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I'm currently working on upgrading our server storage and I'm looking into SMB direct in combination with an RDMA supported NIC. SMB Direct is interesting as it has very low latency compared to competitive protocols.

I would however, like the server to have a direct 10 GbE connection to the NAS using SMB Direct, but the SMB share still be available over the network to the clients, so they can have a direct connection to the NAS too, through a 10 GbE connection from the switch to the NAS.

I wonder if both functionalities can be used together on the same NAS, or is it either SMB direct or a SMB network share that is available to all? I'd rather not want the server to be the middle man between these connection, which it is now using ISCSI in a VM, configured as a network share.

aardbol
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    Take a look at Mellanox cards, they have RDMA support. http://www.mellanox.com/page/products_dyn?product_family=79 – Stuka Oct 25 '17 at 16:35

3 Answers3

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SMB works over TCP, SMB Direct works over RoCEv/1v2 (UDP) or iWARP (TCP) encapsulation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RDMA_over_Converged_Ethernet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IWARP

If NIC providers proper hardware support and drivers it can run multiple protocols simultaneously.

BaronSamedi1958
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Agree with @Lilia, SMB share can connected via SMB Direct alongside with the regular SMB shares. I have almost the same scenario, only difference is that my SMB is set up on the Starwind's shared storage between the two servers.

Share is connected via 10GbE link and SMB Direct to another server, and also is available to my clients.

Strepsils
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SMB Direct is just a transport, SMB share is exposed anyway. Moreover even if Client talks SMB Direct it opens additional regular SMB connection to SMB share in parallel.

Lilia Berlin Wasserman
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