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

To: Gus who wrote (4428)	2/19/2002 10:22:01 AM
From: J Fieb	Respond to of 4808

QLogic Introduces 2Gb Fibre Channel Switch At 1Gb Ethernet Price Newest SANbox2 8-Port Switch Includes Standard Features Checklist Not Found In Competitive Offerings ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Feb 19, 2002 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Supporting its vision of a storage area network (SAN) in every business, QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq: QLGC chart, msgs), today introduced the newest member of the award winning SANbox2(TM) family of Fibre Channel switches. Targeted at small to medium sized enterprises, the SANbox2 8-port switch is designed from the ground up to deliver the price/performance of 1Gb Ethernet switches with an expected street price of $5,000. The 2Gb SANbox2 8-port switch incorporates the same architecture as the SANbox2 16-port switch for plug compatibility with servers, storage, switches and software that have already been certified with SANbox2 16-port switches. The ultra-compact SANbox2 8-port switch features a full suite of switch and host bus adapter (HBA) management software at no additional charge. The single field-replaceable-unit (FRU) is suitable for a rack or desktop and for easy service. The SANbox2 8-port switch will be available in quantity in April 2002. "Until now Fibre Channel has delivered superior performance and reliability to large enterprises," said Frank Berry, vice president of marketing, QLogic Corp. "Priced at parity with Ethernet switches, the SANbox2 will lead expansion of storage area networking into the small and medium business market." Fibre Channel Price Parity With Ethernet SANbox2 8-port switches deliver 2Gb Fibre Channel performance at 1Gb Ethernet prices. Popular 12-port 1Gb Ethernet switches sell to end users at an average selling price of approximately $7,500 or $625 per port. At $5,000, the SANbox2 is available at the same price per port. A New Checklist for Fibre Channel Switches The SANbox2 8-port switch includes a set of standard features that are either not found in competitive offerings, or are only available as chargeable options. The new checklist for Fibre Channel switches includes: 1. Compatible with popular switches from Brocade and McData -- SANbox2 is the only Fibre Channel Switch that has been independently verified as both 2 Gigabit capable by Network Test and Industry Standard E-port compliant by the FCIA SANmark(TM) program. 2. Software included at no additional charge -- each SANbox2 is shipped with SANsurfer(TM) Toolkit, a comprehensive suite of switch and HBA management software. Most of the following standard features of SANbox Toolkit are chargeable options with competitive products: -- Embedded real-time operating system -- Manages multiple switches and fabrics in real time -- Administrative control point (GUI) for multiple functions -- Application Programming Interface -- Monitors the performance of SAN resources -- Arranges devices into multiple zoning options -- Extends FC fabrics to up to 100Km -- Watches for potential faults-and automatically alert -- Automatically groups inter-switch links (ISLs) into a single logical ISL -- Enables private-loop devices to attach to a Fabric -- Enables customized SAN security 3. Industry leading latency and bandwidth -- In January 2002, Light Reading conducted "the world's first-ever test of 2Gb Fibre Channel technology" using the QLogic SANbox2. According to David Newman, president of Network Test, "QLogic put up excellent latency numbers. With large frames, the highest average latency we recorded was just 600 nanoseconds -- and even that worst-case number beats any latency number we've ever recorded in previous tests of other high-speed technologies. Across a single switch, average latencies were just 400 nanoseconds. (That's not just fast, incidentally -- that's incredibly fast." 4. Compact form-factor suitable for desktop workstations -- The SANbox2 8-port switch is 8.5" wide (half-rack) and 1.7" (1U) high. This footprint also allows SAN administrators to mount two SANbox2 8-port units in 1U of Rack space, and "dual-path" their smaller SANs in one-half the footprint of other 8 port switches. 5. Single Field Replaceable Unit (FRU) for easy service -- Unlike competitive designs with replaceable power supplies, fans, control panels, etc., the SANbox2 8-port switch is designed for easy service. SAN Administrators and service engineers require little or no training because servicing a SANbox2 is as simple as unplugging one switch and plugging in another. About QLogic SANbox2 Switches The SANbox2 family of switches are the foundation for the world's highest performing SANs, providing fabric connections to servers, storage devices, directors and other switches. With QLogic's sixth-generation, highly integrated ASIC, SANbox2 switches are the only 2 Gigabit solutions with true address translation, which fully protects the extensive installed base of private loop devices. QLogic 2 Gigabit switches have the capability of networking storage at distances in excess of 100 km and offer extended multi-stage fabric capabilities, scalable to over seven million nodes. About QLogic (www.qlogic.com) QLogic Corporation (Nasdaq: QLGC chart, msgs) simplifies the process of networking storage for OEMs, resellers and system integrators with the only end-to-end infrastructure in the industry, consisting of award-winning controller chips, host bus adapters, network switches and management software to move data from the storage device through the fabric to the server. QLogic designs and produces solutions based on all storage network technologies including SCSI, iSCSI, InfiniBand and Fibre Channel. A member of the S&P 500 Index, QLogic was recently ranked number 25 on Forbes' Best 200 Small Companies and number 20 on Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies.

