Brocade Announces Enhancements to its SilkWorm Fibre Channel Switch at the Industry's Lowest Per-Port Cost.

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 6, 1997--

New FL_Port, Web Management Services and Pricing Structure for

SilkWorm Further Demonstrate Brocade's Leadership in Providing

the Industry's Most Intelligent Solution for Server-Storage

Networks

Fibre Channel industry leader Brocade Communications Systems Inc. Monday announced that it has increased the intelligence, manageability and functionality of its Fibre Channel gigabit switch, the SilkWorm, which has been shipping in volume since early March.

Also, as a result of high volume shipments and economy of scale, Brocade is passing its cost savings along to customers by implementing a new pricing structure for SilkWorm, offering the industry's lowest per-port cost at an end-user suggested list price of $1,875 per port.

SilkWorm Enhancements

Brocade's new FL_Port provides connectivity to Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop devices, increasing the connectivity of storage devices much beyond the capacity of a single loop. The FL_Port is based on the FC-FLA standard, for which Brocade led the industry effort to specify FL_Port requirements.

With G_Port and FL_Port Options, the SilkWorm switch is now capable of providing intelligent links: 1) directly to servers or disk arrays; 2) for cascading SilkWorm switches; and 3) to hubs, JBOD and drives on the Arbitrated Loop, all within the same user configuration.

SilkWorm's G_Port and FL_Port Options can also be mixed and matched, offering unparalleled flexibility to meet users' unpredictable growth and configuration requirements.

"Since the beginning of the year when Brocade began shipping SilkWorm, we have continued to demonstrate our unparalleled leadership in providing customers with not only the first, but the most intelligent Fibre Channel switched Fabric for the server-storage network in the industry," said Bruce Bergman, president and chief executive officer of Brocade.

"SilkWorm's self-learning and auto configuration features create a highly available Fabric that can be managed without user intervention. With the addition of our FL_Port Option, Brocade continues in this unprecedented model, by supporting both switched point-to-point and Arbitrated Loop connections, which allows users both performance and cost-effective connections between servers and storage."

In addition, SilkWorm's extensive Fabric diagnostic and management services are now extended to both public and private devices on the loop. Brocade's FL_Port supports both a public mode to communicate with public devices on Arbitrated Loops that are attached to the Fabric, and a translative mode to allow Fabric-attached devices to communicate with private devices.

Brocade's FL_Port Option also makes best use of loop tenancy, utilizing its large intelligent memory buffer to collect data frames for delivery to a destination loop device within a single loop tenancy, reducing overhead from unnecessary, multiple arbitrations.

Brocade has also added Web-based management services to its current SNMP and Telnet capabilities for SilkWorm, including graphical displays related to enclosure information, port status, performance levels, SNMP data display and many other important data points.

New Pricing Structure for SilkWorm

Based on a high customer demand for SilkWorm, Brocade has implemented an aggressive new pricing structure, providing end-users with the lowest price/performance for a Fibre Channel Fabric in the industry. SilkWorm is now available for a suggested list price of $1,875 per port. Pricing is for either G_ or FL_Port options, and does not include media.

"Brocade is undeniably the established switched Fabric leader, having shipped several thousand ports over the past few months alone," stated Bergman. "Customer interest and response for SilkWorm has been incredible, and we are extremely pleased that we are able to pass along our cost savings to them."

About Brocade Communications Systems

Brocade's primary focus is to help customers build gigabit Fibre Channel Fabrics, enabling them to optimize connections between data storage and enterprise servers, and to design high-performance, scalable data center backbones.

Brocade has headquarters at 1901 Guadalupe Parkway in San Jose, Calif., 95131. For more information about Brocade, check out the company's Web site at http://www.brocadecomm.com, or contact Brenda Christensen, vice president, marketing, at 408/487-8123 or via e-mail at [e-mail] . -0-

Note: Brocade will be demonstrating its SilkWorm switch with industry interoperability partners at Networld+Interop in Atlanta, Oct. 8-10 in its booth, No. 1165-Hall A, and in the FCA's Hot Spot located in booth No. 8971-Hall H. SilkWorm is a trademark of Brocade Communications Systems Inc.

CONTACT: Miller/Shandwick Technologies

Sari Gallagher, 310/203-0550

e-mail: [e-mail]