New Brocade Switch Modules for IBM eServer BladeCenter Provide Connectivity for on Demand Computing
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tue May 11 00:01:00 2004 EST
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 11, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ --
Brocade Communications
Systems, Inc. (Brocade(R)) (Nasdaq: BRCD), the world's leading provider of
infrastructure solutions for Storage Area Networks (SANs), today announced
that it is providing new SAN Switch Modules for IBM eServer BladeCenter. The
Brocade-designed module is a high-performance 16-port fabric switch, designed
to support seamless integration of Brocade's Advanced SAN features into IBM
eServer BladeCenter solutions.
"With the growing acceptance of BladeCenter-based computing in enterprise
environments, many of our customers are requesting that we provide Brocade's
full-featured SAN capability as an integrated feature of the BladeCenter
solution," said Jeff Benck, vice president IBM eServer BladeCenter. "By
extending our successful partnership with Brocade into this hyper-growth
segment, we are able to deliver an innovative platform that simplifies IT
environments and extends the power of on demand computing via embedded storage
networking."
With its support for SAN connectivity, the IBM eServer BladeCenter
consolidates servers and storage connectivity into a single architecture
designed to deliver efficient space utilization, high availability and the
flexibility to add resources as needed. Blade servers, which are independent
servers with their own processors, memory, operating system, applications and
HBAs, slide into a bay in a single chassis and plug into IBM's unique
high-availability midplane that allows the sharing of power, fans, network
switches and peripheral devices. IBM eServer BladeCenter provides exceptional
flexibility and allows data center managers to effectively manage operational
issues such as space constraints, manageability, scalability, capacity,
performance, cooling and power requirements.
"Worldwide blade server shipments grew 372 percent, to nearly
185,000 units, which is 3.5 percent of the total server shipments last year,"
said Vernon Turner, IDC Group Vice President, Global Enterprise Server
Solutions. "IDC expects that by 2007 this will increase to approximately
25 percent of all server units shipped. Brocade's development of an embedded
fibre channel switch module for eServer BladeCenter provides IBM customers
with a cost-effective solution for increased flexibility for I/O and
interconnect options to fit their unique workload demands."
The first of the Brocade switches is an entry level product that can
connect to fabrics of two switches and is designed for small and medium
businesses. The Brocade Entry SAN Switch Module can be expanded to enable
smaller companies to grow on demand to meet their business needs. The Brocade
Enterprise SAN Switch Module delivers full SAN fabric support for large
Storage Area Networks and can connect to fabrics that consist of up to
239 switches. Each of the 16-port blade modules can be added to any IBM
eServer BladeCenter, enabling connectivity between any one of up to 14 server
blades and external storage devices. The modules use a fourth-generation
custom chip (ASIC) to support advanced SAN switch capabilities, including
Brocade ISL Trunking, Advanced Performance Monitoring, Advanced Security, and
hot code activation. They also are fully compatible with IBM's installed base
of IBM TotalStorage SAN switches (more than 500,000 ports worldwide), the IBM
SAN Switch management framework, and Brocade Fabric Manager.
"In many ways, the acceptance of blade servers mirrors the adoption of SAN
technologies; both are key technologies for financial services,
telecommunications and other data intensive, mission-critical computing
environments," said Tom Buiocchi, vice president of Worldwide Marketing at
Brocade. "We are excited about the growth potential in this expanding market
and are very proud to collaborate with IBM to integrate the new Brocade switch
into the IBM eServer BladeCenter ecosystem."
Brocade Enterprise and Brocade Entry SAN Switch modules for the IBM
eServer BladeCenter will be available from IBM in June 2004. For more
information please visit www.ibm.com
About Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
Brocade offers the industry's leading intelligent platform for networking
storage. The world's leading systems, applications, and storage vendors have
selected Brocade to provide a networking foundation for their SAN solutions.
The Brocade SilkWorm(R) family of fabric switches and software is designed to
optimize data availability and storage and server resources in the enterprise.
Using Brocade solutions, companies can simplify the implementation of storage
area networks, reduce the total cost of ownership of data storage
environments, and improve network and application efficiency. For more
information, visit the Brocade website at www.brocade.com or contact the
company at info@brocade.com.
NOTE: Brocade, the Brocade B weave logo, Secure Fabric OS, and SilkWorm
are registered trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the
United States and/or in other countries. FICON is a registered trademark of
IBM Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other brands, products,
or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of, and are used to
identify, products or services of their respective owners.
SOURCE Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
press, Lee Davis, +1-408-333-5177, or ldavis@brocade.com, or
investors, Shirley Stacy, +1-408-333-5752, or sstacy@brocade.com, both of
Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.; or Wendy Lewis for Brocade,
+1-650-691-1488, or wendy@fscomm.com
brocade.com
Copyright (C) 2004 PR Newswire. All rights reserved. |