To: Gus who wrote (4428)	2/19/2002 10:54:32 AM
From: J Fieb	Respond to of 4808

Gus, Here is the INRG management offering. They would like to be like MCDT and pick up those high margin addon software sales....will it work? All, notice Steve D., comments....Open Q) These open SN-APIs, are they a product of the SNIA? Are they really an open standard? SOURCE: INRANGE Technologies Corporation INRANGE Launches IN-VSN Advanced Storage Networking Services; Intelligent Software Builds on the Industry's Leading Director LUMBERTON, N.J., Feb. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- INRANGE Technologies (Nasdaq: INRG - news) today announces IN-VSN(TM) Advanced Storage Networking Services(TM) to simplify data and network management and provide highly interoperable, extensible and scalable storage networks. Leveraging 33 years of experience developing networking products, INRANGE's complementary hardware and software solutions offer the availability, scalability and manageability needed to build today's enterprise storage networks. As storage networks grow and evolve, the ability to control, monitor and seamlessly scale the network becomes more critical. ``Our customers want a simplistic storage networking solution. They want to avoid forklift changes, complex meshes of directors/switches and costly disruptions as they scale their networks,'' said Sherrie Woodring, acting INRANGE President and CEO. ``INRANGE's IN-VSN storage networking solutions provide users with a proven foundation for growth, simplified management and investment protection.'' INRANGE's Advanced Storage Networking Services support the IN-VSN family of storage networking products and services. IN-VSN, the INRANGE Virtual Storage Networking(TM) architecture, consists of layered hardware and intelligent software services that extend data from the core-to-edge-to- anywhere and allow for the creation of heterogeneous global storage networks. The IN-VSN suite of products and services reduces total cost of ownership by removing the complexity in storage networking. ``Scale requires interoperability and management. INRANGE is doing exactly what we'd want to see in order to propagate these two concepts,'' said Steve Duplessie, Founder and Senior Analyst of the Enterprise Storage Group. ``We haven't seen this level of open support outside of Ethernet, and it's about time. If the other players in the industry pick up on this theme, users would be a lot better off.'' Obviously aimed at BRCD, and it shows how BRCD will have trouble moving into the high end, in addition to the other reasons currently in the news IN-VSN(TM) Advanced Storage Networking Services Next-generation storage networks face fundamental requirements, including online and seamless scalability, security, and ease of management. INRANGE can best serve IT managers by setting an industry standard in network simplicity and advanced services that satisfy these requirements while removing complexity and reducing costs. INRANGE's Advanced Storage Networking Services are layered under an open, storage networking API (SN-API, ``Snappy'') and address four (4) storage networking needs: -- ClearVSN(TM) is the open management feature providing SAN administrators and third-party storage management vendors with clear and open visibility into the breadth of Advanced Network Services. No other option in the industry provides the level of visibility from the core-to-edge-to-anywhere as ClearVSN does. Now, IT managers can monitor the health of their networks and proactively learn how changes may impact their organization before they occur. -- ExtendedVSN(TM), integrated in the operating system of the IN-VSN FC/9000(TM), supports the seamless, online expansion of the FC/9000 from 24- to 256-ports today without any disruption to the network. Other ExtendedVSN options include support of large fabrics, multi- vendor switch interoperability, and extending access to and replication of data across metro and global distances at industry leading performance and availability. ExtendedVSN increases the lead the FC/9000 has as the most scalable and interoperable Fibre Channel director on the market. -- PerformanceVSN(TM) brings traditional network monitoring principles to the SAN, providing both real-time and historical, application level statistics that are needed to adequately monitor open systems and FICON storage networks. Only INRANGE provides long-term statistics mining, a rich set of correlation reports, and device and volume traffic monitoring; thus, empowering SAN administrators to make informed decisions when planning, allocating, and managing storage resources. -- SecureVSN(TM) brings INRANGE's comprehensive set of access control and management security features to the user. In the standard feature set, INRANGE is surpassed by none in offering both soft and hardware- based zoning, port isolation, encrypted usernames and passwords between management station and switches, user security profiles to control the level of access, and management station isolation. Advanced security features include access control lists of switches authorized to join the fabric. As industry standards are developed, INRANGE will be rolling out standard security offerings in support of authentication, data integrity, and transmission encryption. ``By designing complementary products, INRANGE and BMC are meeting market demands and customer requirements for greater manageability and interoperability,'' said Chris Gahagan, Vice President and General Manager, Enterprise Systems Management, BMC Software. ``Paired with BMC Software's PATROL® Storage Management products, INRANGE's Advanced Storage Networking Services allows customers to gather historic information and details at the session level, and provide a detailed view across the entire INRANGE infrastructure, including directors, switches and other connectivity devices throughout the storage area network'' INRANGE storage networking solutions provide the building blocks for managing and expanding large, complex storage networks simply without geographic limitations. INRANGE's solutions are supported by direct and partner sales teams, a services consulting organization, and a world-class service and support team. About INRANGE (www.inrange.com)

