RE: iFCP as an IP Storage Work Item

[Joshua Tseng <jtseng@NishanSystems.com>]

I believe iFCP should be an IPS work item for the following 
technical reasons:

1)  iFCP allows leverage of existing FCP-based driver stacks and
preservation of the $$$ and @#$!!% that have been invested in them
by vendor companies and their customers.

2)  IP switching and routing technology is far more mature,
stable, and scalable than the Fibre Channel equivalent.  iFCP
leverages this aspect of IP technology, while FCIP does not.

With regard to your reasons why iFCP should not be permitted:
> 
> The iFCP proposal for encapsulating Fibre Channel frames 
> should not be a
> work item for the IP Storage working group.
> This view is taken by Cisco Systems and Brocade Communications for the
> following technical reasons.
> 
> 1. FCIP is aligned with the existing FC-BB-2 work in progress.

We support independent development of the FCIP separate from iFCP, but
this point has nothing to do with iFCP.

> 2. FCIP will function with any existing/future FC-4 protocol such as
> FCP/FCP-2, VI, SRP.

Again, this point says nothing about the technical feasibility of iFCP.
Regardless, iFCP can encapsulate any protocol that FCIP does.

> 3. A native iSCSI device will provide the same functionality 
> as a device
> connected to an iFCP gateway.

Just because iSCSI is an official IPS WG item doesn't mean that
FC devices will disappear from the face of the earth.  There is still
a market need to internetwork FC devices over IP networks.

> 4. Combining iFCP and FCIP does not make any sense since they are
> implemented using two different routing planes. In addition, FCIP is a
> tunneling protocol and requires mimimal processing of the 
> Fibre Channel
> frame. In contrast, iFCP is a gateway protocol and requires much more
> processing such as the reading and modification of the Fibre 
> Channel header,
> augmentation data for specific Fibre Channel Extended Link 
> Services, and
> special handling of specific Fibre Channel Extended Link Services.

I disagree that the amount of processing is prohibitive in any
way.  I would like to understand why you feel this way.  As iFCP is
a gateway protocol, a gateway device typically has more resources
available to perform these types of operations than an end device.

> 5. Existing Fibre Channel device addressing capability in 
> conjunction with
> FCIP is viable at this point in time.

Again, this says nothing about iFCP.

> 6. Manipulation of N_Port ID's as specified in iFCP will make
> debugging/analysis extremely difficult.

I am confused as to why you think debugging/analysis will be
difficult.  Please explain.  I don't think this is true, but even
if it is, the same can be said of many technologies that are described
in RFC's.  Take NAT for example.  I and my former network buddies have
had a #@!&% of a time working with NAT.  Does that mean NAT should be
outlawed in the IETF?  No, of course not!  It is needed to internetwork
subnets numbered under the "old" IPv4 regime.  Until we reach the
promised land of IPv6 everywhere, we will continue to see a lot of NAT.
Even after IPv6, I still think there will be a lot NAT around, probably
until the year 2654.  Same thing for iSCSI.  I believe iFCP and iSCSI
will coexist into the forseeable future.
> 
> In summary, FCIP exists today and is well-defined. FCIP 
> provides all of the
> features
> necessary to tunnel Fibre Channel over IP networks.  Similarly, iSCSI

Of course FCIP allows tunneling--it IS a tunneling protocol.  iFCP
is NOT a tunneling protocol.  iFCP does NOT tunnel Fibre Channel frames.
Rather, it allows FC devices to be natively internetworked over an IP
fabric.  You can't do that with FCIP. You can't do that with iSCSI.  iFCP
is NOT redundant.

Regards,
Josh

> provides the
> capability for executing the SCSI command set over IP 
> networks.  Creating
> yet another
> protocol, such as iFCP, is redundant.
> 
> David Peterson
> Cisco Systems, Inc (SRBU)
> Lead Architect - Standards Development
> Office: 763-398-1007
> Cell: 612-802-3299
> e-mail: dap@cisco.com
> 
> Bob Snively
> Brocade Communications Systems
> Principal Engineer
> Office:  408 487 8135
> e-mail:  rsnively@brocade.com
> 
> Mark Bakke
> Cisco Systems, Inc (SRBU)
> Chief Architect
>