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Technology Stocks : EMC How high can it go? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: GuinnessGuy who wrote (11949)	1/24/2001 12:13:04 PM
From: Mario	Respond to of 17183

Question for the thread, who decides which switch and from what supplier (Brocade, Qlogic, McData..etc.)does EMC use. Is this EMC's decision or the storage customers? Mario

To: GuinnessGuy who wrote (11949)	1/25/2001 12:04:55 AM
From: Gus	Respond to of 17183

Do you think that this new product(Chameleon)incorporates Qlogic switches or other FC equipment? We'll soon find out. The new Chameleon (FC4700) is actually very interesting. EMC has apparently engineered the FC4700 and the IP4700 to have a common technology platform from the ground up. Common to the FC4700 SAN and the IP4700 NAS products are the caching subsystem (2GB Rambus memory with mirrored write cache between the two storage processors) and controller technology -- 2 Storage Processors with 2 PIIIs each. The caching algorithms are probably going to reflect the fact that the FC4700 utilizes a SAN with a FC interconnect that easily operates at over 95% of wirespeed while the IP4700 hangs off an ethernet LAN that typically operates at around 30% of wirespeed. When configured for SAN, the Chameleon uses different software and utilizes an interface card for the FC switches. It operates in block or volume mode so it has a different version of SnapView, Mirrorview (synchronous mirroring), and a host of other software like Navisphere, a remote management console that plugs into the ESN. By replacing the FC interface card with a gigabit ethernet card and by replacing the software -- each storage processor contains 2 PIIIs, one manages the embedded Crosstor file system while the other PIII manages RAID 5, multi-pathing and other extended error correction codes -- the FC4700 SAN turns into the IP4700 NAS with its own version of SnapView/IP. Both utilize the same chassis which allows 10-100 10k rpm drives - 18GB/36GB/73GB. The FC4700 offers RAID 0,1,1/0, and 5 while the IP4700 offers only RAID 5. Both will also offer non-disruptive microcode upgrades, a first for the mid-range. As you know, EMC is selling this through its direct sales force, OEMs like NEC and through the indirect sales channels. The final assembly process for Symmetrix, which they sell primarily through its direct sales force and some OEMs, takes 3 weeks primarily due to EMC's patented testing procedures so I think the adjustment that they're going to make for Clariion and its multiple distribution channels is to dual-source the key components like the FC/GE interface cards and tailor the inventory to the channel. They indicated that they've had the FC4700 (base price: $72,000) out in the field for the past 90 days and that they've already sold more than a few hundred of the IP4700 (base price: $82,000) in 4Q2000 so this $1M program at QLGC can quickly spike up as EMC and its partners gain momentum in the mid-range. EMC also indicated that Clariion has an installed base of about 110,000 arrays representing about 5 generations of Clariion and 30,000-40,000 of those arrays are already FC-enabled. Those arrays can be retrofitted (board change) so a customer can convert to the FC4700 which can then be transformed to the IP4700. All that work seems tailor-made for HBA vendors with ASIC skills like QLGC, EMLX, JNIC, Agilent, SBSE etc