IP SANs: A Guide to iSCSI, iFCP, and FCIP Protocols for Storage Area Networks

12.1. InfiniBand Architecture

InfiniBand represents a major renovation of server architecture and server I/O to peripheral devices such as storage. Originally two separate initiatives (Next Generation I/O from Intel and Future I/O from IBM, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard), InfiniBand standards are currently being driven by the merged InfiniBand Trade Association (IBTA). The problems InfiniBand is addressing stem from the increasing divergence between CPU processor speed and the ability of the I/O bus to support concurrent high-speed transactions. The 66-MHz PCI bus or 133-MHz peripheral component interconnect extended (PCIX) bus designs in current server platforms are increasingly inadequate for gigahertz and higher multiprocessor servers. The InfiniBand ...