Q. How does the Alacritech solution compare to an HBA solution?
The Alacritech solution uses a technology that was created and patented by Alacritech for the sole purpose of speeding up the transfer of data on TCP networks. iSCSI is one type of network traffic that benefits from this technology. iSCSI Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) were designed to connect to iSCSI targets and to provide some relief to the host processor when handling iSCSI traffic. Alacritech’s technology has been widely adopted by the industry as it dramatically outperforms a HBA-based solution.
Q. How does Alacritech provide a boot solution?
Alacritech provides a boot solution by using emBoot’s winBoot/i software. This solution provides the best possible combination of performance, reliability, low cost and ease of use when compared to the BIOS-based boot solutions that are found on iSCSI HBAs.
Q. How does the Alacritech boot solution compare to an HBA boot solution?
Compared to an HBA boot solution, the Alacritech boot solution allows for faster deployments of servers, easier recovery from a server failure, and greater flexibility in using our solution with different servers. The Alacritech/emBoot solution can be used on any host system with a BIOS that supports a PXE/UNDI boot regardless of whether an Alacritech card is present or not. Most modern systems support this feature. HBA boot solutions require that an HBA be present to boot.
Q. How does the Alacritech solution compare to IOAT?
IOAT (I/O Acceleration Technology) is a proprietary technology from Intel that attempts to improve upon TCP processing by accelerating multiple inefficient data movement functions, most notably how data is written to and from memory. Alacritech’s approach is to achieve acceleration and lower latency in part by reducing the number of times data is transported across the memory bus. Alacritech’s Accelerators consistently outperform Intel IOAT through a cleaner and much more efficient design. IOAT is only available on specific Intel-based platforms. Alacritech solutions, on the other hand, work on multiple platforms.
Q. How does the Alacritech solution compare to NetDMA?
NetDMA is used to support IOAT. NetDMA is the term used by Microsoft to describe the software component that supports IOAT hardware.
Q. What is the relationship between Microsoft and Alacritech?
Microsoft and Alacritech are partners, working together to make Scalable Networking a reality. Microsoft has licensed from Alacritech specific patents that allow for the interaction of its operating system with hardware adapters, based on Alacritech technology. This became the basis for TCP Chimney. Alacritech is a Microsoft Gold Partner.
Q. What is the Scalable Networking Pack (SNP)?
The Scalable Networking Pack is the vehicle by which Microsoft has released support for Alacritech TCP technology. The Scalable Networking Pack includes TCP Chimney. Service Pack 2, which was released to customers on March 13, 2007, incorporates Scalable Networking Pack (SNP) into Microsoft Windows operating systems. Customers choosing to enable SNP will need an Alacritech Accelerator or an adapter provided by another Alacritech licensee, to take full advantage of the benefits offered by TCP Chimney. These benefits translate into extending the life of servers, both new and currently installed, by allowing the server to scale in performance by offering the most efficient means possible for TCP/IP offload, thereby significantly freeing up a server’s CPU for other tasks.
Q. What kind of performance can I expect from my IP SAN with Alacritech?
In any network, performance is going to be dependent on the lowest performing component of the overall network and the amount of data sent over it. All Alacritech controllers are capable of sustained data transfers at wire speed. Multiple Alacritech ports can be grouped into a single logical port capable of 2, 3, or even 4 Gb/s data transfers.
Q. What is iSCSI?
iSCSI is a protocol standard for encapsulating data within TCP/IP for transfer over an IP network.
Q. How does an iSCSI Storage Area Network (SAN) compare to Network Attached Storage (NAS)?
Both iSCSI SANs and NAS use standard Ethernet networks to transfer data. iSCSI SANs transfer block level data between supported servers, which might constitute a NAS head, and iSCSI targets or storage. NAS sends file level data to and from supported clients. The back-end, or storage facing side of a NAS head, can constitute an iSCSI SAN. iSCSI SANs and NAS are therefore, complementary technologies. Alacritech transforms NAS heads into powerful network servers, accelerating IP network traffic (both file and block-level)
Q. How does iSCSI compare to Fibre Channel?
Both iSCSI and Fibre Channel allow for the sharing of block-level data over a network. iSCSI uses a standard Ethernet network to connect devices and is as easy to use as any regular network device. Fibre Channel requires an expensive, specialized network that is incompatible with standard Ethernet technologies and requires special skills to administer.
Q. How does an iSCSI SAN compare to Direct Attach Storage (DAS)?
DAS, a traditional method of connecting storage to a server, provides storage to only one specific server. As the number of servers and total storage grows, this creates significant costs to manage, backup the data and greatly increases the likelihood of a fault. An iSCSI SAN allows multiple servers to access data in a single pool of storage, resulting in reduced cost, ease of management, increased storage, and greater uptime.
