Walter,
McData Corp calls itself an independent company, although
how independent of EMC is open to question. They
differentiate themselves from McData Holdings, which is
an EMC subsidiary.
That they have only 200 employees, and have been since 1994,
the sole-source to IBM for ESCON Directors is interesting.
The useful general information (below) about McData's FC views,
was taken from its web site:
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The company's strategic intent is to be the worldwide leader in enterprise Fibre Channel solutions.
McDATA has a strong leadership position in data center ESCON switching
technology and controls 85% of that market with partner IBM.
The company is the premier supplier of data center network switching solutions with its flagship product, the Enterprise Systems Connection (ESCON) Director.
With the introduction of its first high-availability Fibre Channel switch in September 1997, McDATA has extended its reach to encompass open systems environments and intends to capture a leadership position within the next three years.
The company offers a broad product solutions set and extensive professional services to create high-performance Fibre Channel fabrics that meet the performance and reliability requirements of enterprise IT environments — from the data center to departments and workgroups.
Through its seat on the Board of Directors of the Fibre Channel Association (FCA) and chairmanship of the Interoperability Special Working Interest Group of the FCA, the company is also leading an effort by industry vendors to ensure interoperability among Fibre Channel products.
McDATA's development team has a strong history in systems-level technologies, including complex protocol integration; high-availability characteristics required by IT
managers, with a focus on reliability, availability, serviceability (RAS), and manageability;
data center operating environments; and test and quality assurance.
The company's extensive experience in fiber-based, high-performance switching, high availability, and management systems clearly positions it to capture the leadership position in the
high-bandwidth Fibre Channel networking market.
Product History
Since its inception 16 years ago, McDATA has designed, manufactured and sold three generations of cluster controllers, a family of channel extenders for mainframes, a family
of gateway products for connecting mainframes and open systems, and a broad-based family of ESCON and Fibre Channel products. Worldwide, more than 150,000 units have been installed since the first products were shipped in 1984.
McDATA was the first non-IBM company to add support for IBM's ESCON technology to its cluster controllers.
McDATA has applied this technology to design, develop andmanufacture
IBM's 248-port 9032 Model 5 and 16-port 9033 Model 4 ESCON Directors, and the 9037 Model 2 Sysplex Timer.
Under a sole-source agreement reached in 1994, McDATA is IBM's exclusive supplier of ESCON Directors and Sysplex Timers.
McDATA's current ESCON product line also includes repeaters, analyzers, and simulators.
Next Generation
In early 1996, McDATA began development of high-availability, high-performance Fibre Channel switches.
The industry's first high-availability Fibre Channel switch,
McDATA's ES-4000, began shipping in September 1997.
The company's second generation Fibre Channel switch will begin shipping to customers in 1998.
During 1998, McDATA expects to create a broad product solutions set, including department and workgroup switches, hubs, host bus adapters, bridges, and software, to ensure the successful implementation of enterprise-wide Fibre Channel fabrics.
McDATA will work with technology and distribution partners to provide best-of-breed solutions that offer excellent quality, performance, reliability, manageability, and interoperability.
Current Products
McDATA's Fibre Channel Enterprise Switch, Model ES-4000, addresses both bandwidth and connectivity problems facing IS managers who have high-end applications requiring 24-hours-a-day operation.
The ES-4000 provides reliable data connections at an aggregate bandwidth of 32 Gbps using 32 dynamic, full-duplex, gigabit I/O ports and built-in redundancy, continuing McDATA's commitment to the development of high-availability switching solutions.
The switch includes a browser-based manager.
McDATA's Enterprise Fibre Channel Switch for Departments, Model DS-1000, is a quarter-speed (266 Mbps) switch. It is the first in a family of Fibre Channel products designed specifically for OEMs.
This high-performance and low-latency data transport switch is
based on the industry-standard Fibre Channel protocol.
The 9032 Model 5 and 9033 Model 4 ESCON Directors are high-speed, high-capacity, fiber optic switches that provide dynamic, real-time switching between mainframe channels and peripheral devices.
The directors are sold exclusively through IBM.
The McDATA Model 2 Sysplex Timer synchronizes the TOD
clocks of multiple host processors for proper sequencing.
The timers are sold exclusively through IBM.
McDATA's LinkMaster 9191 Repeater provides reliable, metropolitan-area ESCON channel extension. The LinkMaster 9191 allows customers to repeat from one to eight ESCON channels in one unit and supports LED/Laser and Laser/Laser modes in the same unit.
McDATA's ChannelScope® 9115 Analyzer and ChannelScope 9121 and 9125 Simulators are tools for the development and testing of ESCON products.
Portable and highly effective, McDATA's ChannelScope tools are designed for on-the-spot analysis of ESCON communications.
Distribution
McDATA distributes its products worldwide through a combination of OEM and distributor partnerships and end user sales.
McDATA's Fibre Channel products are distributed through key OEM partners, whose sales forces and support organizations work hand-in-hand with McDATA's major account and field organization to plan and implement Fibre Channel fabrics in Fortune 1000
companies. McDATA's professional services organization offers design, implementation planning, integration test, installation, education, and migration planning services.
The company's primary partner for ESCON products is IBM, which has exclusive marketing and sales rights to the ESCON Directors and the Sysplex Timer.
Structure
Effective October 1, 1997, McDATA Corporation became an independent company with its own Board of Directors.
The IBM-related ESCON contracts and revenue are held by McDATA Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of EMC. McDATA Corporation provides all of the services related to those contracts on
behalf of McDATA Holdings.
All other business, including the Fibre Channel business, is conducted by McDATA Corporation.
This restructuring allows McDATA to optimize existing relationships, while giving it the autonomy and flexibility to build relationships with and meet the needs of new partners.
This strategy guarantees that McDATA will provide excellent returns on investment to EMC, the majority investor, EMC shareholders, and the company's employees for the future.
McDATA Corporation employs more than 200 people at its headquarters in Broomfield,
Colorado, near Denver, and its Canadian operation in North York, Ontario, near Toronto. |
