A: Data center bridging (DCB) is today's buzzword to describe the convergence of Fibre Channel storage atop traditional Ethernet-based devices. DCB specifically refers to four extensions to the Ethernet protocol that enable it to operate with the lossless nature of Fibre Channel traffic. Those four extensions are:
- Priority-based Flow Control (802.1Qbb), which enables the management of a single, bursty source on a multiprotocol link.
- Enhanced Transmission Selection (802.1Qaz), which enables bandwidth management between traffic types on multiprotocol links.
- Congestion Notification (802.1Qau), which addresses the problem of sustained network congestion by moving corrective actions to the network edge.
- Data Center Bridging Exchange Protocol (DCBX), which allows the automatic exchange of Ethernet parameters between switches and endpoints.