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To: Ed Schultz who wrote (17499)	7/29/1998 10:17:00 AM
From: Erik Lundby	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29386

Fibre Channel Industry Leaders Collaborate to Insure Compatible SAN Solutions for Enterprise Storage Networking Business Wire - July 29, 1998 10:15 SARATOGA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 29, 1998-- Two-Dozen Leading Vendors Participate In Fourth Round of Major Interoperability Testing The Fibre Channel Loop Community (FCLC) has reported the successful completion of its fourth major round of interoperability testing on Fibre Channel equipment which is used to build high speed storage connectivity and SANs (storage area networks). The testing, conducted during the week of June 22nd in Dallas, utilized a variety of equipment from numerous vendors in both arbitrated loop and fabric (networking) topologies. According to the FCLC, this round of testing shows that Fibre Channel is nearing a level of maturity that allows the wide-scale adoption of the technology for mission critical enterprise networks and applications where equipment from multiple vendors is desired. Although specifics are not disclosed as a matter of policy, major milestones during this test session included an industry first as multiple Fibre Channel drives from different manufacturers were simultaneously used in test scenarios. The tests were also highly successful in generating a stable Fibre Channel network that maintained its integrity as various vendors* equipment was introduced and removed from the configuration. "We believe that interoperability testing is an absolutely critical element in bringing Fibre Channel products and solutions to the market," said Mike Fitzpatrick, FCLC Chairman. "Because interoperability is an inherent responsibility of the vendor community, the FCLC initiated an aggressive program early last year to help insure that users who are deploying Fibre Channel in their enterprise will have a positive experience in purchasing and deploying products without suffering through equipment incompatibilities which may have been encountered with other emerging technologies in the past." The purpose of the testing is to isolate vendor-specific anomalies that may affect multi-vendor configurations and to identify any ambiguities of the Fibre Channel specification that may also impact the ability of users to build storage and networking solutions utilizing equipment from several different vendors. Results from previous FCLC interoperability testing were submitted to the ANSI T11 Committee, the standards body that governs Fibre Channel specifications. Further, an ANSI T11 representative was in attendance at the most recent testing for the specific purpose of coordinating standard clarification with real-world experience. "While it would be premature to say that a network manager could build an enterprise solution utilizing any mix-n-match of Fibre Channel equipment," continued Fitzpatrick, "it is safe to say that enough Fibre Channel equipment has achieved interoperability so that single vendor installations are no longer necessary to build reliable, open systems Fibre Channel implementations. In short, our recent testing indicates that the technology has matured to the point that multi-vendor 'best of breed' configurations can now be deployed in production network environments." The FCLC conducted the testing at the Interphase Interoperability Testing Facilities with the assistance of the University of New Hampshire's Fibre Channel Consortium, an equipment interoperability testing forum organized by the university's Interoperability Lab (IOL). Since multiple competing vendors bring equipment in various stages of development to the test sessions, the FCLC hires the UNH IOL to provide coordination, oversight and administrative services for the overall event. The IOL also submits a post-testing analysis to the FCLC board and provides individual summary results to the vendors which participated in the testing. Attendance at the FCLC interoperability testing sessions has steadily increased since their initiation and more than twenty leading Fibre Channel vendors attended the June event. Companies who had equipment and engineering resources involved in the recent testing included: Ancor Communications; Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.; Compaq Computer Corporation; Crossroads Systems, Inc.; Emulex Corporation; Finisar Corporation; Fujitsu Computer Products of America; Gadzoox Networks, Inc.; Hewlett-Packard (Components Group and Information Storage Group); I-TECH Corporation; Interphase Corporation; Jaycor Networks, Inc.; MAXSTRAT; Mylex Corporation; nSTOR Corporation, QLogic Corporation; Quantum Corporation; Seagate Technology; Serano Systems Corporation; Solution Technology; Symbios, Inc.; Vixel Corporation; and Xyratex. The next FCLC Interoperability Test Week is scheduled for October 11th through 15th, 1998 in Dallas. Registration information and additional details are available from the FCLC Web site at www.fcloop.org. About Fibre Channel Fibre Channel is an ANSI-standard serial connectivity technology designed for data intensive storage applications such as data warehousing, data mining, on-line transaction processing (OLTP), and video/broadcast implementations. Fibre Channel operates over copper and fiber cabling at distances of up to 10 Kilometers and provides point-to-point, arbitrated loop and switched fabric topologies. Currently operating at speeds up to 1Gbps, Fibre Channel handles multiple protocols, including both IP and SCSI, allowing it to merge high-speed I/O and networking functionality in a single connectivity technology. About FCLC The Fibre Channel Loop Community is an international non-profit organization with membership that currently includes over 100 major companies representing a wide cross section of the industry embracing manufacturers of servers, disk drives, RAID storage modules, switches, hubs, adapter cards, test equipment, cables and connectors, and software solutions. The FCLC's charter is to speed the development and deployment of products and services utilizing Fibre Channel technology by the promotion of industry cooperation and market awareness. Activities include technology demonstrations at tradeshows, sponsorship of interoperability testing sessions, and providing FCLC speakers for various industry events and seminars. Further information about the FCLC can be found at fcloop.org. Editors Note: A complete listing of corporate overviews and press contacts companies that participated in the event is available by contacting the FCLC. CONTACT: Fibre Channel Loop Community Michael Eckley, 214/654-5325 meckley@iphase.com Pager: 888/347-0826 or Mike Fitzpatrick, 405/755-7177 mfitzpatrick@fcpa.fujitsu.com or Skip Jones, 714/668-5058 sk_jones@qlc.com