Fibre Channel Switch Interoperability Standards Uniformly Endorsed By T11; FC-SW-2 Delivers Switch Interoperability to SAN Customers
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 27, 2001--The Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) today announced that the technical standards for multi-vendor Fibre Channel switch interoperability, FC-SW-2, have been approved by an overwhelming majority of T11 members.
The FC-SW-2 is a joint effort between the FCIA and the T11, the committee within the National Committee for Information Technology Standards (NCITS) responsible for Fiber Channel device interfaces.
"The overwhelming acceptance of the FC-SW-2 clearly demonstrates the Fibre Channel community's commitment to open standards. Interoperability is the hallmark of a mature, widely deployed technology, and by approving the latest standard for Fibre Channel switch fabrics we continue to deliver consistent, proven benefits to our customers while protecting their current and future investments in Storage Area Networks," said Skip Jones, chairman of the FCIA.
"The acceptance of the FC-SW-2 standard proposal by T11 signals a new level of service and interoperability for the Fibre Channel industry," said Kumar Malavalli, chairman of the T11 technical committee. "This is a major technology achievement in establishing multi-level interoperability in building Fabric-based SANs, all the way from providing link level communication between the switches to allowing scalable configuration, routing and management services throughout the Fabric."
The FC-SW-2 enables Fibre Channel switches to communicate with each other at multiple levels including: connectivity and configuration, path selection and routing as well as management and event services. Approval of the FC-SW-2 creates an open standard for switch-to-switch communication, allowing end-users to choose best-in-class products with the assurance that these products will work together and to deploy Storage Area Networks (SAN) that truly meet their needs. FC-SW-2 also provides standardized mechanisms enabling SAN management applications to configure, manage and monitor a Fibre Channel SAN in a multi-vendor environment, from any particular point in the fabric. Because of the scalable nature of the FC-SW-2 architecture, users can be assured that their initial investment is protected and can expand as their needs grow.
Each of the six Fibre Channel switch vendors is currently shipping FC-SW-2 compliant products. Switches from Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., Gadzoox Networks, INRANGE Technologies, McDATA, QLogic and Vixel containing the FC-SW-2 can communicate across the three specified levels, enabling end-users to deploy products that best suit their needs.
The FC-SW-2 standard specifies switch-to-switch communication across three levels: Level 1 addresses switch connectivity and configuration by allowing Fibre Channel switches to interoperate at the link level and by enabling switches to be configured as part of physical and logical configurations (such as Zoning). Fabric Zones allow customers to partition their storage network based on application requirements and to create virtual private SANs within a larger SAN.
Level 2 defines path selection and routing, which create interoperability at the operational level. The Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF) selection process -- a key element of the FC-SW-2 -- allows paths to be set up between end devices using multi-switch fabrics, enabling customers to design and implement Fibre Channel configurations based on their individual requirements.
Level 3 specifies management and event services. These allow Fibre Channel services to be implemented using a distributed model, increasing availability and scalability throughout the entire fabric. The Name Server and Management Server allow the physical and logical SAN topology to be discovered through upper-level SAN management applications, thereby facilitating resource management and capacity planning. Event services create the means for SAN administrators to be notified in case of configuration changes, allowing them to take appropriate action.
"Brocade is pleased to support the FC-SW-2 standard for Fibre Channel-based fabrics," said Jay Kidd, Brocade vice president of product marketing. "Through our involvement with the FCIA and our commitment to advancing SAN industry standards, we are now delivering interoperable storage networking products that provide a higher level of comfort and investment protection for our customers."
"As a leader in bringing open storage network solutions to market, Compaq believes that FC-SW-2 represents a substantial move towards standardizing Fibre Channel interoperability," stated Steve Sicola, technical director, Storageworks; Enterprise Storage Group, Compaq Computer Corporation. "By clearly defining the full set of requirements for Fibre Channel fabric switch interconnection, FC-SW-2 allows switch vendors to design components that can be used to build large, multi-vendor fabrics."
"Our customers specify that interoperability and standards-based solutions are required to drive widespread adoption of SANs," said Clark Foy, vice president, marketing, Gadzoox Networks. "The approval of the FC-SW-2 standard is a significant step forward in delivering upon this requirement and enabling the next generation of SANs."
"The FC-SW2 interoperability standard is a key event for SAN users," stated Charles Foley, EVP and CTO of INRANGE Technologies. "This standards-based approach to networking gives customers the flexibility to implement storage network components from multiple suppliers, allowing the right technology to be used at the right point in the SAN, providing an established standard that leading companies adhere to."
"The approval of FC-SW-2 by the T11 committee is a critical milestone in the industry's efforts to establish truly open standards in storage area networking," said Jack McDonnell, CEO, McDATA. "Based on years of work on SAN interoperability, McDATA customers today are implementing heterogeneous SAN networks working in full compatibility with other Fibre Channel vendor's products."
"Open standards like FC-SW-2 benefit the marketplace, vendors, and most of all, the customer," said Carla Kennedy, vice president of product marketing, QLogic's Switch Products Group. "QLogic has long been a champion of open compatibility standards including FC-SW-2 that give customers choices that are competitive and compatible."
"The acceptance of FC-SW-2 open standards will allow end-users to confidently and cost-effectively build their SANs using switches from multiple vendors. As a proponent of switch-to-switch interoperability, Vixel recognizes the importance of standards compliant switches in the marketplace," said Beth White, vice president of marketing, Vixel Corporation.
About the FCIA
The Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) is an international organization of manufacturers, systems integrators, developers, systems vendors, industry professionals, and end users. With more than 190 members and affiliates in the United States, Europe and Japan, the FCIA is committed to delivering a broad base of Fibre Channel infrastructure to support a wide array of industry applications within the mass storage and IT-based arenas. FCIA Working Groups focus on specific aspects of the technology that target both vertical and horizontal markets, including storage, video, networking and SAN Management. For information, please contact the Fibre Channel Industry Association at 415/750-8355 or via e-mail at info@fibrechannel.org, or visit the FCIA web site at fibrechannel.org.
CONTACT:
FCIA
Chris Lyon, 425/317-9594
clyon870@cs.com
or
Imagio/JWT Technology PR
Sean Baze, 206/625-0252
seanb@imagio.com
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