NetApp has announced that it has expanded its Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) and Data Center Bridging (DCB) product offerings with help from solution partners Brocade, Emulex, and VMware.

NetApp will begin reselling a new Converged Network Adapter (CNA) from Emulex, and will support VMware vSphere 4 in an FCoE host environment. NetApp has also augmented its FCoE portfolio from Brocade. In addition to offering Brocade's CNAs, FCoE blade for the DCX, and the top-of-rack 8000 FCoE switch, NetApp is now introducing a DCB-only version of the Brocade 8000.

"In our recent testing, the NetApp storage system did a wonderful job handling FCoE, iSCSI, and other storage protocols simultaneously in a single solution and is a very compelling proposition for customers looking to consolidate their data centers or move to FCoE," said Dennis Martin, president of Demartek, a testing lab.

Netapp claims that it's customers can build end-to-end FCoE infrastructures while still supporting existing Fibre Channel investments and take a phased approach to consolidating their data centers around Ethernet. By using Emulex OneConnect UCNAs, customers can run both FCoE and IP traffic through the same port and on the same wire, eliminating the need for and expense of separate SAN and LAN adapters and cables. Emulex OneConnect UCNAs provide maximum performance, regardless of the mix of network traffic.

For more information about NetApp Ethernet storage solutions, visit www.netapp.com/us/company/leadership/ethernet-storage/.