To: Gus who wrote (4428)	2/22/2002 2:28:33 PM
From: Elmer Flugum	Respond to of 4808

From Goldman Sach's Report, February 19, 2002: "Mc Data's patent infringement lawsuit against Brocade has raised questions about Brocade's ability to smoothly roll-out its Silkworm 12000 director-class of switches. We feel relatively confident that the lawsuit will not interfere with the roll-out if for no other reason than that very few patent lawsuits actually result in preliminary injunctions. In addition, we are told that single-patent lawsuits are also less common, since, statistically, for every three patent lawsuits, only one survive. Among the issues that lawyers tend to raise in patent suits are those involving the patent's validity, enforceability. license-ability, infringement, etc"

To: Gus who wrote (4428)	2/24/2002 3:43:05 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 4808

Security Startup Sneaks Out By Jo Maitland, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch FEBRUARY 21, 2002 Yet another startup is bounding into the storage security market, underscoring a growing belief that there's a ripe opportunity in secure networked storage. But it's still early in the market -- so early, in fact, that this particular startup doesn't even have an official name yet. David Goldschlag, formerly CTO at USinternetworking Inc. (USi) (Nasdaq: USIX - message board), is the acting CEO of SecureStorage, the working name for a very early-stage storage security company. [Ed. note: Not a very fancy code name, is it?] SecureStorage (the venture doesn't have a Website, either) has ambitions of providing enterprises that require zero-data-loss disaster recovery services with the ability to securely replicate their data in real time to a remote site, managed by a third party. Goldschlag believes there is an increasing requirement for remote replication and disaster recovery services that will require a "privacy appliance" that lives on the storage network, to secure the data. The privacy appliance Goldschlag has in mind would work like this: It transparently intercepts and interprets all standard storage protocols, encrypts all data that is to be written to the storage network, and decrypts all information read from the network. And it would do this processing at wire speed and introduce very little latency, Goldschlag says. "The privacy appliance can be used transparently in any networked storage environment, without any changes to applications, servers, storage network, or storage devices, and it supports databases as well as standard file systems." Sound like a no-brainer? At least one investor thinks so. Although Goldschlag's company hasn't received any VC funding yet, Avansis Ventures, a venture fund based in Fairfax, Va., is acting as an advisor to help it find investment partners. Other heavy hitters from the storage and cryptography fields on the management team include Scott Carson, who was cofounder of Tracer Technologies Inc. (acquired in 2000 by BakBone Software Inc. [Toronto: BKB]), where he commercialized storage management software solutions, and David Kravitz, a cryptography engineer previously with Wave Systems Corp., CertCo Inc., Sandia National Laboratories, and the National Security Agency (NSA). Kravitz invented the digital signature algorithm at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) known as the Digital Signature Standard (DSS). The potential market opportunity for network storage security has been noticed by other vendors. Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD - message board) for instance, has created a Secure Fabric OS to provide various levels of SAN security, although today it works only in an all-Brocade environment. Meanwhile, Alacritech Inc., Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM - message board), iVivity Inc., and NetOctave Inc. -- which have developed TCP/IP offload engine (TOE) processors to accelerate storage network traffic -- are adding security features to their products (see NetOctave Sounds Security Note). Then there’s Sotera Networks Inc. and NeoScale Systems, two early-stage startups, focused on wire-speed encryption for networked storage (see Sotera Secures $4M and NeoScale Hires NetApp Exec). The potential downside of storage security technology is that it's going to be a pretty tough sell to enterprises. Securing SAN or NAS devices adds another layer of complexity for network administrators to deal with -- like virtual private networks (VPNs) -- which increases the burden on the staff managing these systems, instead of alleviating it. Furthermore, enterprise IT managers have been accustomed to dealing with security at an application or network transport protocol level rather than down in the bits and bytes. But Goldschlag believes that, with the rise of networked storage, there's a need to encrypt data right on the physical media. He says his startup is probably a year away from delivering a product, but he was unable to provide any more information at this stage. Well, what else would you expect from a security startup except secretiveness? byteandswitch.com

