From the interoperabillaty tests.----
Interphase Corporation Hosts Industry Group for Recent Fibre Channel Interoperability Testing
Business Wire - August 05, 1998 08:44
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 5, 1998--
Fibre Channel Industry Leaders Collaborate to Ensure Compatible
SAN Solutions for Enterprise Storage Networking
Interphase Corporation (NASDAQ:INPH) today announced that the company recently hosted a major round of interoperability testing on Fibre Channel computer networking equipment, at its Interoperability Testing Facilities in Dallas. Networking products incorporating Fibre Channel technology are used to build high-speed storage connectivity and SANs (storage area networks). The recent round of testing was sponsored by the Fibre Channel Loop Community (FCLC), which reported the successful completion of interoperability testing utilizing a variety of equipment from numerous vendors in both arbitrated loop and fabric (networking) topologies.
According to the FCLC, the recent testing indicates that Fibre Channel is nearing a level of maturity that allows the wide-scale adoption of the technology for mission critical enterprise networks and applications where equipment from multiple vendors is desired. Although specifics are not disclosed as a matter of policy, major milestones during this test session included an industry first, as multiple Fibre Channel drives from different manufacturers were simultaneously used in test scenarios. The tests also were highly successful in generating a stable Fibre Channel network that maintained its integrity as various vendors' equipment was introduced and removed from the configuration.
"We believe that interoperability testing is an absolutely critical element in bringing Fibre Channel products and solutions to the market," said Mike Fitzpatrick, FCLC Chairman. "Because interoperability is an inherent responsibility of the vendor community, the FCLC initiated an aggressive program early last year to help ensure that users who are deploying Fibre Channel in their enterprise networks will have a positive experience in purchasing and deploying products, without suffering through equipment incompatibilities that may have been encountered with other emerging technologies in the past."
Stephen Polley, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Interphase, said, "We agree with the FCLC that interoperability is a critical issue affecting the market potential for our products and those of other manufacturers. Interphase is pleased to offer our interoperability testing facilities for vendor interoperability efforts with Fibre Channel, ATM and other high-speed technologies that are shaping the future of global communications. We will continue to support the FCLC's efforts in this area as this reinforces our staunch support of multi-vendor interoperability initiatives."
According to the FCLC, the purpose of interoperability testing is to isolate vendor-specific anomalies that may affect multi-vendor configurations and to identify any ambiguities of the Fibre Channel specification that may also impact the ability of users to build storage and networking solutions utilizing equipment from several different vendors. Results from previous FCLC interoperability testing were submitted to the ANSI T11 Committee, the standards body that governs Fibre Channel specifications. Further, an ANSI T11 representative was in attendance at the most recent testing for the specific purpose of coordinating standard clarification with real-world experience.
"While it would be premature to say that a network manager could build an enterprise solution utilizing any mix-and-match combination of Fibre Channel equipment," Fitzpatrick said, "it is safe to say that enough Fibre Channel equipment has achieved interoperability so that single vendor installations are no longer necessary to build reliable, open systems Fibre Channel implementations. In short, our recent testing indicates that the technology has matured to the point that multi-vendor 'best of breed' configurations now can be deployed in production network environments."
The FCLC conducted the recent testing at the Interphase Interoperability Testing Facilities with the assistance of the University of New Hampshire's Fibre Channel Consortium, an equipment interoperability testing forum organized by the university's Interoperability Lab (IOL). Since multiple competing vendors bring equipment in various stages of development to the test sessions, the FCLC hires the UNH IOL to provide overall coordination, oversight and administrative services for the event. The IOL also submits a post-testing analysis to the FCLC board and provides individual summary results to the vendors that participated in the testing.
Attendance at the FCLC interoperability testing sessions has steadily increased since the first testing session, with more than 20 leading Fibre Channel vendors attending the recent event at Interphase. Companies that had equipment and engineering resources involved in the recent testing included: Ancor Communications; Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.; Compaq Computer Corporation; Crossroads Systems, Inc.; Emulex Corporation; Finisar Corporation; Fujitsu Computer Products of America; Gadzoox Networks, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard (Components Group and Information Storage Group); I-TECH Corporation; Interphase Corporation; Jaycor Networks, Inc.; MAXSTRAT; Mylex Corporation; nSTOR Corporation, QLogic Corporation; Quantum Corporation; Seagate Technology; Serano Systems Corporation; Solution Technology; Symbios, Inc.; Vixel Corporation; and Xyratex.
The next FCLC Interoperability Test Week is scheduled for Oct. 11-15, 1998, in Dallas.
About Fibre Channel
Fibre Channel is an ANSI-standard serial connectivity technology designed for data intensive storage applications such as data warehousing, data mining, on-line transaction processing (OLTP), and video/broadcast implementations. Fibre Channel operates over copper and fiber cabling at distances of up to 10 Kilometers and provides point-to-point, arbitrated loop and switched fabric topologies. Currently operating at speeds up to 1Gbps, Fibre Channel handles multiple protocols, including both IP and SCSI, allowing it to merge high-speed I/O and networking functionality in a single connectivity technology.
About FCLC
The Fibre Channel Loop Community is an international non-profit organization with membership that currently includes over 100 major companies representing a wide cross-section of the industry, embracing manufacturers of servers, disk drives, RAID storage modules, switches, hubs, adapter cards, test equipment, cables and connectors, and software solutions. The FCLC's charter is to speed the development and deployment of products and services utilizing Fibre Channel technology by the promotion of industry cooperation and market awareness. Activities include technology demonstrations at trade shows, sponsorship of interoperability testing sessions, and providing FCLC speakers for various industry events and seminars. Further information about the FCLC can be found at fcloop.org.
About Interphase
Founded in 1974, Interphase Corporation (NASDAQ:INPH) is a leading international supplier of connectivity solutions for enterprise network applications requiring high-speed LAN, high capacity storage and remote access communications. The company's broad product line includes performance-proven I/O attachments for ATM, FDDI, Fast Ethernet, Fibre Channel, ISDN, and synchronous communications for mid-range to high-end servers and embedded architectures. Interphase products are designed for reliable performance in mission critical environments and are backed by ISO 9001 manufacturing excellence and comprehensive customer support programs. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Interphase markets its products to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), distributors, systems integrators, value-added resellers (VARs) and large end-users through a worldwide sales and service network. Additional information about Interphase and its products is available through the company's web site at iphase.com.
CONTACT: Interphase Corporation
Michael Eckley, 214/654-5325
meckley@iphase.com
or
Meltzer & Martin Public Relations
Robert Martin or Larry Meltzer214/953-0808
rmmmpr@dhc.net
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