SAN PROJECTS don’t always demand a clear decision between ISCSI and Fibre Channel; combinations are also possible. Despite the many differences, communication is possible. On the hardware side, a connection requires an IP STORAGE switch or bridge, or a router.

The Internet Fibre Channel Protocol (iFCP) acts as a gateway between Fibre Channel and iSCSI because it provides NAT between FC and IP; that is, it maps FC ADDRESSES to IP addresses.

FCIP (Fibre Channel over IP) allows FC SANs to be connected over IP networks by tunneling. The FC packets are encapsulated in TCP/IP.

SAN projects don’t always demand a clear decision between iSCSI and Fibre Channel; combinations are also possible. Despite the many differences, communication is possible. On the hardware side, a connection requires an IP storage switch or bridge, or a router.

The Internet Fibre Channel Protocol (iFCP) acts as a gateway between Fibre Channel and iSCSI because it provides NAT between FC and IP; that is, it maps FC addresses to IP addresses.

FCIP (Fibre Channel over IP) allows FC SANs to be connected over IP networks by tunneling. The FC packets are encapsulated in TCP/IP.