ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Jan. 18, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC), the company that powers storage area networks (SANs), today announced that EMC Corp. (NYSE:EMC) has qualified the QLogic SANblade(tm) QLE2360 PCI-Express Fibre Channel host bus adapter (HBA) for use with the EMC(r) Symmetrix(r) and EMC CLARiiON(r) families of networked storage systems. The E-Lab Tested(tm) qualification process is a series of functionality and reliability tests to ensure the interoperability of all components that make up a multi-vendor information storage network.
EMC's highly comprehensive E-Lab qualification process replicates real-world environments to deliver pre-tested solutions to the market and ensure customer satisfaction. E-Lab Tested QLogic SANblade 2360 HBAs allow EMC customers to optimize their CLARiiON and Symmetrix networked storage systems for the performance advantages of servers with PCI-Express buses.
About PCI-Express
Most system administrators are familiar with the PCI bus, the server interconnect introduced in the early 1990s. Since then, storage interconnects, such as Fibre Channel and iSCSI, have delivered increased connection speeds. However, the PCI bus has remained constant, having received only minor performance enhancements. The result is a growing imbalance in processing and I/O performance.
PCI-Express represents a new approach to I/O connectivity and takes advantage of a decade of technology innovation to support deployment of multi-port, multi-gigabit host bus adapters without server I/O bottlenecks. Major server vendors are beginning to offer products with PCI-Express, providing an opportunity for IT managers to deliver increased system performance and reliability across their enterprise.
SANblade QLE2360 Support for PCI-Express x4
PCI-Express has the ability to scale speeds by forming multiple lanes. A point-to-point connection allows each device to have a dedicated connection without sharing bandwidth. A single-lane PCI-Express connection (x1) is capable of transmitting up to 250 MB/sec in a single direction or up to 500 MB/sec in both directions simultaneously (full duplex mode). The SANblade QLE2360 supports four-lane implementation of PCI-Express (PCI-Express x4) and delivers up to 80,000 I/O operations per second (IOPS).
SANblade QLE2360 PCI-Express Host Bus Adapter
The QLE2360 optimizes PCI-Express and PCI-Express x4 buses with an enhanced RISC processor on the Fibre Channel controller chip. The HBA provides up to 80,000 I/Os per second. Other standard features include:
-- Native support for all major operating systems, including
Microsoft(tm) Windows 2003, Red Hat(tm) Linux, and SuSE(r) Linux
-- Takes advantage of PCI-Express slots
-- Autonegotiation of Fibre Channel speed (1 Gbps or 2 Gbps)
-- Concurrent support for SCSI and IP protocols
-- Local and remote management
-- Enhanced beacon/LED indicators
-- Proactive failure detection and alerts
-- Enhanced SANsurfer Management Suite(tm) software combines remote
and local FC switch and HBA management functionality in a single,
central console
"SANblade QLE2360 HBA enables EMC customers to fully leverage PCI-Express and PCI-Express x4 based SANs," said Frank Berry, vice president of marketing, QLogic Corporation. "The combination of QLogic's high-speed Fibre Channel connectivity with EMC's robust storage solutions and PCI-Express servers is a home run for customers."
Powered by QLogic
Since 1993, over 50 million QLogic products have shipped inside servers, workstations, RAID subsystems, tape libraries, disk and tape drives. These products were delivered to small, medium and large enterprises around the world. Powering solutions from leading companies like Cisco, Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NEC, Network Appliance, Quantum, StorageTek and Sun Microsystems, the broad line of QLogic controller chips, host bus adapters, network switches and management software move data from storage devices through the network fabric to servers. A member of the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100, QLogic was named to the following during fiscal year 2004: (i) Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies list for the fourth consecutive year; (ii) Forbes' Best 200 Small Companies for the fifth consecutive year; and (iii) Business Week's list of 100 Hot Growth Companies. For more information visit www.qlogic.com.
Note: All QLogic-issued press releases appear on the Company's website (www.qlogic.com). Any announcement that does not appear on the QLogic website has not been issued by QLogic.
Disclaimer -- Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains statements relating to future results of the Company (including certain beliefs and projections regarding business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. The Company advises readers that these potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the volatility of the Company's stock price; fluctuations in operating results; the dependence on the storage area network market; the ability to maintain and gain market or industry acceptance of the Company's products; the dependence on a limited number of customers; seasonal fluctuations and uneven sales patterns in orders from customers; the ability to compete effectively with other companies; declining average unit sales prices of comparable products; a reduction in sales efforts by current distributors; the dependence on relationships with certain silicon chip suppliers and other subcontractors; the complexity of the Company's products; sales fluctuations arising from customer transitions to new products; terrorist activities and resulting military actions; international, economic, regulatory, political and other risks; changes in semiconductor foundry capacity; uncertain benefits from strategic business combinations; the ability to maintain or expand upon strategic alliances; the strain on resources caused by rapid growth and expansion; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; the ability to protect proprietary rights or to satisfactorily resolve any infringement claims; changes in tax laws or adverse audit results; decreasing effectiveness of equity compensation in employee retention; charter documents and stockholder rights plan that may discourage a business combination; and facilities located in areas subject to earthquakes.
More detailed information on these and additional factors which could affect the Company's operating and financial results are described in the Company's Forms 10-K, 10-Q and other reports, filed or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company urges all interested parties to read these reports to gain a better understanding of the many business and other risks that the Company faces. The forward looking statements contained in this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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