Task Force on Network Storage Architecture: Internet-attached storage devices

Rodney Van Meter - University of Southern California/Information Sciences Institute, Marina Del Rey, CA

Steve Hotz - University of Southern California/Information Sciences Institute, Marina Del Rey, CA

Gregory G. Finn - University of Southern California/Information Sciences Institute, Marina Del Rey, CA

Networks such as HiPPI, SSA and Fibre Channel are becoming the access
technology of choice for peripherals such as disk drives, tape drives and disk
arrays. These networks scale better than traditional I/O channels, connecting
more devices over greater distances and providing greater aggregate bandwidth.
More complex protocols are required for network interfaces than for channels.
In most cases, specially-developed protocols are used, rather than existing
standards such as TCP/IP, due to perceived differences in functionality,
focus, complexity and especially performance. We reason that most of these
concerns either reflect misunderstanding of the IP suite or are being met as
the suite evolves. We further argue that the benefits of using IP, including
wide-area connectivity, cross-media bridging and reduced R&D, are substantial.
Therefore, we feel that IP is an appropriate choice for a storage device and
should be the protocol of choice for systems implementers.