Brocade Enhances Fibre Channel SAN Fabric Solutions Suite

Brocade, a fabric-based datacentre networking solutions provider, is continuing to innovate for its family of Fibre Channel SAN fabric solutions based on the new 16 Gbps Fibre Channel standard. The company announced a new entry-level Fibre Channel SAN switch, the Brocade 6505 Switch, to broaden its full suite of next-generation SAN switches and backbones. This new addition further increases customer choice and flexibility for datacentre consolidation, expansion and refresh projects. In addition, Brocade has added virtualisation 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.

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Fabric-based networks are a fundamental requirement in supporting highly virtualised datacentres and private cloud environments, and are a critical element of the Brocade One strategy for providing low-latency, non-stop and easy-to-operate networks.

The company also introduced the entry-level Brocade 6505 Switch. 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 8510 Backbone, available in 4- and 8-slot configurations.

Features of Brocade SAN solutions 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.

Brocade is also extending the benefits of its Fibre Channel backbone and switch products to its adapter family, which provides unique benefits to organisations deploying an all-Brocade SAN fabric. New enhancements to Brocade adapters include dynamic fabric provisioning, which virtualises 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 virtualisation 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 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 optimised 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.