Subj: Brocade unveils the industry's first Fibre Channel gigabit switch that
will allo
Date: 97-03-24 09:33:51 EST
From: AOLNewsProfiles@aol.net
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 24, 1997--
SilkWorm directly addresses server-storage I/O bottlenecks by
providing extensive scalability of both storage and I/O bandwidth
at an affordable entry price-point
Brocade Communications Systems Inc. Monday introduced SilkWorm, a
2- to 16-port Fibre Channel gigabit switch designed to build scalable
and resilient Fibre Channel Fabrics -- the intelligent infrastructure
required to create a scalable network.
SilkWorm's Fabric has the five essential elements that are required
to create a scalable server-storage area network: shared storage among
multiple servers; network scalability; high performance for large block
data transfers; complete data integrity and reliability; and fast data
access and backup capabilities.
Additionally, SilkWorm, unlike a Fibre Channel hub, can sustain a
one-gigabit-per-second full-duplex transfer rate from each port,
providing an aggregate bandwidth of 16 gigabits per second.
Combined, all of these elements make SilkWorm the most cost-effective
solution, providing unparalleled modularity for customers by allowing
them to make an immediate purchasing decision without having to
overbuy and anticipate future needs.
"Today's global corporations base their business on information
movement, knowing that access to data drives their entire business model
and time-to-market," said Bruce Bergman, Brocade's president and CEO.
"Companies can use SilkWorm's scalable Fabric to cluster servers
and storage, provide increased accessibility to large databases, and
execute data-dependent applications including data warehousing and
imaging.
"In addition, Internet/Intranet applications, such as corporate Web
sites and service provider Web servers, can benefit from SilkWorm by
building a cost-effective, modular Fabric that allows independent
additions of servers and/or storage."
Increased storage demands a switching fabric
Currently, companies are experiencing severe I/O bottlenecks at
the server-storage connection. In the typical server-storage
point-to-point configuration, users are unable to expand beyond two
connections.
This dilemma is driving an industry paradigm shift in
which the server-storage interconnect is taking on the traits of
traditional communications network infrastructures and becoming a
server-storage area network using a switching architecture.
Brocade is the only company positioned to provide the critical
element of this separate server-storage area network -- a switching
Fabric based on Fibre Channel's ANSI specification.
Whereas ATM, 100base-T and Gigabit Ethernet have the
characteristics most suitable for the traditional communications
network, only Fibre Channel allows for large block transfers with
high data integrity which is required for the server-storage area
network(a).
Fibre Channel's inherent qualities, particularly reliability, high
availability and support for multiple protocols (including SCSI and IP)
make it the industry's storage interconnect of choice for migrating
beyond SCSI.
"Aberdeen believes Internet/Intranet technologies will continue to
drive up IT (information technology) requirements across the board,"
said Sam Alunni, senior analyst, networking for Aberdeen Group Inc., a
research firm based in Boston.
"Traditional network vendors, for example, are rushing forward
with new technologies that relieve congestion and provide additional
bandwidth in the desktop-to-server, campus backbone and WAN areas.
Brocade is the only company we've seen that recognizes that the same
sort of networking problem is occurring between the servers and the
storage systems on which all of this data is housed.
"They've taken the switching architecture idea and combined it with
Fibre Channel to deliver a scalable, easy-to-install, standards-based
solution that pumps up bandwidth on the server-to-storage network.
Anyone looking for a solution to the I/O bottleneck -- those doing
data warehousing, for example -- would be interested in Brocade's
product."
SilkWorm's competitive advantages and benefits
Brocade designed SilkWorm to excel in performance, cost,
scalability and ease-of-use. SilkWorm's rich features, particularly
its unique software capabilities, offers customers a comprehensive
switching Fabric solution for the server-storage network.
Fabric Management
As a Fabric grows, management tools become essential. SilkWorm is
the first Fibre Channel switch to implement Simple Name Server, which
discovers and tracks directory information about devices attached to
the Fabric. This feature management makes additions and topology
changes easier to handle.
SilkWorm also offers the multicast service (simultaneous
transmission of data to multiple users), which allows more
information to be moved through a fixed bandwidth. Management
services are available via SNMP and Telnet, and the switch includes
an Ethernet port for remote diagnostics.
Fabric resiliency
Self-learning, auto-configuration and automatic reconfiguration
are also important SilkWorm features, simplifying both installation
and fabric management and allowing for the creation of a
fault-tolerant infrastructure that ensures users can access data
consistently and reliably.
Superior performance and latency
Performance is measured by frame forwarding rates and intrinsic
switch latency. SilkWorm's design performs critical switching and
frame forwarding functions in hardware -- not software.
Additionally, SilkWorm uses distributed, cut-through frame
forwarding without having to store the entire frame. These two
design characteristics result in an amazingly low switch latency
(typically sub-microsecond).
SilkWorm's superior performance is further enhanced by its use of
Fibre Channel Class 2 and 3 connectionless services. SilkWorm does
not have to establish and maintain a connection during data
transmission. The switch multiplexes frame traffic between multiple
devices, resulting in high utilization of the Fabric's bandwidth.
Scalability
SilkWorm is the first Fibre Channel switch to cascade, offering
true scalability. Each Brocade switch can house 16 ports -- which
are made up from eight plug-in port options, with two G-Ports per
option.
Each of SilkWorm's versatile ports has auto-sensing capabilities
with the ability to make point-to-point connections to either a node
(server, disk array, etc.) or another SilkWorm switch. Up to 32
switches can be connected in a mesh topology providing hundreds of
connections with an increase in aggregate throughput.
Pricing and availability
Brocade is currently shipping SilkWorm, including short-wave optical
modules, to major OEMs at the industry-low average per-port cost of
$1,500 at 16 ports. SilkWorm will be able to connect to a Fibre
Channel Arbitrated Loop later this year. VAR and systems integrator
programs will launch in the second half of the year.
About Brocade Communications Systems Inc.
Brocade's primary focus is to help customers build gigabit Fibre
Channel switching Fabrics, enabling them to optimize connections
between data storage and enterprise servers, and to design
high-performance, scalable data center backbones.
Brocade has headquarters at 2231 Calle De Luna in Santa Clara,
Calif. 95054. For more information about Brocade, check out the
company's Web site at brocadecomm.com, or contact Brenda
Christensen, vice president, marketing at 408/588-4123 or via e-mail
at info@brocadecomm.com.
SilkWorm is a trademark of Brocade Communications Systems Inc.
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(a) For diagrams detailing the migration to the server-storage area
network using SilkWorm, please contact Sari Gallagher at 310/822-4669.
--30--LF/la* RPL/la
CONTACT:
Miller/Shandwick Technologies
Sari Gallagher or Mary Carlisle, 310/822-4669
sgallagher@miller.shandwick.com
mcarlisle@miller.shandwick.com |
