Vixel Delivers Compelling Price/Performance and Flexibility
Vixel Delivers Compelling Price/Performance and Flexibility in the Most Compact 16-Port Fibre Channel Switch on the Market LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 15, 1999-- Third-Generation Vixel Technology Addresses Storage Customers' Requirements Vixel Corporation (Nasdaq:VIXL) today announced the launch of the Vixel 7000 Series Fibre Channel Switches to complement its extensive interconnect product line of hubs, switches, transceivers and management software. The Vixel 7100 and 7200 Switches offer complete flexibility, serviceability and scalability for Storage Area Network (SAN) applications. These distinctive private loop switches are easily upgraded to full-fabric switch functionality, without any hardware modifications, and are interoperable in multi-vendor environments, ensuring the long-term protection of the customer's investment. "Demand from the SAN market's increasingly sophisticated customers called for additional switch options of high quality, better performance and advanced scalability at a reasonable price," said John McArthur, vice president of storage research, International Data Corporation (IDC). "Vixel's improved performance and affordability offer real value to customers demanding scalable Fibre Channel switches." Vixel, the inventor of switched private loop technology, or "Stealth," now in its third generation, is applying its proven experience to the growing market demand for affordable, high-performance Fibre Channel switches. The Vixel 7000 Series Switches feature the company's exclusive "Stealth-3" technology with superior LIP isolation capabilities, automatic configuration, the industry's most extensive loop configuration and tuning tool set, proven fabric upgrade path and unsurpassed performance. These new products demonstrate Vixel's leadership in developing and delivering innovative technology advancements. Another Vixel industry first, the Vixel 7200 Switch is the only 1U (1.72-inch-high), full-speed 16-port switch available today. The Vixel 7100 Switch offers customers a 1U, eight-port, full-speed Fibre Channel loop switch. The compact design allows customers to place varying density switches in the same rack space. "With Vixel's SAN expertise and experience, we have developed Fibre Channel switches that not only meet the market's need for best-of-breed price performance, but sets a new industry standard in compact design," said Arun Taneja, vice president, marketing, Vixel Corporation. "Innovations such as the Vixel 7000 Series Switches drive the rapid adoption of SAN interconnect technologies because they are a flexible and scalable solution, that allow customers to expand their SAN as their enterprises grow." The Vixel 7000 Series Switches are ideal for a variety of environments, including Internet streaming media, e-commerce, medium to large SAN clusters, tape backup and disaster recovery, because they provide both an affordable entry point and advanced upgrade solution to expanding enterprise storage networks. In contrast to competing offerings, the Vixel 7100 and 7200 utilize hot-pluggable media interface connectors or GBICs, at each port, providing increased flexibility and unsurpassed ease of service to the end user. Vixel switches also offer the dedicated bandwidth and port isolation required for data-intensive and mission-critical applications. Each new switch ships standard with Vixel's industry leading management software, SAN InSite(TM), providing proactive diagnostic tools and configuration capabilities for switches, hubs and transceivers. At COMDEX At the Las Vegas Convention Center Room N-250, Vixel will demonstrate several Vixel technological firsts including the Vixel 7200 16-port switch, SAN InSite, the Vixel 2100 Zoning Managed Hub and the Vixel 8100 Fabric Switch. SAN InSite, the Java edition of the company's SAN management software, enables users to easily configure and reconfigure the SAN and troubleshoot from a single interface. The Vixel 2100 Zoning Managed Hub, Vixel's newest innovation in hub technology, supports up to four independent loops from a single hub, with built in LIP isolation for enabling lower end video and tape backup applications. The Vixel 8100 Fabric Switch offers a scalable and flexible means for delivering maximum speed and reliability in Fibre Channel full Fabric SANs. Vixel 7200 Fibre Channel Switch Features: -- First 1U, 16-port Fibre Channel switch -- Vixel's Stealth-3 private loop switching technology provides the industry's most extensive control and management of loop behavior and availability -- Full support for hot-pluggable GBICs at every port -- Easily upgraded to Vixel's enhanced fabric services, without any hardware modifications -- Total SAN connectivity management with Vixel's SAN InSite Vixel 7100 Fibre Channel Switch Features: -- 1U, 8-port Fibre Channel switch -- Vixel's Stealth-3 private loop switching technology provides the industry's most extensive control and management of loop behavior and availability -- Full support for hot-pluggable GBICs at each port -- Easily upgraded to Vixel's enhanced fabric services, without any hardware modifications -- Total SAN connectivity management with Vixel's SAN InSite Price and Availability: The Vixel 7000 series will be available mid-January 2000, with U.S. list price of $6,995 for the Vixel 7100 and $11,995 for the Vixel 7200. What Other Leaders in the Industry Say About the Vixel 7000 Series Switches "Vixel's experience in designing robust and easily managed products at affordable prices enables nStor to offer the highest quality storage solutions to its customers," said Larry E. Fox, Director of Product Marketing, ANDATACO/nStor. "The Vixel 7200 introduces features increasingly demanded from customers, including compact size, 16 ports and hot-pluggable at each port, all while maintaining speed and reliability." "Both Vixel and Exabyte have developed product strategies that meet the demanding requirements of customers. The Vixel 7000 Series Switches with a 1U form factor ensures high availability without sacrificing valuable space," said Mike Koclanes, vice president and general manager, storage network solutions division, Exabyte. "Like Vixel, our Mammoth-2 tape drives address the need for enhanced performance while maximizing capacity. As market leaders, Vixel and Exabyte will continue to develop high-performance SAN solutions that are flexible and protect the SAN investment of our customers." "Legato is very involved in encouraging SAN implementations because the first purpose of SANs is to enable LAN-free, and with Celestra, serverless backup," said George Symons, vice president of product marketing and management, Legato Systems. "Vixel's new switching technology is a significant step toward reducing the cost of configuring high-performance SAN environments while providing scalability for future SAN expansion." "Many SAN customers need the high performance of a scalable, switched interconnect at low-entry prices per port," said Marty Francis, director of strategic marketing for LSI Logic Storage Systems. "The Vixel 7100 and 7200 switches provide new choices for affordable, high performance Fibre Channel interconnect, lowering investment thresholds and making it easier for customers to purchase and implement SANs that meet their initial needs." "The Vixel 7000 Series Switch is the most compelling 16-port fibre channel switch on the market today," said Dan Carson, vice president marketing & business development, Open Systems Solutions, Inc. (OSSI), a Vixel Integration Partner. "The 1U form factor uniquely offers twice the capacity and performance of traditional switches, resulting in significant value to our customers. Vixel's third generation Stealth technology for private loops and the easy upgrade feature to fabric makes these new switches phenomenal." "Vixel's experience in designing interconnect products that are increasingly flexible and easily serviced, consistently extend the reach of Rorke Data's solutions," said Joe Rorke, vice president of marketing, Rorke Data. "The reliability and speed of the Vixel 7200 along with its small packaging, enables Rorke Data to offer its customers effective solutions while preserving valuable storage rack space." "Demand from the SAN market's increasingly sophisticated customers call for additional software and hardware options. With this announcement, Vixel and Tivoli can lower the cost of entry for SANs, effectively address the high growth sector that is concerned with both innovation as well as return on information," states George Mele, director of Tivoli System's Storage Business Unit. Except for historical information contained herein, this news release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially
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