Fibre Channel Storage - for Secure Transport of High Data Volumes in SAN Environments

While the initial effort involved in setting up a Fibre Channel-based SAN is larger than that of a comparable iSCSI network, it provides customers with a reliable network that is designed for high speed and high availability.

Build your storage area network with Fibre Channel – at HAPPYWARE you can find detailed information and all hardware components for your FC storage network.

What is Fibre Channel(FC)?

Fibre Channel (FC) is a transmission protocol that is usually used in a SAN (Storage Area Network).

From a technical point of view, Fibre Channel is a logical extension of the SCSI bus. The serial transmission of the SCSI commands is carried out either by optical signals (optical fibre) or electrical signals (copper cable). Fibre Channel is well suited for mass data transmission - even over long distances.

Fibre Channel Storage Network: The Fibre Channel transmission protocol (FC-P) and its advantages

• High utilisation of the available bandwidth Compared to transmission via Ethernet, Fibre Channel can achieve a much higher bandwidth utilisation. When transferring data via Ethernet (e.g. via the iSCSI protocol), between 20 to 60 percent of the payload is effectively allocated to actual data packets; with Fibre Channel, a good 90 percent of the bandwidth is used for data transfer.
• Reduced load on the server CPU during data exchangeFor exchanging data via Fibre Channel, servers need an HBA. Fibre Channel Storage and HBA can exchange data directly after connection. This hardware component handles the data transfer in the SAN without having to use the CPU of the server.
• Serial transfer for guaranteed loss-free operationData transmission via Fibre Channel is bit-serial, i.e. exclusive to a defined data line. This prevents runtime differences in data transmission, minimises packet losses, and ensures ultra-low latency within the SAN. Through the use of fibre-optic data lines, this loss-free operation is maintained even with storage area networks that are up to 50 kilometres apart.
• High reliability in SAN environments with Fibre Channel storage solutionsIn addition to simple point-to-point connections (FC-P2P), Fibre Channel also supports an arbitrated loop (FC-AL) or switched fabric (FC-SW) setup. These enable multi-port communication via Fibre Channel switches, increased data rates through additional HBAs per server unit, multiple data connections via multipathing, and much more. 
  Thanks to these configuration options, single points of failure (SPOFs) in the SAN can be selectively eliminated, resulting in high availability of the connected systems.

Fibre Channel Storage Solutions from HAPPYWARE - Your SAN with Fibre Channel Technology

Rely on the storage area network solution your industry has come to trust. Equip your data centre with a fully-fledged FC network structure that gives you optimal performance, fast access times, and a low data transfer error rate within the storage area network.

We can provide you with services to ensure that everything works as planned:

• Buy FC Storage Systems, HBAs, and moreFrom setting up a NAS storage system to providing individual advice, we have everything you need to equip your IT infrastructure. You can easily custom-build your systems and have them manufactured by us according to your specific requirements.
• Rent or lease hardware for your serversFC SAN fibre optic systems offer fast data exchange across your entire organisation. We can offer financing to assist you in achieving your optimum system. We are happy to discuss potential financing models for the purchase of your hardware.
• Warranty packages to safeguard your IT systemsWhether it’s a Storage Area Network, a DAS, or an entire server cluster - safeguard your IT against possible outages and disasters. Enquire about our wide range of warranty packages so that your hardware is always secure.

If you would like to learn more about the use of FC technology in SAN environments, we would be happy to provide more information about the advantages of FC technology and offer powerful hardware solutions to match.