Channel gives us proven performance and iSCSI allows us to overcome distance limitations and replicate to a co-location facility 60 miles away,” explains Bill Snow, IT Director for Moss.
Moss uses Fibre Channel server connections for their business critical, performance intensive SQL, Exchange and file server applications and iSCSI connections anywhere they don’t need extreme performance. With a standards-based hardware architecture, Moss is freed from technology lock-in and can easily adopt new technologies as they are developed.
Compellent Position: SANs Should Offer Simultaneous Support for iSCSI and Fibre Channel
SANs that offer simultaneous support for iSCSI and Fibre Channel server connections allow businesses to optimize their storage resources, selecting the right technology for each application. Furthermore, the ideal SAN platform should utilize flexible port configurations so that the solution can easily adapt and scale to meet customers changing storage requirements. With a technology independent storage solution, such as Compellent, customers can balance performance and cost, and avoid unnecessary technology lock-in.
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But Fibre Channel can be expensive and complex to manage. With IP everywhere, iSCSI is easy to implement and manage and much more affordable than Fibre Channel. But iSCSI may not match the performance and availability of Fibre Channel. So how do you choose?
Compellent believes the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Most businesses need both Fibre Channel and iSCSI server connectivity to optimize their storage resources. Fibre Channel delivers the performance required for select applications while iSCSI enables an organization to cost-effectively add new devices to their storage area network by utilizing existing IP infrastructure.
It is Compellent’s position that storage customers shouldn’t be forced to take sides when purchasing a SAN. Customers should be able to choose the technologies that make sense for their IT infrastructure today and still have the flexibility to change technologies as business needs change or implement new technologies as they become available. A highly scalable, standards-based hardware architecture, such as the one Compellent provides, can free customers from technology risk by providing the capability to mix and match server interface or drive technology.
This position brief will explore three reasons it makes sense to select a SAN that allows you to pick the right technology for each application. Customer examples will illustrate how the three reasons play out in the real world.
Reason One: Each Technology Has it’s Place
If customers can design a storage solution specific to their unique needs, they can utilize iSCSI connectivity when manageability and cost are the key criteria, and opt for Fibre Channel when availability and performance are the most important requirements. Fibre Channel was designed for business critical, performance intensive applications like SQL or Exchange databases, while iSCSI works well for file and print and departmental servers.
In reality, as iSCSI becomes a more mature technology, the lines between requirements and results are becoming blurred. Both Fibre Channel and iSCSI technologies have a place in a data center, and Compellent believes customers should be able to choose the right technology for their specific requirements. OfficeWare, a Kentucky-based business equipment dealership, learned this first hand. OfficeWare recently replaced an iSCSI-only SAN after encountering performance issues.
With the initial iSCSI-only SAN, OfficeWare was experiencing considerable delays when copying files and starting up or shutting down servers. When preparing to install a core business management application, the team realized they needed a SAN with higher performance to support OfficeWare’s ongoing growth. “To take our IT organization to the next level of service we needed a flexible, high performance storage solution,” said Chris Resch, chief technology officer for OfficeWare. “To avoid technology lock-in the second time around, we selected a SAN that simultaneously supports Fibre Channel and iSCSI. We get performance with Fibre Channel, while having the flexibility to connect servers via both Fibre Channel and/or iSCSI at any time.”
Reason Two: Affordability Can Put Technology Within Reach
Although Fibre Channel was built specifically for storage, the cost and complexity can put certain technology solutions out of reach for some companies. Compellent believes iSCSI provides businesses the opportunity to implement solutions they couldn’t afford to implement with Fibre Channel. As one of the most frequently required, but least implemented technologies, remote replication is a perfect example.
Many storage administrators find tape backups unreliable, leaving the company exposed to potential data loss. But when it comes time to purchase and implement a remote replication solution, the cost and complexity of Fibre Channel offerings has prevented widespread use.
Remote replication over IP networks can provide a robust and easy to use disaster recovery solution without the complexity or cost of Fibre Channel, bringing business continuance within reach for companies of any size. IP-based replication uses existing networks, infrastructure and staff and is simple to set up and use without specialized training or scripting, making it accessible to companies who might not have been able to implement and manage a Fibre Channel solution.
AHC, the largest attorney based receivables management company in the healthcare industry, selected a storage system that allowed Fibre Channel connectivity for high-performance local operations and iSCSI server connectivity for an otherwise prohibitively priced remote replication solution. AHC can recover in roughly 30 minutes, instead of the weeks it would have taken to recover from tape should a disaster or disruption occur in any of their locations.
“With iSCSI replication, we got business continuity at half the price,” said Chris Stettler, IT director for AHC. “By using SCSI controllers, we can cost-effectively replicate over IP helping us to prepare for and recover quickly from a disaster—a very real possibility for our Boca Raton, Florida office.”
Reason Three: Avoid Technology Lock-in
With the rapid changes in technology, it’s quite possible that three years from now the conversation will shift from Fibre Channel vs. iSCSI to two entirely different technologies. Selecting an iSCSI or Fibre Channel only solution limits flexibility and can lock a business into a single technology, regardless of any technologies that may be on the horizon. It is Compellent’s position that businesses shouldn’t be forced to make difficult technology choices, or bet on any particular technology solution. Selecting a solution that is essentially technology agnostic allows businesses to avoid these unnecessary technology risks.
When purchasing their first SAN, Moss & Associates, the largest construction company in South Florida selected a SAN with the ability to simultaneously support iSCSI and Fibre Channel server connections. This allows Moss to utilize the right technology based on an application’s criticality. “We selected a SAN that allows us to have the best of both worlds without being locked into any given technology. Fibre Channel gives us proven performance and iSCSI allows us to overcome distance limitations and replicate to a co-location facility 60 miles away,” explains Bill Snow, IT Director for Moss.
Moss uses Fibre Channel server connections for their business critical, performance intensive SQL, Exchange and file server applications and iSCSI connections anywhere they don’t need extreme performance. With a standards-based hardware architecture, Moss is freed from technology lock-in and can easily adopt new technologies as they are developed.
Compellent Position: SANs Should Offer Simultaneous Support for iSCSI and Fibre Channel
SANs that offer simultaneous support for iSCSI and Fibre Channel server connections allow businesses to optimize their storage resources, selecting the right technology for each application. Furthermore, the ideal SAN platform should utilize flexible port configurations so that the solution can easily adapt and scale to meet customers changing storage requirements. With a technology independent storage solution, such as Compellent, customers can balance performance and cost, and avoid unnecessary technology lock-in.
» print friendly version
