Fibre Channel Evolves to Meet Storage Networking Requirements; IBM Joins Fibre Channel Industry Association

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In conjunction with its sponsorship of the 2020 virtual Flash Memory Summit, The Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) today provided updates to several new Fibre Channel standards, continuing the ongoing development of the network protocol of choice for data center storage. In addition, FCIA is pleased to announce IBM has joined its ranks as a Principal Member company and that Distinguished Engineer Patty Driever of IBM has been elected to its Board of Directors.

"As evidenced from the new technical work being completed, Fibre Channel is a proven protocol for networked datacenter storage that just keeps getting better," said Mark Jones, president, FCIA; and director, Technical Marketing, Broadcom Inc. "FCIA is pleased to be sponsoring Flash Memory Summit this year and also thrilled to welcome IBM as a member. Looking to 2021 and beyond, Fibre Channel has a clear road ahead and will provide users with a return on their investment for years to come."

FCIA Standard Updates

The T11 Technical Committee which maintains responsibility for the technical work of Fibre Channel has reported that innovations to the Fibre Channel standards continue. Updates include:

• FC-PI-7P, the standard that defines 4 lane 256GFC, has completed public review and is nearing INCITS publication.
• Improvements have been made to the switched architecture and the fabric services. FC-SW-7 and FC-GS-8 standards have been published.
• The approval of a new project, FC-PM, defines how Fibre Channel is used as a transport for persistent memory environments.
• Improvements have been made to the base Fibre Channel architecture to improve fabric notification/congestion management.

"Even though Fibre Channel is a tried and true technology, the standard continues to evolve with ongoing work and a robust roadmap," said Steve Wilson, chairman, T11 Technical Committee; and director, Technology and Standards, Broadcom Inc. "Data center networking continues to be a critical piece of the puzzle in designing technology solutions to solve complex business problems and Fibre Channel has the attributes to solve those challenges."

Meet Patty Driever

As the most recent addition to the FCIA Board of Directors, Patty Driever is a Distinguished Engineer working for IBM in Poughkeepsie, New York where she is currently driving storage I/O and networking technology and architecture offerings for the IBM Z and LinuxONE platforms.  She currently represents IBM in the INCITS T11 Fibre Channel standards development committee and serves as an officer of T11. Patty has held a wide variety of technical and management positions in IBM throughout her career. Beyond her service on the FCIA Board, Patty also serves as president of a not-for-profit childcare center in Poughkeepsie, Community Family Development, which provides high-quality child-care services and developmentally appropriate early childhood and youth programs to a diverse population in the city of Poughkeepsie.  

"I am thankful to be joining the remarkable group of leaders guiding the association and Fibre Channel industry forward," said Driever. "Customers continue to rely on Fibre Channel to provide the security, reliability and performance for their organization's most premium data and all indications are this trend will continue."

Visit FCIA at the 2020 Flash Memory Summit

As a sponsor of the virtual 2020 Flash Memory Summit (FMS) November 10-12, registrants can visit the FCIA virtual showcase and enter to win an Apple AirPods Pro. While browsing the site, participants can also download the newly released 2020 Fibre Channel Solutions Guide and other valuable resources, and view a video from FCIA President Mark Jones.

Live on Tuesday, November 11, from 3:00 – 3:30 p.m., join FCIA members Marcus Thordal and AJ Casamento, Principal Solutions Architects, Broadcom, as they give a presentation at the FMS TechZone titled: "The Most Reliable Network for NVMe over Fabrics"

For more information about FC-NVMe-2 and other educational content focused on Fibre Channel basics or expert courses, visit FCIA's YouTube channel or browse the organization's rich library of webcasts at https://fibrechannel.org/webcasts/.

About FCIA
The Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) is a non-profit international organization whose sole purpose is to act as the independent technology and marketing voice of the Fibre Channel industry. We are committed to helping member organizations promote and position Fibre Channel, and to providing a focal point for Fibre Channel information, standards advocacy, and education. FCIA members include manufacturers, system integrators, developers, vendors, industry professionals, and end users. Our member-led working groups and committees focus on creating and championing the Fibre Channel technology roadmaps targeting applications that include data storage, video, networking, and storage area network (SAN) management. For more info, go to http://www.fibrechannel.org.

SOURCE Fibre Channel Industry Association