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Technology Stocks : Computer Network Technology (CMNT) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Craig Stevenson who wrote (359)	4/28/1998 9:11:00 AM
From: Neil S	Respond to of 750

NEWS: First Multi-Platform, Any Distance Data Sharing Solution Enables Businesses to Expand the Scope of Data Warehousing CNT Product Combination Moves Corporate Information at Record Speeds Between Mainframe and Open Systems Environments SAN FRANCISCO, April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Data warehousing capabilities took a giant step forward today as Computer Network Technology Corp. (Nasdaq: CMNT) (CNT) announced the first multi-platform, any distance data sharing solution that combines CNT's FileSpeed, UltraNet and Channelink products. Data warehouses, and other data sharing environments such as data marts and data consolidations, can now be extended across wide area networks while information is shared between heterogeneous environments such as mainframes and open systems -- all at channel speeds. This means users can quickly analyze their corporate data for a competitive advantage. "There has been an explosion of stored corporate information as techniques for gathering data become more sophisticated and companies begin to recognize the competitive value of this information," said Mark Knittel, vice president of marketing and business development at CNT. "Businesses are more information-centric, relying on their in-house resources to determine customer issues, buying trends, and the competitive climate. The dilemma these companies now face is how to effectively use that stored information to address their business questions. CNT provides the answer with its data sharing solution." Data Sharing Value-Add Data sharing consolidates data from one platform to another by bridging the islands of information found in today's businesses. Typically, the results of business activities are stored on mainframes while open servers are used to analyze the information. This presents a major challenge: to quickly move corporate information between disparate mainframe and open systems environments which are often geographically separated. "CNT is helping customers get to their information by providing the ability to connect disparate platforms," said Carl Greiner, vice president and director of enterprise data center strategies at META Group. "Customers are demanding more from their data warehouses and are looking for easier ways to service it. There is a great need for interconnectivity, simplicity and vendor-neutral sharing of storage between different platforms while addressing important initiatives such as integration and server consolidation. Such solutions address many of the requirements for optimizing enterprise information requirements. CNT's Data Sharing Solution With the combination of CNT's UltraNet, Channelink and FileSpeed products, users can quickly move stored information throughout the company -- regardless of platform or distance. UltraNet products can be used with Fibre Channel, SCSI and ESCON networks while Channelink is designed for bus-and-tag and T1/E1 networks. Both UltraNet and Channelink products can be used with ATM and T3/E3 compression. FileSpeed software moves data at speeds of more than 16 MB/second through multiple parallel concurrent file transfers. FileSpeed can also perform record-level extractions, which means that only the specific information required is transferred. "By combining FileSpeed with Channelink and UltraNet products, CNT is responding to the increased need for high-speed data sharing applications," said Knittel. "No other vendor can provide this combination of capabilities. "Data sharing is enhanced with a Storage Area Network (SAN) because the SAN infrastructure optimizes the speed of data movement and provides the functions required for better data management," Knittel explained. "As one of the three major applications in CNT's Storage Area Network (SAN) strategy, data sharing solutions can deliver more information from different systems to more people at more locations in less time. This allows users to reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve network management. CNT's aim is to lead the market in providing lower total cost of ownership for integrated networks, more timely business recovery, and cost-effective, shared access to information across the entire enterprise using a SAN." Pricing and Availability All products in the CNT data sharing solution are currently available worldwide. For pricing and additional information, contact a CNT sales representative at 800-638-8324 or 612-797-6000. About Computer Network Technology (CNT) Computer Network Technology (Nasdaq: CMNT), based in Minneapolis, Minn., is a leading provider of high-performance networking solutions that allow mainframe systems and open systems environments to share data and information. The company's Channelink(R), FileSpeed(TM), and UltraNet(R) product lines offer high-speed open systems connectivity, access to legacy data and guaranteed data integrity for applications such as remote storage, mirroring and disaster recovery. In addition, its Enterprise/Connect, Enterprise/View and Enterprise/Access product lines offer unique gateway and Web-to-host integration solutions. The company's products are sold worldwide through a direct sales force and a network of authorized distributors. For more information, visit CNT's web site at cnt.com, or call 800-638-8324 (U.S.) or 612-797-6000 (International). All brand names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. SOURCE Computer Network Technology CO: Computer Network Technology ST: Minnesota IN: CPR SU: PDT 04/28/98 09:02 EDT prnewswire.com

To: Craig Stevenson who wrote (359)	5/14/1998 2:23:00 PM
From: Neil S	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 750

Brad/Craig, Volume coming into CNT last few days. Interesting article mentioning CNT and Brocade's approach to multiplatform support. I wonder if Brad made it to STL ? Neil IT Managers Get Sneak Preview Of Multiplatform SAN (05/13/98; 1:32 p.m. ET) By Chuck Moozakis, InternetWeek Although much work remains on enabling storage area networks (SANs) to handle heterogeneous data, some early indications of what IT managers can expect are already cropping up. Both Computer Network Technology (CNT) and Brocade Communications Systems are rolling out products supporting disparate platforms through a common storage interface. CNT is relying on an UltraSCSI-to-Fibre Channel migration path with its recently introduced UltraNet Open Systems Director, while Brocade is using an all-Fibre throughway via its Zoning-enabled Silkworm Fibre switch. SANs are gaining increased attention by IT managers as an alternative to server-attached storage. By decoupling storage from the server, SANs can alleviate processor bottlenecks and offload storage information from primary data networks. By incorporating Fibre within a SAN, managers can also tap Fibre's gigabit-per-second throughput, thus providing additional horsepower to storage deployments. Fibre deployment is still very much in the formative stage. Although Fibre-fueled SANs will likely become the architecture of choice in the future, there still remains a significant number of small computer system interface (SCSI) installations, a market CNT is trying to tap into with Director. "There is a lot of SCSI in the market today, and users want to take advantage of this investment," said Dataquest storage analyst Tom Lahive. "CNT is playing in the middle of the road with a product that includes SCSI, as well as Fibre support." CNT designed Director for IT managers who want to place backup and restore activities on SANs, but still want to retain their investment in SCSI devices, said Brian Larsen, CNT's senior product manager. "Companies want to migrate from SCSI to Fibre Channel, but they don't want to do it all at once." Director handles multiplatform data through a combination of high-speed switching and its UltraNet SAN Software application, which handles load balancing and device prioritization. The device also integrates with ATM and point-to-point Fibre topologies, Larsen said. Switched-fabric Fibre support will come early next year, thus providing a path for IT managers who want to use more robust SANs in their enterprises. The device can be dropped into any existing network; management is provided either through a CNT-designed graphical user interface or Simple Network Management Protocol. A Web-enabled management console will be released later this year. Director is priced at approximately $5,400 per port, with up to 44 UltraSCSI ports configured on a single chassis. Fibre connectivity will cost $15,000 per port. Brocade, meanwhile, is touting its Zoning-equipped SilkWorm Fibre Channel switch. Zoning, announced in March, is a "fabric service" designed to ease the administration of switched-fabric Fibre Channel topologies. Zoning lets fabric-connected devices be apportioned into logical subsets, thus streamlining management and allowing disparate devices to use dedicated storage resources on a SAN. At this month's NetWorld+Interop, Brocade showcased a Zoning-enabled SAN that blends Windows NT, Sun Solaris, and Silicon Graphics workstations in a single configuration. The workstations were connected to a redundant array of independent disks, just a bunch of disks, and a tape library connected to the SAN through Crossroads Systems' SCSI bridge/router. Zoning is available to original equipment manufacturers at a price of $20,000.