It solves a real user problem, is available today and has no ready substitutes. Fibre Channel over IP's main advantage is that it requires no modifications to the storage subsystem or the server operating system. Unless we see Microsoft and other operating system vendors signing up for this mapping effort, practical implementations will be limited. Storage over IP is here today. That's what file systems such as Network File System do.
Files already support global naming and discovery and can be made secure.
Fibre Channel over IP solves real problems associated with building geographically remote storage subsystems. One of these problems is that FC, which efficiently maps the SCSI storage protocol, typically supports links of 50 kilometers or less. In addition, distributed file protocols that can be bridged and routed over existing LANs and WANs need an extra remote server, can't be synchronized below the file level and must be independently implemented for each file system. 2000 Gadzoox Networks Inc. All rights reserved.