Enterprise Computing: Brocade Announced FCoE Converged Switch

Today at SNW, Brocade announced their new converged FCoE and Fibre Channel switch.  The new 8000 model sports 24 10Gbe and 8 FC ports in the same chassis.  From the initial blurb in the press release, it would seem that Brocade Fabric OS has been extended to seamlessly integrate the two protocols.

While some will see this as a step forward by offering a converged switching device, I’m not sure (obviously I’m on record as not been too keen on the FCoE concept).  I can see an extended period where protocols will be mixed across devices.  Who will manage these devices – the Network Team or the Storage Team?  There’s a whole world of operational pain being created here – with mixed fabrics of FCoE, FC and FCoE/FC switches, how will fabric settings be managed?

However, despite my negativity, I look forward to seeing how things will work out as FCoE becomes more widely deployed.  After all, new technology is always interesting – isn’t it?

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