Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Storage

    It All Adds Up to ISLs, Mesh Networks

    By
    Henry Baltazar
    -
    February 23, 2004
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Simple math shows why 10G-BPS Fibre Channel speed matters a great deal for Inter-Switch Links.

      To establish a 10G-bps link between two switches using standard 2G-bps Fibre Channel ports, an IT manager would have to dedicate five ports on each switch to generate an ISL trunk between them. On a small, entry-class switch such as QLogic Corp.s SANbox 5200, which has only 16 2G-bps ports to start with, doing so would consume nearly a third of the switchs ports just to set up a single ISL trunk.

      Now imagine having to add a third switch to the mesh of this SAN (storage area network). In this scenario, the IT manager would need an extra five ports on each switch to complete the mesh, which would leave just six ports on each switch to hook in targets (storage devices) and initiators (servers and workstations).

      By using the 10G-bps ISLs on the SANbox 5200 (four 10G-bps ports per switch), an IT manager can easily create a five-switch mesh network without using any 2G-bps Fibre Channel switch ports. This would allow managers to slowly expand their SAN projects simply by stacking more SAN switches to satisfy their need for higher port counts.

      With 10G-bps ISL ports, QLogics SANbox 5200 Fibre Channel switch is a capable unit for deploying a group of shared storage resources. For example, an IT manager can use the SANbox 5200 to link 16 libraries and tape drives on the 2G-bps Fibre Channel ports and use the ISL ports to hook to switches with servers attached to them.

      Using the SANbox 5200s zone management software on the ISLs, IT managers control which servers have access to the storage resources at any given time. This should make storage resource sharing an easier chore.

      Henry Baltazar
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×