First 2Gb Open fabric FC Switch Demonstrated At Comdex.Gadzoox Networks, along with several other major switching and fibre channel vendors, introduced a prototype of the industry's first 2Gb open fabric fibre channel switch In a computer storage field, a Fibre Channel switch is a network switch compatible with Fibre Channel (FC) protocol. It allows the creation of a Fibre Channel fabric, that is currently the core component of most storage area networks. at Comdex in late November. The 2Gb technology demonstration was based on the new FC-SW-2 Open Fabric standard, which establishes a foundation for building interoperable, multi-vendor switch fabrics. In addition to Gadzoox, companies that support the standard include Agilent, Compaq, Emulex, JNI (Java Native Interface) A programming interface (API) in Sun's Java Virtual Machine used for calling native platform elements such as GUI routines. RNI (Raw Native Interface) is the JNI counterpart in Microsoft's Java Virtual Machine. JNI - Java Native Interface , Qlogic, and Veritas, along with the major fibre channel switch vendors. "The 2Gb open fabric technology achieves a new level of performance required by our customers and finally delivers on the storage networking promise of high-performance, interoperable Storage Area Network fabric solutions," Wayne Rickard, chief technology officer at Gadzoox, said in a statement. "[C]ustomers can connect existing 1Gb products with our 2Gb technology and, through standards-based auto negotiation, extend their current SAN installations, not replace them." The technology demo A technology demo is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a product, put together with the primary purpose of showcasing the idea, performance, method or the features of the product. was the result of about six months of interoperability work by the companies in the Open Standards Specifications for hardware and software that are developed by a standards organization or a consortium involved in supporting a standard. Available to the public for developing compliant products, open standards imply "open systems;" that an existing component in a system can be replaced Fabric Initiative. OSFI OSFI Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (Canadian) OSFI Open Standards Fabric Initiative OSFI Open System File Interface (comprised of Ancor, Brocade brocade (brōkād`), fabric, originally silk, generally reputed to have been developed to a high state of perfection in the 16th and 17th cent. in France, Italy, and Spain. , Gadzoox, McDATA, and Vixel) has been working to develop a single standard that defines heterogeneous switching among multiple vendors' products. Once the standard is completed, customers will be able to choose their switch without worrying about interoperability issues or proprietary solutions, provided that the switch vendor adheres to the FC-SW-2 and FC-GS-3 standards. Expect interoperable 2Gb products to begin shipping within the next several months. |
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