FCoE vs FCIP
As technology moves ahead so are the technical jargon. One such case includes FCoE and FCIP terminologies in the storage domain.
An understanding of terms and their working principle is imperative to have a robust and high-performance solution perfect to meet the enterprise business requirement.
What is FCoE?
FCoE stands for Fibre Channel over Ethernet. FCoE is the encapsulation of Fibre Channel into Ethernet. The approach is to unify LAN and SAN and send both traffic across the single infrastructure. To summarize, FCoE enables “unifying” traffic into a single “converged” network.
Related – FCOE VS iSCSI
What is FCIP?
FCIP stands for Fibre Channel over IP. FCIP is about the wrapping of FC frame into a TCP stream for reliably transporting FC Frames over an IP network, which is used for things like SAN to SAN replication over a WAN.
Let’s understand in more details the difference between both FCoE and FCIP –
| PARAMETER | FCoE | FCIP |
|---|---|---|
| Abbreviation for | Fibre Channel over Ethernet | Fibre Channel over Internet Protocol |
| Applicability | FCoE unifies enterprise Data and storage into a single "converged" network. | FCIP uses a tunnel to transfer data between networks. FCIP is about transporting FC frames over IP across networks |
| Usage stage | FCoE works across all stages - host to network, network-to-network and network-to-storage. | FCIP only works at one stage i.e. switch-to-switch |
| Routing | Non-Routable across networks since it runs without TCP/IP at the Ethernet layer | Routable across networks |
| Scope | Limited within a Data Centre | Across all Data Centres of enterprise using Storage |
| Operating model | Operates directly above Ethernet in the network protocol stack, runs "without" TCP/IP at the Ethernet layer | FCIP protocol works by transmitting FC frames over TCP/IP, which can route FCIP FC frames over existing Ethernet switches and routers. |
Download the difference table here.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I am here to share my knowledge and experience in the field of networking with the goal being – “The more you share, the more you learn.”
I am a biotechnologist by qualification and a Network Enthusiast by interest. I developed interest in networking being in the company of a passionate Network Professional, my husband.
I am a strong believer of the fact that “learning is a constant process of discovering yourself.”
– Rashmi Bhardwaj (Author/Editor)
