IP SANs: A Guide to iSCSI, iFCP, and FCIP Protocols for Storage Area Networks

8.1. Standards-Based IP Storage Protocols

The development of networked storage solutions based on IP has been driven by both customer demand and vendor initiative. The pull created by customer demand originates in the requirement of enterprise networks to streamline their operations; to reduce acquisition, administrative, and support costs; and to deploy viable storage solutions that do not require extensive training or expertise. The push generated by vendors comes from the usual sources—in other words, to exploit new market opportunities and to increase profitability. The two forces of customer needs and vendor opportunism, however, are not easily reconciled. Since the demise of monolithic IT infrastructures that locked customers into proprietary ...