Chapter List

Overview

Certain interdependencies make the deployment of a new technology difficult. Site managers, server vendors, operating system vendors, hardware vendors, and software vendors all depend on the plans of each other. These dependencies not only impact the product planner but the product designer and software developer as well.

Figure 7.1: How Will You Deploy InfiniBand?

The factors to consider when deploying InfiniBand technology include:

• How does InfiniBand fit, i.e., where will it be used and for what purposes?

• What products will be available and in what time frame?

• Which InfiniBand features will those products provide/require?

• Will deployment be migration or renovation?

It is not enough just to know who is providing products. The real questions are what and when. That is, what options and features will HCA vendors support? Which features will hardware and software vendors want? What capacities (number of QPs, EECs, memory windows, etc.) should the channel adapter supply? When will the products be available? How will feature availability grow over time?

The answers lie in how various vendors perceive InfiniBand being deployed. Let s take a closer look at how one might deploy the technology, and the hurdles in achieving InfiniBand-based solutions.

This analysis starts with understanding how the technology can be applied, and then looking at the range of system architectures over which it will be applied. In general, InfiniBand deployment can range from a subnet dedicated to a...