FCoE

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is a storage networking technology that encapsulates Fibre Channel (FC) frames within Ethernet frames, allowing a Fibre Channel SAN to be run over Ethernet networks. FCoE preserves FC's low-latency, lossless characteristics while using Ethernet as the transport medium. It is designed to converge storage and IP networking on a single Ethernet fabric and is typically deployed with specialized hardware such as converged network adapters (CNAs) and FCoE-capable switches.

In operation, a CNA at the server terminates FC frames and encapsulates them in Ethernet frames, which are switched across a lossless Ethernet fabric enhanced with Data Center Bridging (DCB) features to ensure reliable delivery. End devices decapsulate to recover FC frames at the storage target. FCoE does not rely on IP and is intended to carry Fibre Channel storage traffic over Ethernet alongside other data on a converged network.

Standards and use. FCoE is defined by Fibre Channel over Ethernet specifications and supported by DC bridging standards. It is used to consolidate storage and IP networks, reducing cabling and management overhead in data centers. Typical deployments include server-to-storage access in virtualized environments and high-performance databases that benefit from FC features on Ethernet.

Limitations and considerations. End-to-end FCoE requires a lossless Ethernet environment and compatible hardware, which can constrain distance and interoperability. For long-distance replication, FCIP or other transport methods may be used. Many organizations still rely on traditional FC SANs or iSCSI depending on performance, cost, and vendor support.