RE: iFCP as an IP Storage Work Item

["Grun, Paul" <paul.grun@intel.com>]

Here's the (crude) way I interpreted what Charles wrote:
an iFCP device has two sides; an FC side and an IP side.  On its FC side, it
better conform to the applicable FC standards, including interoperability
with other iFCP devices.  I agree with Charles that interoperability between
iFCP devices on their "FC side" doesn't seem like an iFCP problem per se;
rather it is a function of whatever interoperability exists between FC
devices today.
Charles?

-paul

Paul Grun                                              
Intel Corporation
Enterprise Platform Group
Fabric Components Division
(503) 677-6768
paul.grun@intel.com <mailto:paul.grun@intel.com> 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Black_David@emc.com [mailto:Black_David@emc.com]
> Sent: Thursday, January 04, 2001 1:49 PM
> To: cmonia@NishanSystems.com; ips@ece.cmu.edu
> Subject: RE: iFCP as an IP Storage Work Item
> 
> 
> Charles,
> 
> Sorry to jump on this one, but I must be misinterpreting what 
> you wrote:
> 
> > Anyhow, the behavior on the FC side of the device is, of 
> course, governed
> by
> > the applicable FC standards (or their proprietary 
> equivalents). It's not
> > required for iFCP devices to interoperate with one another and hence
> doesn't
> > belong in the spec. 
> 
> I hope you meant something along the lines of:
> 
>   The FC interfaces on iFCP devices are governed by the appropriate FC
> standards
>   (which require no modifications for iFCP) and hence must 
> interoperate to
> the degree
>   required by those standards.  This may depend on 
> implementation choices,
> for example,
>   an E port on a iFCP device would not be expected to 
> communicate with an N
> port.
> 
> If iFCP were to somehow make Fibre Channel interoperability 
> worse (e.g., an
> F port
> that failed to work properly with N ports), that would be a 
> severe problem.
> 
> Thanks,
> --David
> ---------------------------------------------------
> David L. Black, Senior Technologist
> EMC Corporation, 42 South St., Hopkinton, MA  01748
> +1 (508) 435-1000 x75140     FAX: +1 (508) 497-8500
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>