3–Adapter Management Applications
Configuring iSCSI over DCBX
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Interoperation of Bandwidth Settings for DCBX and Switch
Independent Partitioning
If you want to run iSCSI and NIC traffic together, DCBX can be used to set the
bandwidth percentage to be shared among the iSCSI and NIC. If you want to run
partitioned NIC traffic, Switch Independent Partitioning should be used to set the
percentage of bandwidth that is shared among the multiple NIC partitions. The
NIC partition uses the share of NIC bandwidth that was allocated by DCBX;
therefore, DCBX takes precedence over Switch Independent Partitioning for NIC
traffic.
If NIC traffic is partitioned, the total bandwidth of any NIC partition is the NIC
bandwidth allocated by DCBX multiplied by the bandwidth that Switch
Independent Partitioning allocates to the NIC partition.
For example, suppose that DCBX allocates 60 percent of the total bandwidth to
iSCSI traffic, and 40 percent to NIC traffic. That 40 percent is then re-allocated by
Switch Independent Partitioning between the NIC partitions. If Switch Independent
Partitioning allocates 75 percent to NIC partition 1 and 25 percent to NIC
partition 2, then NIC partition 1 is allocated 30 percent of the total bandwidth
(40 percent x 75 percent), and NIC partition 2 is allocated 10 percent of the total
bandwidth (40 percent x 25 percent).
Choosing DCBX or Switch Independent Partitioning
The choice of DCBX or Switch Independent Partitioning is determined by the
types of traffic that need to be run (iSCSI or NIC).
The following guidelines can be used when choosing and using DCBX and Switch
Independent Partitioning for bandwidth settings.
If running:
Both iSCSI and NIC traffic,
with
partitioning of the NIC traffic:
Use DCBX to allocate the bandwidth for the iSCSI and NIC traffic; then, use
Switch Independent Partitioning
to allocate the NIC bandwidth (allocated by
DCBX) among the NIC partitions.
Both iSCSI and NIC traffic,
without
partitioning of the NIC traffic:
Use DCBX to split the total bandwidth among iSCSI and NIC traffic. There is
no need to use Switch Independent Partitioning.
NIC traffic only (no iSCSI traffic)
with
partitioning of the NIC traffic:
Use
Switch Independent Partitioning
to allocate the total bandwidth among
the NIC partitions. DCBX is not needed.
