Microsoft Recognizes FCoE With Logo Program

Although there is no word on a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) initiator in the vein of their wildly successful iSCSI offering, Microsoft announced today that they will be creating a logo program with test requirements for the new protocol. This certification program will likely follow the company’s similar work with iSCSI and Fibre Channel adapters and a host of other products to improve functionality and interoperability in the Windows market.

This announcement shows that Microsoft recognizes the potential of FCoE as a major force in future data centers as well as the possibility of difficulty once these products are released. Reading between the lines of the release leads one to a few other conclusions:

• The Windows FCoE logo is still a year off, suggesting either that Microsoft has some work ahead of them to develop logo requirements or that FCoE implementation isn’t likely to come before then, or both
• There is no mention of a native FCoE initiator, suggesting that no such product is imminent despite calls for such a move
• Microsoft is drawing a sharp line between existing Fibre Channel products and drivers and new FCoE offerings, firmly separating the two markets and requiring that no FCoE products bear a FC logo and vice versa

The full release is in Microsoft’s  Windows Logo newsletter for March 10, 2009, which has been mailed but has not yet appeared on the company’s web site.