A Dynamic Duo

A slew of InfiniBand suppliers are jumping on the 10-Gbit/s Ethernet bandwagon, claiming enterprise users are ready for switches that support both technologies.

Is this a switch of allegiance? InfiniBand vendors say, "No." And there could be more here than meets the jaundiced eye perhaps the advent of a new era in high-speed interconnection for enterprise data centers.

If you think that's overstating the case, consider the following developments:

The dots connect in several ways. First, InfiniBand suppliers are pushing hard to make their wares a fit for enterprises, not just HPC and lab users. They claim that industries such as oil and gas exploration, entertainment, and financial services need, and are adopting, InfiniBand for clustering. As virtualization increases in use, they say, the trend will continue because data centers will require lower latency and higher data rates to cope with increased data movement and synchronization.

At the same time, Ethernet continues to be the network of choice, and it's clear that InfiniBand – or any other local data center interconnect – won't get very far unless it supports it at the rates likely to be used in central locations.Switch vendors that can support high-speed Ethernet as well as InfiniBand (and maybe other protocols) could wind up owning the Trump Towers of data center real estate. Not only could they claim the benefits of consolidation, they also could boast better management and operational savings.

Let's take it one step further: If the data center switching scene does start to build morphing momentum, it's likely the players listed above will start shifting into different configurations.

There are many questions to answer, such as this: How do the InfiniBand vendors like Voltaire plan to add virtualization and other special features to their boxes – you know, the added features that will provide the impetus for customers to adopt these hybrid wares? If suppliers use proprietary switching protocols based on InfiniBand in order to control the Ethernet side of things, that could be tantamount to asking customers to adopt a new network for the data center – with all the corresponding costs.

Whether the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks remains to be seen.

Whatever happens, the vendors above are worth watching. If there really is enterprise demand for what they're offering, the forces in motion could produce some startling developments.— Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch