The biggest problem with Infiniband is that it's almost impossible to write any software that uses it. There are no examples, no HOWTOs, no programming guides- no documentation of any kind.

Infiniband vendors like to talk about "openfabrics", their coalition to write cross-vendor Infiniband software libraries. But if you look on the openfabrics web site, you'll find exactly zero information on how to actually write an application that uses Infiniband. In fact, if you follow the "documentation" links on the openfabrics web site, you'll find a list of libraries and (I'm not making this up) minutes of their meetings. Nothing about how to actually use the software libraries.

Infiniband vendors just don't get it. They think that its cost that's slowing adoption, or lack of marketing. It's the software. Until we can actually write Infiniband aware software, there's really no point in buying Infiniband hardware.

Vendors like to make a big production about how Infiniband is "Application Centric", but the truth of the matter is that Infiniband is one of the most application-hostile technologies I've ever seen.

Infiniband has been around for years. Large vendors are just now seeing greater interest in increasing storage/network bandwidth and thus 10GbE babel from Intel.

Unfortunately, as good as the Infiniband product is technically, their marketing and engagement to more mainstream users (ie enterprise datacentre) is (frankly) crap.

Does their site have documentation explaining how people should use one vs another? No.
Explaining benefits of SRP (the Infiniband block storage protocol) vs iSCSI vs FC? No
How engaged is their community in updating their end user documention? Oh, they can't, their wiki doesn't allow people to even log in and update mistakes (it's been that way for months).

What is this? a joke? re-creating history?

and Intel 10G performance push IB performance out is the best joke. Did you look on their latency? not even close. what about bandwidth???

In 2003, taking Walk near Non profit, Dumpster was filled with Lan cables & routers, Not cheap stuff, Several Hundreds each.
took 3 lan cables & two boxes, which had NO use for.

Cables worked crummy, Upon inspection noticed EACH Cable had been crimped by Desk sitting upon cable. expensive blades where of NO use, to Me Nor Them.

Then realized poor Non Profit had been taken, someone installed very expensive system & then ruined interconnect, simply by crushing LAN Wires. NO ONE Knew enough to Fix System & went Into Trash. System, Would Work with HardWood cabnets, Whole ?Shebang, Given Up Upon.

Point: ALL Quality In World, Worthless. .Org Business Had NO Idea & NO Body Figured Out Reason. Hundreds of Feet of RJ45 Ruined, System brought to Tears ,Ruined & Business Moved. That was when 10/100 Mb/s Was "THE" Thing to Have, they did & didn't. Lot of Government Sponsored Monies Chucked into Rain.

No One Cared. Humans Think So Little of Each Other & Desparte, that Years Pay, Easily Fixable, Laughed OFF By Techies, whom where better at Breakage Than Install. NO SELF RESPECT.

Now with 10 Gb/s Light, First Need Interconnect, AS Diagramed, Bit Heavy on Provider Side. Then Broken Cable to Haress provider, wheres My Promised LAN Speed. Then broken Contract & Finally, ALL Is NOT Well. Owner Business, Up & Quits. No Whom Do provided to, Key Ingrediant.
Who Wants Tens of Thousands in Equipment to Watch,?Games. Hanging from poles is Millionns in equipment, ALL needed is thousand stable Systems, In Next Block, with Even More Investment,~ 10 Milions. that simple crimp can Ruin, Thru Blind Reliance upon screwball techs. Promises Are Great, REsults Are Darby. Whom Will Win, You Bet IT ALL.

McMike ?Wins 17th ?Time in Row. Blame Anyone. Result, System Is Valueless.

Maybe Large Building or Telco, Home server?, Really. Dream On. How many HomeOwners have Beting Cash & Can Win.

Whats' Wrong. Idunknow.

Fortune to Lose. Little UpWard Value, Compared to Many Seperate lines, thruout system. Try NEW drashek Cable/Telco Interconnect Modems/router/voips. Dri. Or Just Wait For Next years Darby. & Winner IS: TS.