Chapter List

Overview

InfiniBand architecture is a new server I/O technology that improves the way servers interconnect with I/O devices and with each other. It is one of the first new technologies of the millennium, a revolutionary new technology that transitions us into the 21st century.

I/O (which stands for Input and Output) refers to the ability to move data in and out of the processor/memory complex of a compute node. I/O takes place on several levels; InfiniBand architecture addresses the lower layers, defining an I/O interconnect and its transport protocols. Typically, high volume servers have used I/O technology, such as PCI, developed for desktop computers. PCI devices include storage and network adapters that enable the computer to attach to peripheral buses such as Fibre Channel Parallel SCSI, and Ethernet. In this respect, InfiniBand architecture is a PCI replacement, promoting faster and more powerful adapters.

However, InfiniBand is much more than a PCI replacement. It provides many features and capabilities previously found only in mainframe architectures and it provides advanced capabilities necessary for server clusters. It also allows I/O adapters to move out of the server the same way that Fibre Channel devices reside in independent chassis and racks. Thus, storage arrays (RAID, etc.) can connect directly to InfiniBand fabric. In fact, some analysts believe InfiniBand could eventually become a storage interconnect like Fiber Channel and iSCSI, due to performance, cost, interoperability, etc.

The two primary goals driving this new...