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To: Douglas Nordgren who wrote (10745)	7/26/2000 4:09:53 AM
From: Abner Hosmer	Respond to of 17183

Thanks for the links. 180 - 200 Directors per month mainly for "internal" consumption sounds like an incredibly high number, even for a company as big as IBM. It even sounds like a fairly large number if they were going to customers. Any special features about the Inrange switches that would give them a competitive edge, as far as you know? They don't support FICON, do they? Anyway, if it is ESCON Directors that are in question, I don't perceive this would have much of a negative effect on McData, as Gus has pointed out that most of those revenues flow to EMC.

To: Douglas Nordgren who wrote (10745)	7/26/2000 4:31:38 AM
From: Gus	Respond to of 17183

From this hardware compatability matrix at the IBM website, it appears that Mcdata is still the only supplier of FC-based director switches to IBM. As you know, those director switches are the backbone of any switched fabric which is why IDC projects that those directors will continue to command price premiums ranging from 300% to 500% over regular FC switches for the forseeable future. Aside from the fact that qualifying those backbone devices up and down IBM's full product line would take time, seamless interoperability between backbone devices -- ESCON director switches, FICON bridge cards, FC-based director switches -- would also seem to be a high barrier to entry. storage.ibm.com Software is yet another barrier to entry. This shows how Mcdata's EFC Connectivity Manager fits into the IBM (Tivoli) storage management layer. With SANs growing from dozens to thousands of devices, a centralized software management system is key. The Tivoli Netview product, for example, provides a "system view" of all devices in the SAN. This fabric-wide SAN management scheme manages the SAN, as well as the interplay of data throughout it. As part of this overall management scheme, McDATA's software management suite, EFC Manager, provides centralized control and administration of multiple, distributed McDATA Directors. EFC Manager can be operated remotely and uses Java-based software technology. mcdata.com Lastly, from the Mcdata FAQ: Q Why isn't there an IBM label on the product? Is this a short term relationship until IBM can produce its own Fibre Channel Director? A This a remarketing agreement, in which IBM will market the McDATA logo product, not an OEM agreement. IBM is committed to providing leading-edge, next-generation products, in a timely manner. IBM entered this relationship with McDATA as the best way to satisfy customer demands for a Fibre Channel Director. Every product has unique characteristics and life cycles as determined by market demand. In the future, IBM will meet customer needs through its own engineering efforts or through remarketing agreements like this one with McDATA mcdata.com