Sponsored by: General Dynamics

Abstract

The need for a faster and more efficient network is a growing need in todays technology field. In particular, the company General Dynamics (GD) has interests in implementing secure, streaming, high-speed communication networks within highly classified government projects. A Storage Area Network (SAN) using Fibre Channel, a fast connection allowing transfer rates of up to two gigabits per second, is a popular solution. Because SAN and Fibre Channel are relatively new technologies, this project focuses on helping GD to learn and understand more about the traffic that utilizes this advanced network medium.

In this project, the chosen approach to learning more about SAN and Fibre Channel was the development of a test tool dubbed the SCSI Command Generator (SCG) that generates basic traffic on demand. This tool generates a number of SCSI commands and sends them to devices attached to a SAN. Scripting capabilities allow a user to pre-record a limitless series of these commands, and then to execute them all at once, one after the other in rapid succession. The SCG also provides the ability for users to configure customized commands that may not be specifically implemented at the time, meaning it actually supports every SCSI command in existence. With the help of the SCG, GD developers will be able to generate streams of traffic that can later be examined and analyzed.

In particular, the analyzer tool used by GD is known as the FCTracer. Its capabilities and features include displaying recorded traffic using a graphical interface and multi-port recording with advanced triggering and decoding features. It also clarifies the higher level significance of Fibre Channel traffic (SCSI for example), and not just the raw data. Automatic decoding and the use of color-coded packets to represent frames, sequences, and exchanges help to show the meaning of Fibre Channel traffic so that potential problems can be found more quickly and efficiently.

Download

• Complete report: pdf (1 MB)