Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

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

To: Neil S who wrote (804)	10/5/1998 12:55:00 PM
From: Kerry Lee	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4808

Subj: INRANGE Technologies Adds Dynamic New Fibre Channel... Date: 10/05/1998 6:23:03 AM Pacific Daylight Time From: AOL News INRANGE Technologies Adds Dynamic New Fibre Channel Converter/SCSI Extender SHELTON, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 5, 1998-- Agreement with Crossroads Systems Means Protection for SCSI Legacy Investments, Path to New High-Speed Topology INRANGE(TM) Technologies Corporation (formerly General Signal Networks), a worldwide provider of data center networking technology, today announced a partnership with Crossroads Systems Inc., a producer of solutions for the emerging Fibre Channel market infrastructure, to sell Crossroads' new combination SCSI extender and Fibre Channel converter. INRANGE Technologies will market the product, called Fibre Channel SCSI eXchange (FSX) 9066-9067, as an integral part of its line of fiber optic infrastructure solutions. The explosive growth of servers and attached devices in the enterprise has caused a dual problem: how to manage the volume of equipment, considering the SCSI interface limitation of 25 meters; and how best to address SCSI devices when migrating to Fibre Channel technology. The FSX/9066-9067 solves both sides of the problem with a single solution. "This solution allows hardware managers to locate SCSI devices without concern for SCSI bus distance restrictions, and also offers investment protection as SCSI connectivity is migrated to Fibre Channel," said Don Silberbauer, solutions manager for INRANGE Technologies. "The FSX product is one physical product that can take on two personalities. As a 9066, it's a SCSI extender. As a 9067 it becomes a SCSI-to-Fibre Channel converter, simply by downloading of microcode. This allows the user to have legacy SCSI devices, either on the host or peripheral side, integrated into their Fibre Channel topology, instead of scrapping them." "INRANGE Technologies is a great addition to our customer base," said Brian R. Smith, Crossroads' chief executive officer and chairman. "We have a tremendous opportunity in helping INRANGE deliver efficient Fibre Channel solutions to customers whose storage backup challenge has reached critical proportions. We look forward to working with INRANGE to put in place a storage network enterprise that will support businesses today and scale far into the future." The FSX/9066-9067 joins other leading INRANGE products in supporting Fibre Channel technology. The Intelligent Fiber System 9000(TM), an open channel solution that meets the need for optical fiber management that's oriented to growth and change, does comprehensive tracking and reporting, and provides an array of interconnect components for ESCON(R), FDDI, ATM and new fiber cable styles. The CD/9000(TM) Channel Director, which manages ESCON enterprises with dynamic linking of hosts and peripherals, will add native Fibre Channel connectivity in 1999. The CD/9000 will then be able to concurrently operate existing ESCON, FICON(R) or DMIF ports with full-speed Fibre Channel ports (1 Gbps). And the MainGate 9000 family of products provides Fibre Channel to ESCON connectivity. About Crossroads Over the next five years, the integration of networks and storage will deliver startling advancements in the way data is stored, managed and accessed. Crossroads Systems Inc., the de facto standard in storage routing, is at the forefront of these efforts. Crossroads Systems is dedicated to delivering high-availability, system-independent storage networking solutions. Founded in 1994 as a consulting company specializing in Fibre Channel technology, Crossroads Systems incorporated in 1996 to develop Fibre Channel storage routing solutions to enable Storage Area Networks. Corporate headquarters are in Austin, Texas. Information about Crossroads Systems is available on the World Wide Web at www.crossroads.com. About INRANGE INRANGE Technologies Corporation, which recently changed its name from General Signal Networks, manufactures and markets matrix switches for wide area networks; channel switches and channel extension products for copper- and ESCON-based mainframes and SCSI- and PCI-based servers; fiber management systems; and performance monitoring and test systems for digital and analog networks. Headquartered in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, INRANGE Technologies Corporation has approximately 1000 employees. For more information, see its website at www.inrange.com. ESCON and FICON are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation. CONTACT: INRANGE Technologies Corporation, Mount Laurel Debbie McSperrin 203/925-7531 debbie.mcsperrin@inrange.com or Crossroads Systems, Inc., Austin Sandy Helsel 512/794-2761 shelsel@crossroads.com

To: Neil S who wrote (804)	12/19/1998 12:04:00 PM
From: J Fieb	Respond to of 4808

Very good essay on Compaq/DEC integration; "Like building a house in a hurricane" upside.com an Compaq Reach Higher Ground? Tech Markets December 17, 1998 by Aaron Goldberg (From the February 1999 issue) Conventional wisdom in high tech says that large mergers don't work. AT&T Corp. bought NCR Corp.-a fiasco. Hewlett-Packard Co. purchased Apollo Computer; that was a mess. Acer Group acquired Texas Instruments Inc.'s mobile computing business, and it ended up in the toilet. So along comes Compaq Computer Corp. to buy up Digital Equipment Corp.: What makes this company think it's so special? OK, so Compaq did complete this mammoth transaction and do the subsequent restructuring. But there are more important issues involved with a big merger than the operating costs and product strategy initiatives that have been the focus in Houston. Tactical areas are important, but strategic issues will decide Compaq's ultimate fate. Although I don't know Compaq CEO Eckhard Pfeiffer well, I do know this: He's too proud to be remembered as the person who presided over the latest big-acquisition screwup. This is not to say, however, that Pfeiffer doesn't have a tough task ahead of him. The union of Compaq and Digital comes at a time when the very underpinnings of the computer industry are in flux, and we're moving from the PC economy to the Internet economy. If you need a frame of reference, think back to the huge upheavals that occurred when the PC economy replaced the minicomputer economy. Anyone remember Computer Automation Inc.? I didn't think so. The reality is that management must not only merge the companies-a huge task-it also needs to evolve the new Compaq into a major supplier in the Internet age. A bit like building a house in a hurricane. The requirement to move forward and respond to the realities of Internet ubiquity adds a new dimension to the problem. Let's look at the two companies premerger. While Compaq's servers were good e-commerce iron, the company hardly has a front seat on the Web bus. Having developed the AltaVista search service, Digital was doing slightly better. Still, the Web was just a tangent for Digital, not a central part of its business. Meanwhile, the combined companies' primary competitor, IBM Corp., has effectively portrayed itself as the source of all things "e-business."