Stackable Approach to Fibre Channel Fabrics Can Reduce TCO by up to 43 Percent
ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Feb. 18, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a move
designed to expand its global market share in Fibre Channel (FC)
switching, QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC) today announced that its 5800V
and 5802V Series 8Gb FC switches are now available from HP (NYSE:HPQ)
as scalable SAN solutions for use with HP's server and storage
portfolios, including HP BladeSystem Virtual Connect, HP StorageWorks
Modular Smart Array (MSA) and HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array
(EVA) systems. Branded as the HP StorageWorks SN6000 Stackable 8Gb FC
Switches, the switches incorporate QLogic's unique inter-switch link
(ISL) technology, which enables companies to reduce
total-cost-of-ownership by up to 43 percent compared to non-stackable
alternatives, according to a recent economic value study from Wikibon
1.
The switch's dedicated high speed 10 gigabit per second (Gbps) FC
stacking ports, which can be easily upgraded to 20 Gbps performance,
make possible the innovative stackable architecture of the HP SN6000.
By providing high performance, dedicated switch-to-switch connectivity
through stacking ISLs, the SN6000 eliminates cabling sprawl and
preserves 8 Gbps FC ports specifically for device connectivity--meaning
no user ports are needed for connecting SN6000 switches to each other.
By reducing cable and connection costs while enhancing SAN performance,
the SN6000 enables lower capital and operational expenditures. In
addition, it enables automated management and improved administrative
productivity through management software included with every switch.
"QLogic continues to innovate and lead the way in Fibre Channel
stackable switch solutions," said Jesse Parker, vice president and
general manager, Network Solutions Group, QLogic. "Our 8Gb Fibre
Channel switches provide industry-leading performance while allowing
businesses to build scalable SANs with minimal business disruption at
considerably lower costs and significantly reduced complexity."
"Customers can mitigate risk by adopting a networking infrastructure
that can scale in a modular, non-disruptive way as storage needs
change," said Bob Wilson, vice president, Platforms Division,
StorageWorks, HP. "The HP SN6000 Stackable FC Switches utilizing 8Gb
Fibre Channel technology deliver storage networking that customers can
leverage to keep up with growing data volumes."
"Wikibon believes that stackable switches are a significant improvement
over non-stackable switches. Stackable switches scale to 25 percent
higher user port counts, simplify configuration growth and improve
inter-switch bandwidth and manageability," said Dave Vellante, founder
and chief research advocate, Wikibon. "For CIOs this means better asset
leverage because you have greater granularity at scale."
The stackable design of the HP SN6000 Stackable FC Switches offers
improved flexibility and eliminates the need to reconfigure switches,
leading to better productivity for IT staff and less disruption for
users. Conventional switching technology requires at least two ports to
link to other switches in the data center. For example, if all 24 ports
of a switch are used, an IT manager would need to repurpose four device
ports to ISL ports in order to connect to other switches. The design of
the SN6000, with dedicated stacking ports, enables non-disruptive
expansion requiring the IT manager to only add stacking cables between
the switches without interrupting application uptime.
"By providing stacking ports that deliver 20 Gbps switch-to-switch
connectivity, QLogic makes it possible for businesses to grow their
switches as slowly or quickly as they need by simply 'stacking,'
avoiding the disruptive 'rip and replace,' process," said David Floyer,
chief technology officer, Wikibon. "This enables companies to scale
with less business impact, which decreases the chance of downtime and
improves productivity of the organization."
"CFOs will rejoice over the numerous cost-savings, short-term and
long-term, that QLogic's innovative, stackable switch technology
delivers," continued Vellante. "Companies aren't buying capacity they
don't need. IT departments can simply add ports if and when necessary,
which is much more efficient. This translates to better utilization of
cash, an improved balance sheet and the ability to take advantage of
price reductions over time."
8Gb Fibre Channel Switches Address Need for Increased SAN Bandwidth in
Virtualized Data Centers
As multi-core servers begin to drive higher adoption rates of
virtualization, there is a commensurate increase in customer demand for
higher bandwidth connectivity options. With 20 dedicated 8 Gbps FC
device ports per switch and scalable to more than 500 device ports in
the fabric, HP SN6000 switches address the needs of server
virtualization, massive storage capacities, resource-intensive
applications and other sources of unpredictable IT growth.
Simple to Install with Intuitive Management Tools
Seamless integration of the SN6000 is a snap with HP's Simple SAN
Connection Manager (SSCM), an integrated suite of intuitive
installation and monitoring tools exclusive to HP's H-series portfolio.
Available with the SN6000, SSCM has the ability to manage an entire SAN
implementation from a single management console.
The HP StorageWorks SN6000 is available immediately.
"The Total Cost of Ownership of Stackable Switches," by Wikibon, is available at: http://bit.ly/7bxatv
Additional information on QLogic Fibre Channel switches is available at: http://bit.ly/8dAmEl
About QLogic
QLogic (Nasdaq:QLGC) is a global leader and technology innovator in
high performance networking, including adapters, switches and ASICs.
Leading OEMs and channel partners worldwide rely on QLogic products for
their data, storage and server networking solutions. QLogic is a NASDAQ
Global Select company and is included in the S&P 500. For more
information, visit http://www.qlogic.com.