Businesses today need to replicate and distribute data on a global scale. One technology that enables remote replication and disaster recovery solutions over Wide Area Networks (WAN) is SAN Extension.
In basic terms, SAN Extension connects switches between two sites over distance. A popular SAN Extension deployment method uses Fibre Channel over IP or “FCiP”. FCiP extends the inherent distance limitations of Fibre Channel and FICON® storage solutions.
What makes FCiP so great?
In simple terms, because Fibre Channel data is traveling (or tunneling) over traditional IP networks, FCiP can take advantage of the many features of TCP/IP. These features include TCP’s reliable transmission service, hardware-based encryption known as IP Security (IP Sec), hardware-based compression which helps with link performance and port aggregation technologies to name a few.
This month, the Dell EMC Connectrix brand extends its SAN Extension offering with the addition of a new FCiP SAN Extension Module for the Connectrix MDS 9700 enterprise director series. This new 24/10 port module supports all MDS advanced features including Inter-VSAN Routing which eliminates the need for external routing appliances in an existing SAN.
To learn the history and the technical details of SAN Extension, click on this Dell EMC E-Lab Tech Book Extended Distance Technologies.
To learn about the Dell EMC Connectrix family of storage networking products, click here Connectrix Family Datasheet.