To: Gus who wrote (4428)	3/11/2002 9:45:07 AM
From: J Fieb	Respond to of 4808

Gus, Many would value your opinion whether Fujitsu will actually result in significant $$ to INRG. Thanks in advance... Fujitsu Softek enters storage management fray By Dan Neel March 3, 2002 9:04 pm PT AFTER TWO YEARS in development, Fujitsu Softek on Monday rolled out its Storage Manager 1.1.0 software, one of the first storage software products to integrate today's most sought-after storage management functions in one automated management console, storage experts report. Softek's Storage Manager takes four essential storage management technologies - data management, SRM (storage resource management), virtualization, and storage network monitoring - and combines them under a single, intuitive management GUI, said Steven Murphy, the president and CEO of Fujitsu Softek, the storage software arm of Fujitsu Limited, in Sunnyvale, Calif. Additionally, Storage Manager gives administrators the power to automate procedures within a storage network through the use of variable policies that could, for example, automatically allocate additional storage to an area of the network suddenly hit with an overflow of data. "Storage Manager acts, it doesn't just report," said Murphy. Arun Taneja, a senior analyst with the Enterprise Storage Group in Milford, Mass., said Softek's Storage Manager is indeed one of the very first storage management products to bring key storage management features to a single management console. "I think the idea that Fujitsu Softek is embracing is absolutely on the mark. There are not that many companies in the market that can deliver a comprehensive storage network package," said Taneja. "Today you have individual companies focused on SRM, or on storage network monitoring, but the thing is they are still individual interfaces, the look and feel is different on each product, you need multiple consoles, and it gets to be kind of a mess," said Taneja. Capable of working across both networked storage devices and mainframe storage, Softek's Storage Manager uses software agents to monitor file systems, perform specific tasks like collect data and manage files, create virtual data pools, and generate a range of reports concerning the status of a network's storage capacity and devices. Policies to automate storage management can be created, tested and then activated with a system that then verifies that assigned storage management policies are being implemented correctly, according to Fujitsu Softek. The ability for Softek's Storage Manager to essentially "take action" and manage a storage scenario according to set policies puts the product ahead of practically all of the competition in the storage software market, at least for now, said Taneja. "Fujitsu is at the forefront of storage automation, but every player is moving in that direction. It's not going to be exclusive for long," he said. In the meantime, Softek will be able to pitch its Storage Manager against some of the biggest storage software competitors in the business, including Veritas, which according to Taneja is one of the companies that lacks a "comprehensive storage management presentation" that controls the four vital functions of data management; SRM, virtualization, and storage network monitoring through the same management console. A Veritas spokesperson said the company does not offer a stand-alone product that delivers integrated data management, SRM, virtualization, and storage network