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

To: Nine_USA who wrote (144)	11/22/1997 8:26:00 AM
From: J Fieb	Respond to of 4808

techweb.com November 24, 1997, Issue: 691 Section: News & Analysis ----------------------------------------------------------------- Clariion Answers Storage Mgm't Call By Chuck Moozakis Las Vegas - Clariion next year will introduce a storage management suite that will let IT managers oversee complex storage deployments linked by Fibre Channel and SCSI, regardless of platform. The new app, Navisphere, will underscore Clariion's Multidimensional Storage Architecture (MSA) strategy, which revolves around application-specific storage pools, said Peter Gibbs, Clariion's strategic planning director. A new line of NT-based Fibre Channel arrays also was announced. Navisphere and the arrays will begin shipping early next year; no prices have been announced. Clariion, a business unit of Data General Corp., joins other vendors planning to release management applications designed to oversee the more complex storage area networks (SANs) now being contemplated by data administrators. SAN describes networking technology that supports the attachment of storage devices linked by connectivity technologies such as SCSI, Fibre Channel and serial storage architecture. With a SAN, storage is decoupled from the server. Both Computer Associates International Inc. and Legato Systems Inc. said they will support Fibre Channel deployments in future versions of their management applications. Centralized management of fibre-linked storage networks is seen as a critical building block supporting the advent of such topologies, according to observers. "The complexity of storage is driving the development of Navisphere," Gibbs said. "With this tool, managers can monitor storage devices across the network, regardless of platform." Navisphere will have four modules: Manager, Organizer, Analyzer and Event Monitor. Manager will let managers oversee RAID arrays, and give them the flexibility to determine performance. Organizer will give administrators access to all Clariion devices across the network. Analyzer will let managers look at the individual components of their storage configuration. Event Monitor will provide "lights-out" management, Gibbs said. Navisphere's GUI management console will provide access to the modules. For the rollout, Navisphere will permit access only via intranet or internal Ethernet networks. A Web front end will be delivered in mid-1998, Gibbs said. Clariion is rolling out Navisphere even as it begins a two-pronged focus on Fibre Channel and the NT work space, Gibbs said. The company last week introduced three migration programs aimed at accelerating the adoption of Fibre Channel. On the NT front, Clariion said both its FC 5000 JBOD disk array and its Series 3000 arrays would support Windows NT. Gibbs said Clariion is working with Microsoft and NT server vendors to tightly integrate Clariion's technology in the OS.

To: Nine_USA who wrote (144)	11/22/1997 8:32:00 AM
From: J Fieb	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4808

techweb.com Networking Equipment -- Gadzoox networks' denali bridges two worlds -- Fibre Channel arbitrated-loop switch unveiled By Loring Wirbel San Jose, Calif. - Gadzoox Networks Inc.'s Denali is a storage-area network switch intended not for general switching-fabric duties, but as a system for switching and segmenting Fibre Channel arbitrated loops. Denali can manage loops based on Gadzoox's own Gibraltar managed hubs or its BitStrip unmanaged hubs, as well as other vendors' hubs. Because it can serve as a storage-area feeder switch to larger switches, it does not displace larger enterprise Fibre Channel switches from such vendors as McData and Brocade. "The basic function of Denali is to physically join FC-AL loops while logically maintaining a separation between the loops," said business-development director David Tang. One Denali switch supports three independent Fibre Channel arbitrated loops and can address up to 126 nodes per loop. When cascaded, up to 256 loops can be connected, to provide support for up to 32,000 node addresses. For cases in which arbitrated loops have grown large and need more address segmentation, Denali's application is straightforward. But Tang noted that unexpected applications are emerging, such as remote storage management, in which the server controlling RAIDs (redundant arrays of independent disks) and JBOD ("just a bunch of disks") arrays must be physically separated by several thousand feet for security reasons. Gadzoox provides an SNMP-based management system, called Ventana, that allows both Denali and the Gibraltar hubs to be managed either in-band or out-of-band. Gadzoox is also offering a new, modular version of Gibraltar, called Gibraltar GS, that lets users mix and match fiber and copper ports. The original Gibraltar had 12 optical fiber ports; the GS model uses modular Gigabit Interface converters (GBICs), which let users choose the mix of copper and fiber interfaces they wish to have. The GS hub comes in a slave configuration, with unpopulated ports and a single power supply. In addition to adding GBIC modules, users can add a redundant power supply and move to a master configuration through field upgrades. Beta units of Denali will ship in December, with prices starting at $12,250. Volume shipments will begin in the first quarter. Gibraltar GS is slated to ship in December at a starting price of $6,000, or $500 per managed port.

To: Nine_USA who wrote (144)	11/22/1997 8:34:00 AM
From: Neil S	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4808

Nordgren Fibre Channel Emerging Growth Stock Index (NFCEGSI) The FC Index continued its downward trend last week declining another 3% on the week, and continues to underpreform all major indexes for the week and year to date. The FC Index is now 18.5 % below its 50 day moving average. Decliners led Advances for the week 3 to 1 with one name unchanged. Advancers: EMLX + 0.750 Decliners: INPH - 0.8125, BXH -0.750, ANCR -0.1875 Unchanged: CPCI Weekly Change 11/14/97 11/21/97 Week Week % FC Composite Index 147.78 143.35 -4.43 -3.00% Hub & Adapter Group 114.83 110.66 -4.17 -3.63% Storage System Group 110.72 107.82 -2.9 -2.62% Switch Group 93.52 90.74 -2.78 -2.97% Comparison Index DJIA 7572.48 7881.07 308.59 4.08% SP-500 928.34 963.08 34.74 3.74% Nasdaq Composite 1583.51 1620.75 37.24 2.35% NDX 1027.85 1056.59 28.74 2.80% Russell 2000 428.41 435.05 6.64 1.55% Year To Date Change ( 1997 ) 12/31/96 11/21/97 YTD YTD % FC Composite Index 181.76 143.35 -38.41 -21.13% Hub & Adapter Group 131.46 110.66 -20.8 -15.82% Storage System Group 127.17 107.82 -19.35 -15.22% Switch Group 207.41 90.74 -116.67 -56.25% Comparison Index DJIA 6448.27 7881.07 1432.8 22.22% SP-500 740.74 963.08 222.34 30.02% Nasdaq Composite 1291.03 1620.75 329.72 25.54% NDX 821.36 1056.59 235.23 28.64% Russell 2000 362.61 435.05 72.44 19.98% Disclaimer: Provided as INFORMATION ONLY, NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE, for those interested in tracking the emerging FC market trends. Past results do not guarantee future results (that's what were betting on <g>). The above may or may not mean anything, based on analysis that may or may not be valid.