Storage Networking Industry Association Delivers Standard
Interface, Extending the Interoperability and Manageability of
Storage Networks
Wednesday November 1 9:09am
Source: BusinessWire
ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 1, 2000--
API Provides Common Method For Retrieving Fibre Channel
Information Across Operating Systems and Vendor Products
The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) today announced at the
Storage Networking World Conference that its Fibre Channel Work Group has
successfully completed the first phase of its ongoing effort to enhance the use and
manageability of Storage Area Networks (SANs).
The Host Bus Adapter (HBA) Application Programming Interface (API) provides a
common way to access information about Fibre Channel networks, enabling
Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to deliver greater functionality to consumers
in a more timely fashion using a single standardized interface.
Present in every host system on a SAN, HBAs are important enablers to storage
networking, providing a critical component for connecting systems and storage
devices to a Fibre Channel fabric. As storage networks grow in complexity with
thousands of devices connected to a fabric, the need for standard network
management capabilities increases exponentially.
The HBA API provides a single interface to common functions that storage
networking companies will use to deliver high-value solutions. This common
interface allows host software to support host adapters from multiple vendors in the
same server using a single interface, resulting in a multitude of benefits to consumers
such as increased functionality, interoperability and availability of solutions.
Additionally, ISVs will spend less time developing solutions for managing Fibre
Channel networks to meet the requirements of different operating systems and
hardware platforms, considerably reducing their development cycles and allowing
them to focus on further extending software functionality and management tools.
"Storage networks are not just made up of individual components linked together
for connectivity, but must truly be able to operate as an intelligent system for
enhanced reliability and manageability, with all the pieces working together
seamlessly," stated Julie Schott, SNIA Technical Director. "The work done by the
HBA API Work Group is significantly moving industry interoperability forward,
further accelerating the adoption of storage networks and enabling the development
of new applications for consumers."
"The entire industry has been working diligently to ensure that Fibre Channel
solutions can easily be implemented by consumers and we believe that this HBA
API is a strong step in that direction," said Don Swatik, Vice President of Strategic
Planning at EMC Corporation, which sponsors the FibreAlliance. "The
FibreAlliance strongly supports the work done by the SNIA and we believe
implementation of the API by the host adapter vendors will provide immediate
benefits to the consumers of storage networks."
"The HBA API demonstrates how the industry is coming together to ensure that
storage networking solutions provide the flexibility, manageability, and ease of
implementation necessary for customers," said Kumar Malavalli, vice president of
technology and co-founder of Brocade, and Chairman of the ANSI T11 Fibre
Channel Committee.
Broad Support For The HBA API
Broad support for the development and implementation of the HBA API is
demonstrated by the backing of 25 vendors/industry groups, including: Adaptec,
Agilent Technologies, BMC Software, Brocade Communications, Connex, EMC,
Emulex, Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA), FibreAll iance,
Hewlett-Packard, HighGround Systems, Hitachi Data Systems, Interphase,
InterSAN, JNI Corporation, Legato, McDATA, Prisa Networks, QLogic
Corporation, StorageNetworks, Tivoli, Troika Networks, Veritas Software and
Vixel. |