monitoring. However, it can deliver those features in the form of separate Veritas products that could be "tightly integrated at the core technology level." With its CloudBreak storage operating system, TrueSAN Networks, based in San Jose, Calif., is the only other storage software company that offers storage management software to integrate and automate the four key storage functions into a single management utility, said Taneja. Softek officials understand they have their work cut out for them in delivering the message that Fujitsu is a name to be associated with enterprise storage management software. While Softek's Storage Manager has been on the drawing board for over two years, the company itself launched less than twelve months ago. However, Taneja expects Softek to make headway into the storage software market by both aggressive promotion and by leveraging Fujitsu's server install base as a nest for potential storage software customers. Pricing for Softek's Storage Manager averages between $35,000 and $45,000 depending on network configuration, according to Murphy. Dan Neel is an InfoWorld senior writer.

To: Gus who wrote (4428)	3/11/2002 5:05:05 PM
From: Sam	Respond to of 4808

McData Dn -3: Bear Stearns Skeptical Of Co.'s Reasoning DOW JONES NEWSWIRES In its profit warning Tuesday, McData blamed delays in information technology spending as the chief culprit. Chief Operating Officer John Kelley said on a Tuesday conference call that the company's business pipeline is still strong, but deals are harder to close than expected because of caution among end-users. He cited a slowdown in information technology spending, especially for large deals in the financial services sector. However, some analysts worry the shortfall is a company-specific problem and that perhaps some of McData's products aren't as attractive as its competitor's. "We are somewhat skeptical of their reasons for the shortfall," said Bear Stearns analyst Andy Neff in written research comments issued Wednesday. "Remember McData has no two-gig(abit) solution, whereas Brocade does." Neff recommends that investors "use stock price weakness" to buy Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (BRCD) and Qlogic Corp. (QLGC). Neff wasn't immediately available for additional comment. Goldman Sachs analyst Laura Conigliaro said she sees "much of this preannouncement coming from McData's specific product and customer set." She believes the company's warning isn't a harbinger for the rest of the storage networking sector. McData officials weren't immediately available for additional comment Wednesday. Meanwhile several analysts cut their earnings and revenue projections for McData's first quarter to match the company's view. Banc of America Securities analyst Shaw Wu cut his first quarter earnings-per-share forecast to a loss of 3 cents from the prior view, a profit of 1 cent. He lowered his first quarter revenue projection to $76 million from $90 million. Wu also lowered his price target to $15 from $30 but maintained a buy rating on the company's stock. Thomas Weisel Partners lowered its first quarter estimate to a loss of 4 cents a share, from a previous forecast for a 2-cent profit. The brokerage firm also slashed first quarter revenue estimates to $74 million from $90 million while maintaining an attractive rating on the stock. -Chinita L. Anderson; Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-4513; chinita.anderson@dowjones.com Updated March 6, 2002 1:23 p.m. EST