Some history on Shared Storage.
Shared storage was considered the orphan of networking. The fact that it was available went widely unnoticed until it began to develop into something more than hardware without a purpose other than to house old files. Technology grew much like a family as each new format was developed and introduced. As Shared Storage needs grew, so did the speed requirements and capacity needs too. Now there were more ways to save data then ever before and new programs that were keeping proprietary files safe with proprietary file names and applications to access that data, from where ever a user was on the network. More computers meant more people using computers and while everyone was creating new files, storage companies were developing storage devices that could hold more and retrieve faster. The next hurdle in the evolution of virtual shared storage was the ability to connect different users to the same information. This was where software and hardware took different paths. With the more choices that were made available, separate systems could become one within an organization that depends on collaboration. Shared storage was being connected, but somewhere in the middle the desire to create channels to handle the traffic halted the advancement of many Ethernet networks simply because IT managers were being led to believe that Fibre Channel would be the only thing to give them the performance they were looking for. The truth is that while FC does advance speed in the web of users, the only thing that held Ethernet back was the software. After all Ethernet has been around a very long time. The ability to handle more traffic and connect to more pre-existing connections was in place. Because the infrastructure within offices and corporate headquarters around the word are were wired with Ethernet, the new costs of developing a new Fibre Channel network, or maintaining an existing one, was considered exorbitant when compared to the performance and price that Ethernet could offer. The simple fact that developers created the newest Ethernet protocols to handle surges, bottlenecks, speed, and security through scalable systems equaled the ability to upgrade a pre-existing network within a corporate system. This also meant you could do so without the introduction of Fibre Channel, and without the need for multi-manager departments to maintain the equipment and data when specialized companies that are responsible for introducing the new drivers to the public were becoming readily available.

What Happened to Ethernet?
Budgets killed the Ethernet. When mainframe systems operating FICON and ESCON followed the lead of fibre optic advancements as the natural “next step” in the evolution of shared storage and network capabilities they took a leap of faith that fiber channel was the manifestation of the future. What happened to Ethernet was that all the best dealers and developers of software platforms and storage devices stuck with Fibre Channel too. All of them left Ethernet alone in the 90′s and now what is left behind is an underutilized string of hardware and software capabilities going untouched. The cost of enterprise storage networks is staggering and the lost value is just as embarrassing when you consider that the savings could mean the difference between success and failure of some mid-sized companies struggling to compete and an ever-increasing competitive global market. What they don’t know will hurt them if they choose to move ahead without first taking advantage of Ethernet Shared Storage capabilities linked together on pre-existing Ethernet grids.

Whats Happening to Fibre Channel?
Fibre Channel is given a place to be and everyone knows where it will reside. If not properly watched and constantly managed, the network is an over developed money pit sustainable only by the biggest budgets. The reality is that for most companies who need shared storage, Fibre Channel has moved on. Fibre Channel consistently works for the massive databases that run e-commerce online today, but for a lot of creative designers who rely on collaboration between project partners, the Ethernet now has the promise of giving more for less right where it’s needed, within deadline, and on budget like never before.

About Small Tree
Designer of simple-to-install, affordable Mac-based networking and shared storage products, Small Tree is the premier multi-port Ethernet networking technology provider for OS X customers, enabling cost effective Ethernet shared storage technology. For more information about the company and its products, please call 1-866-STC4MAC (1-866-782-4622 ) or visit www.small-tree.com or follow Small Tree on Twitter.

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