Po-tay-to, Po-ta-to: Analogies and NPIV/NPV

In a recent post, I took a look at the Fibre Channel subjects of NPIV and NPV, both topics covered in the CCIE Data Center written exam (currently in beta, take yours now, $50!). The post generated a lot of comments. I mean, a lot. Over 50 so far (and still going).  An epic battle (although very unInternet-like in that it was very civil and respectful) brewed over how Fibre Channel compares to Ethernet/IP. The comments look like the aftermath of the battle of Wolf 359.

Captain, the analogy regarding squirrels and time travel didn’t survive

One camp, lead by Erik Smith from EMC (who co-wrote the best Fibre Channel book I’ve seen so far, and it’s free), compares the WWPNs to IP addresses, and FCIDs to MAC addresses. Some others, such as Ivan Pepelnjak and myself, compare WWPNs to MAC addresses, and FCIDs to IP addresses. There were many points and counter-points. Valid arguments were made supporting each position. Eventually, people agreed to disagree. So which one is right? They both are.

Wait, what? Two sides can’t be right, not on the Internet!

When comparing Fibre Channel to Ethernet/IP, it’s important to remember that they are different. In fact, significantly different. The only purpose for relating Fibre Channel to Ethernet/IP is for the purpose of relating those who are familiar with Ethernet/IP to the world of Fibre Channel. Many (most? all?) people learn by building associations with known subjects (in our case Ethernet/IP)  to lesser known (in this case Fibre Channel) subjects.

Of course, any association includes includes its inherent inaccuracies. We purposefully sacrifice some accuracy in order to attain relatability. Specific details and inaccuracies are glossed over. To some, introducing any inaccuracy is sacrilege. To me, it’s being overly pedantic. Pedantic details are for the expert level. Using pedantic facts as an admonishment of an analogy misses the point entirely. With any analogy, there will always be inaccuracies, and there will always be many analogies to be made.

Personally, I still prefer the WWPN ~= MAC/FC_ID ~= IP approach, and will continue to use it when I teach. But the other approach I believe is completely valid as well. At that point, it’s just a matter of preference. Both roads lead to the same destination, and that is what’s really important.

Learning always happens in layers. Coat after coat is applied, increasing in accuracy and pedantic details as you go along. Analogies is a very useful and effective tool to learn any subject.