RE: iSCSI: SCTP Switch and Router support

[Swami Viswanathan <SViswanathan@JNI.com>]

I agree with John on this one....

The intermediate switches/routers do need a valid  (known) protocol field in
the IP header. If they don't like it, its quite possible that they may drop
the packet..
This also has got to do with filtering of unknown protocols...

Also if the protocol is TCP/UDP, to support QOS and flow, most of the
intermediate switches will even look at the TCP/UDP ports - (Layer 4
classification)...


My 2 cents




>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Black_David@emc.com [mailto:Black_David@emc.com]
>> Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2000 8:55 AM
>> To: hufferd@us.ibm.com
>> Cc: ips@ece.cmu.edu
>> Subject: iSCSI: SCTP Switch and Router support
>> 
>> 
>> John,
>> 
>> > 3. We will need to get the Switch and Router folks to also 
>> support SCTP
>> and
>> > to do it in Hardware so that the speed and throughput can 
>> be maintained.
>> I
>> > do not see that happening, at least not right away, when 
>> we need to get
>> > volumes moving in order to validate the IP storage SAN concept.
>> 
>> I don't understand this.  Most switches and routers
>> have no knowledge of whether TCP, UDP, or even IPsec
>> encapsulated (and hence opaque) traffic is flowing
>> through them.  What's special about SCTP -- is this
>> about layer 4 and higher switches/routers?
>> 
>> --David
>> 
>> ---------------------------------------------------
>> David L. Black, Senior Technologist
>> EMC Corporation, 42 South St., Hopkinton, MA  01748
>> +1 (508) 435-1000 x75140, FAX: +1 (508) 497-6909
>> black_david@emc.com  Cellular: +1 (978) 394-7754
>> ---------------------------------------------------
>>