Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) carries FC traffic over Ethernet. It consolidates storage and data networking.
How FCoE works:
- FC frames encapsulate in Ethernet
- Lossless Ethernet prevents frame drops
- FIP handles discovery
Lossless Ethernet needs:
- Priority Flow Control (PFC)
- Enhanced Transmission Selection (ETS)
- DCB (Data Center Bridging)
Benefits: Single network for LAN and SAN. Fewer cables.
Challenges: Requires DCB everywhere. Multi-hop adds complexity.
FCoE peaked around . NVMe-oF and iSCSI often replace it now.