To All,
A few other thoughts about my visit to Ancor yesterday:
* I still can't get over how impressed I was with the technology behind the MKII. There is only one board in the unit, and it appears deceptively simple, especially when compared to the 1/4 Gig gear. (Due in large part to the custom Ancor-designed ASIC.) Because of this simplicity, it should be extremely reliable, which is borne out by the high MTBF ratings.
* One surprise was that there are not a lot of switches at Ancor's HQ. I joked about wanting to see the shipping department, so I could read the shipping labels. <g> Basically, MSL drop ships the units directly to the customer. I did not ask whether MSL maintained an inventory of switches, or if they just built them to order.
* There is a quiet confidence that surrounds the management team. My hunch is that they know how big the Fibre Channel market will become, and they think that Ancor will be a player in that market. Of course, due to NDA, they wouldn't talk about any specifics.
* This NDA question probably deserves another note. I think that Ancor has become MUCH MORE hesitant to attach potential numbers to any of their contracts due to the lawsuit. (The revenue potential on some of the existing contracts may be bigger than we realize, but I don't think we will see any projections until they are a reality.) I'm not an attorney, but if some of the recent revenue numbers that I've been hearing regarding Sequent/Brocade are true, it seems as if part of the lawsuit would have little merit. Patrick?
* The people that designed the industrial complex in that area must not have known what a ruler was. There isn't a straight road in the entire area. (This should prove to people who know the area that I was really there. <g>)
Craig |
