Converged Network Adapter CNA

Converged Network Adapter CNA: A converged network adapter (CNA) is a single network interface card (NIC) that contains both a Fibre Channel (FC) host bus adapter (HBA) and a TCP/IP Ethernet NIC. It connects servers to FC-based storage area networks (SANs) and Ethernet-based local area networks (LANs).

The CNA connects to the server via a PCI Express (PCIe) interface. The server sends both FC SAN and LAN and traffic to an Ethernet port on a converged switch using the Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) protocolfor the FC SAN data and the Ethernet protocol for LAN data. The converged switch converts the FCoE traffic to FC and sends it to the FC SAN. The Ethernet traffic is sent directly to the LAN.

In networks without CNAs, servers have to have at least two adapters: One with a FC HBA to connect the server to the storage network, and another with a TCP/IP Ethernet NIC to connect the server to the LAN.

Using a single CNA to connect servers to storage and networks reduces costs by requiring fewer adapter cards, cables, switch ports, and PCIe slots. CNAs also reduce the complexity of administration because there is only one connection and cable to manage.