Podcast#117: Fibre Channel Still Tops for Virtualization

Brian invited his friend Nishant Lodha, Marvell’s Director of Emerging Technologies to sit for the podcast. Nishant has been with Marvell for over 13 years. His key responsibilities include subject matter expert, technology evangelist, driving growth in emerging markets, competitive analysis, product positioning, outbound marketing, and hands-on technology analysis.

Nishant has worked with StorageReview on several topics, most recently on Innovation and Reliability Make Fibre Channel the Choice for Data Center SANs. Nishant strongly believes that Fibre Channel is the best solution for SAN deployment, and he is not alone. Look to other vendors, and they will echo his thoughts (although maybe not as loudly).

This is an excellent discussion about SAN technology, where it is, and where it is going. It is worth the 45 minutes, but the time stamp is below if you need to jump around in the video.

00:00  Introduction

• Candid introduction
• VMware vSphere integration
• Bringing the data center on-prem
• Operational simplicity and reliability

05:00  It just works because of the engineering effort

• Fibre Channel versus the “new things”
  • NVMe
  • NVMe over Fabrics
  • ESXi support
  • Adoption

10:00  Deployment cycle

• Currently, a small number of adopters for NVMe over fabrics
• How to be successful with NVMe
• The hardware is pretty solid
• The software is taking longer
  • critical features are lacking
  • ESXi 8 should be the driving factor

15:00  What about DPUs

• How will it transform the industry
• Used as networking/accelerators
• VMware bringing DPUs on-prem
• Storage applications are typically mission-critical
• DPUs are proven for networking
• DPUs could offload storage processing
• CXL timeframe

20:00  CXL potential

• CXL opportunity
• How do technologies impact engineering
• How server vendors prioritize technology
• How lanes are utilized

27:00  CPU Interactions

• Cooling
• Green initiatives
•  Visibility into energy consumption

30:00  Economics

• Energy consumption
• Management and visualization
• vVols
• Loss of visibility
• Challenges with monitoring external applications
• Troubleshooting challenges
• VM-ID

35:00  More on VM-ID

• Worldwide unique IDs
• Using the data to determine the impact
• Future of performance capabilities
• Speed discussion
• 64G FC arrays

40:00  Performance dynamics

• Migrations with FC
  • Congestion issues
  • Drivers for increased speeds
  • Intelligent and value-driven
  • What’s at the edge
• Infrastructure is stretched
• Retrain the workforce

46:00  Edge challenges

• Unmanaged/unmanned
• We need to add more storage at the edge
• Higher performance at the edge
• Cost
• Making devices autonomous
• Vendor direction

50:00  Wrap up

Podcast Video

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From Marvell: This podcast contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future events or achievements. Actual events or results may differ materially from those contemplated in this podcast. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Listeners are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and no person assumes any obligation to update or revise any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. 

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