Do you know me?

Visitors to the Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) booth at Storage Networking World in Orlando were greeted by a strange symbol (pictured above). It was included in the FCIA  Fibre Channel roadmap presentation as well. The group even made identifying the symbol a requirement to enter their door prize drawing.

But what is the symbol exactly? I was amused to get some puzzled looks (and no correct answers) when I polled a number of industry insiders. One even asked about the symbol when I included it in a blog post about Microsoft’s lack of FCoE support.

I guess everything needs a symbol nowadays, and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is no exception. Yes, this is the FCIA’s new FCoE symbol.

Fibre Channel plus Ethernet equals FCoE

Breaking it down, we might recognize the unofficial but widespread symbol of Ethernet (glance at the back of your PC or the box your switch or router came in) in the background with a double-ended single-bladed arrow superimposed. That arrow is apparently the new symbol for non-Ethernet Fibre Channel (FC).

Aren’t you glad you asked?