Q. What is the difference between the Alacritech product lines?
Alacritech has two distinct product lines. Our line of Scalable Network Accelerators can perform acceleration on any TCP network traffic including CIFS (Common Internet File System), SMB (Server Message Block), and iSCSI. The iSCSI Scalable Network Accelerators can see and handle any regular network traffic, just like a standard NIC, but only performs offload acceleration on iSCSI data.
Q. What is TCP Chimney?
TCP Chimney is the name Microsoft uses to identify the component of SNP that uses Alacritech technology. Please see Scalable Networking Pack.
Q. How do I know if I need an Alacritech card?
Any network that uses TCP/IP can benefit from an Alacritech card. How much of a benefit the Alacritech card will provide can vary depending on a number of factors including, but not limited to, how much the network is used, the number of clients on the network, the type of data sent over the network, which applications use the network, and the size of blocks sent over the network. As a rule, the more heavily utilized the network is the greater the potential benefit.
Q. What is a TNIC?
TNIC (short for TCP Offload Engine Network Interface Card) is a name used to describe Alacritech’s full-featured products or Scalable Network Accelerator. These cards are capable of performing TCP offload and data acceleration of any network traffic that uses TCP.
Q. How do Alacritech cards compare to standard NICs?
Alacritech Accelerators can significantly outperform standard NICs. Alacritech Accelerators allow a server to scale in performance, handling more clients and/or moving a greater amount of data at a faster rate; and achieving higher network utilization. Alacritech cards outperform NICs by reducing the burden of network processing on the host CPU.
Q. I have a powerful server, why do I need TCP Offload?
Even the most powerful server will have its limitations. The more users and network traffic on the server, the greater the impact will be. Typically, the most powerful servers are used in the most demanding environments. That is exactly where Alacritech can provide the greatest benefit.
Q. What is the warranty on Alacritech products?
All Alacritech products come with a limited lifetime warranty.
Q. How do I upgrade my current Alacritech Accelerator to work with Scalable Networking Pack?
If you are using an Alacritech card with a legacy driver you will need to obtain the Scalable Networking Pack from Microsoft and download the latest driver from Alacritech. Then uninstall the legacy driver, install the Scalable Networking Pack, and the install the new driver. Please visit our Support Page for further details.
Q. Are Alacritech Accelerators certified by Microsoft?
Yes. All Alacritech cards have received the “Designed for Windows” logo certification from Microsoft.
Q. What is the difference between TCP Chimney and NetDMA?
TCP Chimney is the method of TCP Offload that is being adopted by numerous industry leaders as the key to the next generation of networking. NetDMA is proprietary technology from Intel.
Q. Why do Alacritech Accelerators use the Microsoft initiator?
Unlike iSCSI HBAs that include their own initiator, Alacritech Accelerators are complete TCP Offload NICs that can handle iSCSI data as well as ALL other network traffic. As such, they use the Microsoft iSCSI initiator to connect to iSCSI targets.
Q. How do I know when to use an iSCSI Scalable Network Accelerator versus a Scalable Network Accelerator?
If the Accelerator will only be used for connecting to an iSCSI target, then an Alacritech iSCSI Scalable Network Accelerator would be a good choice. If the Accelerator will be used for ALL network traffic (including iSCSI, CIFS, SMB, etc) then a Scalable Network Accelerator would be the better choice.
Q. What is MPIO?
MPIO (MultiPath I/O) is a method by which iSCSI traffic can take advantage of multiple, redundant paths from the initiator to the storage for increased redundancy, reliability, and performance.
Q. What is network teaming?
Network teaming is a method by which multiple redundant paths can exist in an Ethernet network between any two nodes. The Alacritech controllers support standard 802.3ad network teaming between the Accelerators and a switch.
Q. Do you support load balancing?
Load balancing is a general term that implies that there is intelligence built into the network hardware to traffic and/or packet sizes, and routes the data over a specific port for better performance. Alacritech cards do not support this. Alacritech cards do support 802.3ad network teaming and MPIO.
Q. Do you support Jumbo Frames?
Yes, all current Alacritech controllers support Jumbo Frames.
Q. Do you support 802.3ad?
Yes, all current Alacritech controllers support 802.3ad network teaming.
Q. Do you support trunking?
Trunking is a term usually used to mean port aggregation. All Alacritech Accelerators support port aggregation as a function of 802.3ad network teaming.