What you need to know about 10 GigE IP SANs
If faster is better for storage area networks (SAN), 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GigE) is the next logical step up. It is beginning to arrive, but it is still definitely in the early adopter stage.
10 GigE is defined under the 802 standard (802.ae) and uses the same MAC protocol, frame sizes and format as regular Ethernet. However, unlike the older versions, it doesn’t rely on the Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Detect protocol (CSMA/CD) to prevent network contention because all connections are full duplex.
Ultimately, the promise of Ethernet iSCSI SANs is integration. By using Ethernet for LANs, WAN and storage area networks (SAN), companies theoretically can simplify infrastructures, improve management and reduce costs. While some companies are moving in that direction, the effort has been hindered by the fact that the current standard is 1 GigE, which is much too slow for many applications. …more
Source: Rick Cook - 8/8/07 - SearchStorage
…so is 10Gig iSCSI going to be the “gotta have it” technology in 2008? We have heard rumblings from a few folks that are drooling over it but honestly, we’re not seeing that much pent up demand for it in most enterprises. Most iSCSI arrays (at least the ones we resell) are well-balanced in that they have a reasonable amount of ports for the # of disks in the array. Simply making those ports 10x’s larger may not do a damn thing if the demands on the system aren’t that great. The most important thin is that the system as a whole is balanced. Number of disks, backplane speed, port count and size and network fabric outside of the arrays all play a role in determining a system’s performance.
So, the short answer is “it depends…”….but Fiber is quaking in its boots 
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