NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: ANNE SKAMAROCK on
STORAGE
01/23/02
Today's focus: Come on, iSCSI

Dear Wincenty Kaminski,

In this issue:

* Why must we wait any longer for iSCSI?
* Featured reader resource

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Today's focus: Come on, iSCSI

By Anne Skamarock

Well, following on from my rant last week about technology that
is taking much longer than expected to come to market, the
discussion would not be complete without mentioning iSCSI.
Like InfiniBand, we have been hearing about iSCSI for the last
two years and have seen a plethora of demos at trade shows with
little available in the market.

We have heard the messages and seen the "marketecture" slides
targeted at the folks who are feeling the pain of trying to
manage the ever-growing volumes of data/storage but don't have
the money or the expertise to invest in another network
infrastructure. So they may have to upgrade their current
network from 10/100 Base-T to a fiber network capable of
supporting 1G bit/sec traffic as well as scale to 10G bit/sec
when that is available.  But they were going to do that anyway.
So, "Where's the beef?"

Today, there are iSCSI products out there, like IBM's 200i,
iSCSI storage subsystem, and Cisco's SN 5420 Storage Router,
that are well positioned as leaders when the market takes off.
So what are they (and the market in general) waiting for?
Well, for one, companies who would participate in the iSCSI
market are waiting for IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
ratification of the iSCSI standard, "due in early 2002."
Ratification of this specification will take some of the
guesswork out of implementing the iSCSI protocol.  This is
important for reducing interoperability issues that can arise.

Another thing the market is waiting for is host bus adapters
(HBA) that take most, if not all, the TCP/IP network processing
off the CPU and into the HBA. These HBAs handle the packaging
and unpackaging of the data as it moves into and out of the
application servers.  Having this processing take place in the
HBA by specialized hardware and firmware will increase the
performance of the iSCSI solution.  However, it is important to
note that HBAs are NOT required to implement an iSCSI solution
using native iSCSI disk subsystems today.

Finally, the market is waiting for volumes to increase to the
point where the costs associated with the HBAs and storage
subsystems, as well as IP routers are reduced. If the iSCSI
market is targeted at departments and mid-sized businesses, the
cost structures must fit with those markets, especially after
the economic dip many companies experienced last year.

It's been mighty quiet over the last four months with regards
to iSCSI.  It's time to start up the band, once again and get
those products out to the market!

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To contact Anne Skamarock:

Anne Skamarock is an analyst with Enterprise Management
Associates (http://www.enterprisemanagement.com).  She has
worked with networked storage for the last 15 years and is
currently focused on the storage practice within EMA. She
can be reached at mailto:askamarock@enterprisemanagement.com
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RELATED EDITORIAL LINKS

Comdex - EMC and NetApp agree on iSCSI and little else
IDG News Service, 11/15/01
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/1115cdsmack.html

iSCSI enables Ethernet storage nets
Network World, 11/12/01
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/tech/2001/1112tech.html

Vendors tout InfiniBand, iSCSI wares
Network World, 11/12/01
http://www.nwfusion.com/archive/2001/127338_11-12-2001.html

Comdex - Adaptec drives iSCSI deeper into storage
IDG News Service, 11/12/01
http://www.nwfusion.com/news/2001/1112adaptec.html
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