Brocade Announces Successful Completion of Latest FICON Qualification
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Brocade Announces Successful Completion of Latest FICON Qualification
4 Gbit/sec SilkWorm Products Fully Supported in the Latest IBM zSeries Environments
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 5 -- Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Brocade® (NASDAQ:BRCD) today announced that the Brocade SilkWorm® 48000 Director and the SilkWorm 4100 Switch are now fully qualified for 4 Gbit/sec use with IBM System z(TM) family servers that support FICON® Express4. This latest qualification for the SilkWorm 48000 and SilkWorm 4100, marketed by IBM as the IBM TotalStorage SAN256B and the IBM TotalStorage SAN32B-2, respectively, further enhances the FICON support these products achieved for the IBM System z9 and all FICON Express platforms in October 2005.
The latest FICON connectivity is designed to enable SilkWorm 48000 customers to leverage a widely used Input/Output (I/O) interface for mainframe computer connections to storage devices. Organizations can use a single platform for both open systems and IBM System z server storage networks, with the ability to securely and flexibly intermix open systems and mainframe connectivity. The new benefits to FICON Express4 customers include increased I/O capacity, faster data transfer rates between mainframe servers and storage devices, and simplified management. In addition, FICON overcomes the speed and distance limitations of ESCON connectivity, IBM's previous fiber optic channel standard, for storage systems in mainframe environments.
The SilkWorm 48000 is recognized as the leading industry solution for reliable, high-availability capabilities that meet mission-critical requirements, and is ideal for use in standalone director configurations and large cascaded SANs. The advanced technology at the heart of the Brocade 4 Gbit/sec products meets the requirements for the highest levels of performance while consuming the least amount of power per port compared to competitive offerings. The 4 Gbit/sec SilkWorm 48000 continues to support the full spectrum of System z capabilities such as Fibre Channel/FICON intermix, FICON Control Unit Port (CUP), N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV), and FICON cascading. Support of these capabilities enables optimized infrastructure for enterprise management and high-volume transaction processing applications such as ERP and data warehousing. The SilkWorm 48000 was also recently named Most Valuable Product for Networking Equipment by InfoStor.
"The latest FICON certification for Brocade's high-performing SilkWorm family of SAN infrastructure solutions extends and simplifies storage capabilities for mainframe customers," said Tom Buiocchi, Brocade Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. "FICON Express4 on Brocade continues the joint leadership that Brocade and IBM established when the first 4 Gbit/sec SAN solutions were delivered in November 2004."
About FICON Express4
o It continues the tradition of offering more capabilities with each new generation and supporting z9 data serving leadership by enabling improved data access.
o It is designed for higher performance compared to the FICON Express2 features on z990 and z890.
o It offers two unrepeated distance options (4 kilometers and 10 kilometers) when using single-mode fiber optic cabling.
o It supports a 4 Gbit/sec link data rate with auto-negotiation to 1 and 2 Gbit/sec for synergy with existing switches, directors, and storage devices.
About Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
Brocade delivers industry-leading platforms, solutions, and services for intelligently connecting, managing, and optimizing IT resources in shared storage environments. The world's premier systems, server, and storage providers offer the Brocade SilkWorm family of Storage Area Network (SAN) connectivity platforms as the foundation for shared storage in organizations of all sizes. In addition, the Brocade Tapestry(TM) family of IT infrastructure solutions extends the ability to proactively manage and optimize application and information resources across the enterprise. Using Brocade solutions, organizations are better positioned to reduce cost, manage complexity, and satisfy business compliance requirements through optimized use and management of their IT resources. For more information, visit the Brocade Web site at www.brocade.com or contact the company at info@brocade.com.
Source: Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
CONTACT:
Media:
Michelle Leach,
Brocade Communications Systems
Tel:+1-408-333-5319
mleach@brocade.com
Sarahjane Sacchetti
Bite PR
Tel:+1-415-284-8230
Sarahjane.sacchetti@bitepr.com (for Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.)
Web site: www.brocade.com/
