A data center administrator is tasked with a network and storage consolidation project. The goal is to reduce the complexity and cost associated with managing separate networks for LAN traffic (Ethernet) and storage traffic (Fibre Channel). The company is upgrading to a unified 10Gbps Ethernet fabric throughout the data center. The administrator needs to select a storage technology that provides block-level access and can leverage this new unified network by encapsulating storage traffic within Ethernet frames. Which of the following technologies meets these requirements?
The correct answer is FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet). FCoE is a storage protocol specifically designed to encapsulate Fibre Channel frames and transmit them over an Ethernet network. This allows organizations to consolidate their LAN and SAN traffic onto a single, unified Ethernet fabric, reducing cabling and management overhead, which directly aligns with the scenario's requirements.
iSCSI is incorrect because while it does provide block-level storage over Ethernet, it uses TCP/IP to transport SCSI commands, not by encapsulating native Fibre Channel frames. It is an alternative to FC, not a method for running FC traffic on an Ethernet network.
NFS is incorrect because it is a file-level storage protocol, not a block-level protocol. The scenario explicitly requires block-level access.
Fibre Channel is incorrect because a standard FC implementation requires its own dedicated network infrastructure (HBAs, FC switches), which is what the company is trying to consolidate and move away from.