Readers Respond: iSCSI Takes on Fibre Channel

While I agree with most of the conclusions in eWEEK Labs article comparing iSCSI and Fibre Channel ("iSCSI takes on Fibre Channel," Feb. 13), Im not sure how it was decided that iSCSI is good for lower-end applications but that Fibre Channel should still be used for more critical situations.

Resource Library:

If anything, the test results showed iSCSI holding its own.

The test was performed using basically the same Dell/EMC AX100 box with different HBAs. There was a negligible difference in the performance of the two configurations until the tests scaled to 1,200 virtual users, at which point neither boxs performance was acceptable.

When I look at the charted latency, my first conclusion would be that it isnt the network architecture causing the problem but rather some limitation with the AX100 itself.

A more meaningful test would compare the best products from each camp with similar storage capacity. Ill bet you will find iSCSI far more capable than your article seems to suggest.

John Houck
Systems Administrator
Berlin Packaging