Not following Zoox but they are mentioned in this Jan 17 article on Lightreading.com..
"Light Reading Publishes First-Ever Test of 2-Gbit/s Fibre Channel
Five Vendors Invited to Participate in Event Conducted by Network Test Inc. and Spirent Communications. Only QLogic Turned Up
NEW YORK, Jan 17, 2002 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Light Reading (http://www.lightreading.com), the premier information resource for the optical networking industry, today published the results of the first-ever test of 2-Gbit/s Fibre Channel switches.
Light Reading teamed with two companies to undertake the test: Network Test Inc. (Westlake Village, Calif.), a benchmarking and network design consultancy, and Spirent Communications (Calabasas, Calif.), a supplier of performance analysis systems.
Although five vendors claim to be shipping 2-Gbit/s switches, only one, QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq: QLGC chart, msgs), was willing and able to submit a switch and complete the rigorous program of tests. QLogic's product, the SANbox2, posted generally excellent numbers.
"The performance of QLogic's switch is very encouraging for enterprises thinking about upgrading to 2-Gbit/s Fibre Channel technology," says David Newman, president of Network Test. "Its switches really do run at 2-Gbit/s, or close to it."
QLogic's SANbox2 processed data at breakneck rates, the tests showed, posting the lowest latency (the delay added by a networking device) ever recorded by Light Reading or Network Test in tests of ultra-high-speed networking technologies. On average, the SANbox2 took a mere 400 nanoseconds to switch each data frame. (For comparison's sake, a hummingbird beats its wings 20 times per second -- or once every 50 milliseconds. Assuming 400ns latency, a QLogic switch can transmit 125,000 frames in the time it takes a hummingbird to flap its wings once.)
"I was very pleased with the professionalism and quality of the testing process. Enterprises should feel very confident in accepting the results of the tests that were conducted," said David G. Hill, Research Director, Storage and Storage Management, at the Aberdeen Group (Boston, MA).
Five companies were invited to submit products: Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD chart, msgs), Gadzoox Networks Inc. (Nasdaq: ZOOX chart, msgs), and McData Corp. (Nasdaq: MCDT chart, msgs) declined. Vixel Corp. (Nasdaq: VIXL chart, msgs) entered the test and then withdrew.
"This test was as notable for who didn't turn up as for who did," says Stephen Saunders, cofounder of Light Reading. "It's boggling that Brocade, which claims to have the premier 2-Gbit/s Fibre Channel solution in the industry, refused to participate. It raises the question: What's wrong with their product?"
2-Gbit/s Fibre Channel switches represent the next generation in storage area networking technology. Previous iterations of Fibre Channel have run at a maximum speed of 1-Gbit/s, which is already proving to be too slow for some mission critical networks.
All the results are being published on two of Light Reading's Websites: Light Testing (http://www.lightreading.com/testing/) and Byte and Switch (http://www.byteandswitch.com), Light Reading's storage networking site. |
