Joe,
I neglected to respond to your SAN question. I think that Storage Area Networks and Networked Attached Storage will benefit Fibre Channel, but from a connectivity standpoint, more than from a performance standpoint. Basic connectivity only requires a loop, and/or hubs. This is the reason for the proliferation of hub companies, such as Gadzoox, Vixel, and G2. High-performance applications will demand switches, and presently that is done using servers. (That will undoubtedly change, but it will take some time.)
A search of the internet for companies working on Network Attached Storage units reveals a surprising number. Many are implementing Fibre Channel now, or will be soon.
If you haven't already, take a look at the "A Fibre Channel Future" thread. Neil has posted some interesting press releases from Emulex, QLogic, DEC, and others that detail how successful their Fibre Channel products have been and what their future strategies will be.
Of particular interest to me was the QLogic release that talked about the strength of Fibre Channel in the Asia-Pacific region. (With the recent economic disaster over there, I wouldn't have expected that.)
Craig |
