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Technology Stocks : Son of SAN - Storage Networking Technologies -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: David A. Lethe who wrote (3157)	5/9/2001 12:58:02 PM
From: J Fieb	Respond to of 4808

No SANmark mention on the MCDT E-port issuue, but it must be what they are really talking about here.... McDATA Announces First Truly Multi-Vendor Switch Interoperable SAN Solutions Multi-Vendor Interoperability Enables Storage Administrators to Build to And Manage Heterogeneous Enterprise-to-Edge SAN Solution BROOMFIELD, Colo., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- In its ongoing commitment to open storage networking McDATA® Corporation (Nasdaq: MCDT - news, MCDTA - news) today announced a storage network solution that provides for expanded interoperability across the industry's leading switch vendors and the first release of open code for multi-vendor interoperability. The McDATA solution, available today, provides storage administrators, struggling with growing storage needs, the first cost- effective migration path to high availability enterprise-to-edge SAN solutions. Developed with EMC, the initial implementation of the new solution -- also referred to as ``E-Port'' interoperability -- provides network storage solutions that have been qualified and tested to ensure seamless interoperability between McDATA directors and compliant Fibre Channel devices and software. With the implementation, McDATA's Director-class products are the first to be interoperable with 90 percent of the current installed base of fabric switches -- 600,000 fabric switch ports worldwide. E-Port interoperability allows customers expanded choice when implementing SAN solutions. McDATA's entire line of enterprise-to-edge director and switch products can be integrated into an existing SAN environment and can easily be migrated with new products. Customers can efficiently consolidate existing islands of SANs into a heterogeneous SAN, with McDATA Galaxy-class Directors, the result is an environment that can be centrally managed, accessed and scaled. Customers can deploy the solution today and expand as their needs evolve in an environment that is truly interoperable. ``McDATA's announcement of E-Port compatibility with other switch vendors affirms their commitment to interoperability,'' said Edward J. Peters, Supervisor, Mainserver Support, City of Calgary, Canada. ``This announcement affords customers a choice when implementing McDATA Director-class switches into their SAN.'' Based on current FC-SW-2 (Fibre Channel Standards Working Group), McDATA's interoperable SAN solution allows users to leverage their existing FC-SW-2 compliant switches, hardware and software with McDATA's complete enterprise- to-edge storage networking family of products. Users can now protect their investment while extending their choice of vendors resulting in greater scalability and flexibility than before in a single managed environment. ``Providing true 'E-Port' interoperability of switches from the leading vendors minimizes the vulnerability of the perceived Achilles' heel of Fibre Channel as the SAN enabling technology of choice,'' asserts James Opfer, principal analyst for Gartner Dataquest. ``Switch interoperability raises the bar for challenges to Fibre Channel's incumbency by emerging storage network technologies whose own interoperability is yet unproven.'' ``This is a critical breakthrough in McDATA's ongoing dedication to establishing open systems in storage area networking. Customers today are hitting the wall in scaling their SANs beyond simple SAN islands, with 'E- Port' interoperability customers can now deploy Director-class products to build heterogeneous SAN solutions,'' said Jeff Vogel, Vice President of Solutions and Systems Integration Services, McDATA. McDATA is committed to solving customer problems. This solution gives flexibility to the customer -- allowing for legacy upgrades to complete SAN solutions.`` McDATA's Enterprise Operating System (E/OS(TM)) embedded firmware, key to the interoperability solution, also makes its debut. The solution allows for inter-switch communication between products based on E/OS and FC-SW-2 compliant switches. Coupled with McDATA's Enterprise Fabric Connectivity (EFC) management platform it allows storage administrators to set up and configure enterprise-to-edge SANs from a single, central interface and supports the capability to inter-operate with other switch vendors. This enables better manageability for storage area networks through EFCM and integration with other fabric centric management tools. All of McDATA's client server interoperability solutions are supported by McDATA's professional services and are thoroughly tested in McDATA's Systems Integration Lab (SIL) ensuring interoperability. ``This is a critical solution for any storage administrator who has struggled to stay within budget and at the same time keep up with growing storage needs,'' said Jim Rothnie, EMC Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. ``By working with McDATA to develop a solution that allows McDATA Director and switch-class products to have seamless interoperability with other vendors' switches and software we are giving customers a clear path to migrate their existing switch base to a world class enterprise-to-edge solution.'' The supported solutions are available now through EMC. Future open system interoperability solutions are planned for availability through McDATA's OEM/reseller partner, IBM. ``This is just one milestone of many in McDATA's efforts to drive the open system fibre initiatives and interoperability,'' Vogel said. ``Customers managing their SAN infrastructure with the EFC Manager are strongly positioned to take advantage of new software initiatives we have planned.'' For more information on interoperability please contact McDATA sales at 1-800-545-5773. About McDATA (www.mcdata.com)