Server I/O networks past, present, and future

Abstract

Enterprise and technical customers place a diverse set of requirements on server I/O networks. In the past, no single network type has been able to satisfy all of these requirements. As a result several fabric types evolved and several interconnects emerged to satisfy a subset of the requirements. Recently several technologies have emerged that enable a single interconnect to be used as more than one fabric type. This paper will describe the requirements customers place on server I/O networks; the various fabric types and interconnects that have been used to satisfy those requirements; the technologies that are enabling network convergence; and how these new technologies are being deployed on various network families.