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Brocade Extends Cloud-Optimized SAN Leadership With Complete Suite of Fibre Channel Networking Solutions
SAN JOSE, CA, Apr 17, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --
Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD), the leader in fabric-based data center
networking solutions, is continuing to innovate and gain market
leadership for its award-winning family of Fibre Channel SAN fabric
solutions based on the new 16 Gbps Fibre Channel standard. The
company today announced a new entry-level Fibre Channel SAN switch,
the Brocade(R) 6505 Switch, to broaden its full suite of
next-generation SAN switches and backbones. This new addition further
increases customer choice and flexibility for data center
consolidation, expansion and refresh projects. In addition, Brocade
has added new, industry-first virtualization functionality between
Brocade adapters and switches to simplify server deployment and
management.
Brocade also announced IBM as its first OEM partner to offer 16 Gbps
Fibre Channel embedded switches and adapters, as well as stand-alone
network adapters, for IBM servers. Specifically, IBM is making
available a new Brocade custom embedded 16 Gbps SAN switch and
mezzanine card for its recently announced IBM Flex System x240
Compute Node, a key component of the new IBM PureSystems. In
addition, Brocade stand-up 16 Gbps HBAs are now available for
integration with IBM System x in rack and tower form factors.
"For highly virtualized environments like ours, the network matters,"
said Haim Glickman, regional vice president, Southeastern Operations
at SunGard Availability Services, one of the world's leading
providers of disaster recovery, managed services, IT consulting and
business continuity management software solutions. "In building out
our data center environment across multiple locations, we deployed
Brocade SAN switches to deliver greater bandwidth and resiliency for
our enterprise-ready disaster recovery services."
Fabric-based networks are a fundamental requirement in supporting
highly virtualized data centers and private cloud environments, and
are a critical element of the Brocade One(TM) strategy for providing
low-latency, non-stop and easy-to-operate networks. Today, Fibre
Channel is the de-facto standard for storage networking in the data
center and Brocade is leading the industry's transition to the next
wave of storage architectures based on the 16 Gbps Fibre Channel
standard.
Introducing the Brocade 6505 SAN Switch
Further extending its
time-to-market lead over competitors, the company introduced the
entry-level Brocade 6505 Switch, which provides exceptional
price/performance value and enterprise-class functionality. It is
configurable in 12 or 24 ports and supports 2, 4, 8 or 16 Gbps speeds
in an efficiently designed 1U package. The Brocade 6505 joins other
members of the Brocade SAN family, which includes the Brocade 6510
Switch, configurable between 24 and 48 ports, and the Brocade DCX(R)
8510 Backbone, available in 4- and 8-slot configurations.
Because of unprecedented storage needs, more enterprises are now
deploying cloud and virtualization in their data centers. As a
result, demand for Fibre Channel storage technology is increasing,
along with acceleration in the adoption of 16 Gbps-based SAN
products. Unique features of Brocade SAN solutions that customers are
realizing immediate value from include second-generation
inter-chassis links that enable flatter, faster, and simpler fabrics
with fewer cables that increase consolidation, while reducing network
complexity and costs. In addition, a new port type, Diagnostic Ports
(D_Ports), enables administrators to quickly identify and isolate
optics and cable problems, significantly reducing fabric deployment
and diagnostic times.
According to the Dell'Oro Group(1), "Both FC switch revenue and port
shipments reached record levels in 4Q11. FC switch revenue increased
13% Q/Q to $509 M on 1.8 M ports shipped. Looking closer at FC switch
revenue, we see that growth was broad-based, and came from both
modular and fixed switches. Brocade saw a 15% Q/Q increase in FC
switch revenue, as it continued to ramp its 16 Gbps switches."
Extending Cloud-Optimized SAN Functionality to IBM Servers
Brocade
is also extending the benefits of its Fibre Channel backbone and
switch products to its adapter family, which provides unique benefits
to organizations deploying an all-Brocade SAN fabric. New
enhancements to Brocade adapters include dynamic fabric provisioning,
which virtualizes connections between the Brocade adapters and
switches to simplify server deployment and reconfiguration.
Simplified deployments are achieved by automating time-intensive
processes and dependencies between storage and server administrators
when installing new or replacement equipment or moving devices within
a switch. Brocade adapters now also feature the Brocade Diagnostic
Ports capability, previously offered only on switches, so
administrators can quickly identify and isolate problems for optics
and cables.
In addition, IBM is now offering OEM versions of Brocade embedded
switches and mezzanine HBAs based on the 16 Gbps Fibre Channel
standard for integration with the new IBM Flex System x240 Compute
Node, a high-performance server that offers outstanding performance
for virtualization with new levels of CPU performance, memory
capacity, and flexible configuration options. IBM also recently
launched single- and dual-port Brocade 16 Gbps stand-up HBAs for IBM
System x rack and tower servers.
The Brocade embedded switch and mezzanine HBA improve performance by
eliminating over-subscription and lowering costs by reducing the
number of required external ports, optics, cables and power. They
also provide investment protection by supporting increased virtual
machine densities and next-generation technologies such as solid
state storage arrays.
The Brocade embedded switches offer up to 48 ports and support 4, 8
or 16 Gbps performance. They easily connect IBM Flex System blade
servers to the SAN fabric to allow unmatched reliability, flexibility
and optimized performance for cloud applications. The mezzanine
adapter (dual-port) support 8 or 16 Gbps speeds and the stand-up
adapters (single- and dual-port) support 2, 4, 8 or 16 Gbps speeds,
with each port capable of 500,000 IOPS.
Availability and Pricing
The new Brocade 6505 Switch and upgraded
capabilities for extending SAN fabric benefits to servers are
available now through Brocade channel and OEM partners, including
EMC, Fujitsu, HP, HDS and NetApp. For pricing information, please
contact these Brocade partners.
Brocade embedded switches and mezzanine adapters for integration into
IBM Flex System blade servers will be available in May and Fibre
Channel HBAs for IBM System x rack and tower servers are available
now. For pricing information, please contact IBM at www.ibm.com
About Brocade
Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) networking solutions help the
world's leading organizations transition smoothly to a world where
applications and information reside anywhere. (www.brocade.com)
(1)SAN Quarterly Summary Q4 2011, Dell'Oro Group, March 2, 2012, Pg.
3
Brocade, Brocade Assurance, the B-wing symbol, DCX, Fabric OS, MLX,
SAN Health, VCS, and VDX are registered trademarks, and AnyIO,
Brocade One, CloudPlex, Effortless Networking, ICX, NET Health,
OpenScript, and The Effortless Network are trademarks of Brocade
Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other
countries. Other brands, products, or service names mentioned may be
trademarks of their respective owners.
Copyright 2012 Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. All Rights
Reserved.
CONTACTS
Media Relations - Brocade
Emory Epperson
Tel: 408.333.5755
eepperso@brocade.com
Investor Relations - Brocade
Robert Eggers
Tel: 408.333.8797
reggers@brocade.com
SOURCE: Brocade
mailto:eepperso@brocade.com
mailto:reggers@brocade.com
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