Brocade SilkWorm Multiprotocol Router

SilkWorm Multiprotocol Router

The Brocade SilkWorm Multiprotocol Router provides a unique platform that increases SAN connectivity options and improves resource utilization. By integrating multiple services in a central platform, the Multiprotocol Router helps provide a flexible foundation for implementing Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) and business continuance operations within Brocade and multivendor SAN environments. As a result, it is an ideal solution for improving operational efficiency while maximizing the value of both current and future SAN investments.

Multiprotocol Routing Services

Brocade multiprotocol routing services provide new options for extending SAN benefits in the enterprise over multiple networks and across longer distances. The primary advantage of this approach is the ability to interconnect devices between SAN fabrics without merging those fabrics-thereby providing a more secure and flexible storage networking foundation. A key aspect of this approach is the unprecedented capability to configure SAN protocols on a port-by-port basis.

These services include:

• Brocade FC-FC Routing Service for SAN connectivity
• Brocade FCIP Tunneling Service for SAN extension
• Brocade iSCSI Gateway Service for sharing Fibre Channel resources with Ethernet servers

FC-FC Routing Service for Increased Connectivity

The FC-FC Routing Service enables devices located in separate SAN fabrics to establish communication without merging the fabrics into a single large SAN. By using this service, organizations can interconnect devices without having to redesign or reconfigure their entire environment. Organizations can connect physically separate SANs into Logical SANs (LSANs) in a seamless manner.

These LSANs are ideal for:

• Simplifying SAN design, implementation, security, support, and management
• Providing seamless any-to-any resource sharing across multiple SANs without the complexity of physically merging those SANs
• Enabling multivendor SAN sharing by supporting connectivity without disruptive changes
• Simplifying management and fault isolation while protecting existing technology investments

FCIP Tunneling Service for SAN Extension over Distance

To support business continuance, the FCIP Tunneling Service enables organizations to extend their Fibre Channel SANs across Ethernet networks. The service was designed for real-world network conditions, including environments that might experience latency and packet loss. Deploying FCIP on the Multiprotocol Router is more flexible and easier to manage than external gateways, resulting in simplified resource sharing across geographical boundaries.

iSCSI Gateway Service for Sharing SAN Resources with iSCSI Servers

The iSCSI Gateway Service enables organizations to fan in Microsoft Ethernet-connected servers to Fibre Channel storage devices in Brocade SANs by bridging the iSCSI protocol to the Fibre Channel protocol. This capability allows iSCSI servers to leverage shared SAN resources, improving asset utilization and enabling new applications such as centralized backup. This integration greatly reduces the cost of connecting servers to centrally managed storage and helps provide a cost-effective solution to introduce utility computing into the enterprise.

SAN Standard Compliance - Software

Brocade products conform to SAN standards in a manner consistent with accepted engineering practices and procedures.