ALISO VIEJO, Calif., June 30, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC), a leader in networking for storage and high performance computing (HPC), today announced the 9008V 8Gb Fibre Channel I/O blade for the QLogic(r) SANbox(r) 9000 modular chassis switch, along with a road map that includes support for 16Gb Fibre Channel. A fully configured SANbox 9000 now provides SAN administrators with up to 256 8Gb switch ports, plus all the rack density and performance needed to support hundreds of server and storage nodes -- including blade servers and virtual machines. QLogic also announced today that SANbox 9000 business development will be focused on small to medium enterprises (SMEs), where the product has a proven track record of benefiting SAN administrators who need an affordable, long-term solution to build large fabrics.
"I plan to deploy 8Gb Fibre Channel on my SANbox 9000 to speed up replication of business data and to improve the performance of my video editing applications," said Ramy Katrib, chief executive officer, DigitalFilm Tree. "I also expect to deploy 16Gb Fibre Channel in the future as I continue to consolidate my I/O intensive applications onto blade servers."
"Small to medium enterprises are building large fabrics that require the port density, stability and manageability of a bladed chassis switch. However, these businesses are extremely price-sensitive and are looking for a cost-effective alternative to large directors," said Brian Garrett, technical director, ESG Lab. "We've tested the SANbox 9000, and with a modular design to accommodate future technologies plus leading edge performance, ESG is confident that the SANbox 9000 gives SMEs the value they need."
SANbox 9008V 8Gb Fibre Channel I/O Blade Prepares Customers for Future Technologies
The new I/O blade may be deployed non-disruptively by existing customers in their current chassis alongside previous-generation 9000 Series blades. Featuring sixteen 8Gb ports per unit, the 9008V is backward-compatible with 4Gb and 2Gb legacy devices, allowing old and new customers to migrate smoothly and cost-effectively to higher SAN speeds. The 9008V release will also provide full support of the next-generation internet standard (IPv6), along with enhancements to the product's existing call-home functionality. All the new SANbox 9000 functionality is designed to enhance application performance and availability while preparing customers' infrastructure for future technologies such as storage and server virtualization.
"With the introduction of the 9008V blade, the SANbox 9000 is a great enhancement to the QLogic family of 8Gb Fibre Channel solutions," said Jesse Parker, vice president and general manager, QLogic Network Solutions Group. "This highly versatile platform supports our long-term vision to give SME customers the essential enterprise-class storage networking features they need to build scalable, large fabrics."
SANbox 9000 Series Switches -- Designed to the Core(tm) for Open Systems
Finally, there's a new class of core switch that represents a sane alternative to quarter million dollar director switches. The SANbox 9000 Series is Designed to the Core for cost-sensitive, business-critical, open system environments that require ultra-high density, blazing performance and intelligent switching for their data center core. The SANbox 9000 architecture represents a number of industry firsts: a 4U modular chassis for a smaller footprint and cost-effective scalability, customer-replaceable units (CRUs) to eliminate costly service calls and a 10Gb core-to-edge "backbone" enabling seamless SAN performance scaling in multi-switch environments.
About QLogic
QLogic is a leading supplier of high performance storage networking solutions, which include the controller chips, host adapters and fabric switches that are the backbone of storage networks for most Global 2000 corporations. The company delivers a broad and diverse portfolio of products that includes Fibre Channel adapters, blade server embedded Fibre Channel switches, Fibre Channel stackable switches, iSCSI adapters and iSCSI routers. The company is also a leading supplier of InfiniBand switches and InfiniBand host channel adapters for the emerging high performance computing market. QLogic products are delivered to small-to-medium businesses and large enterprises around the world via its channel partner community. QLogic products are also powering solutions from leading companies such as Cisco, Dell, EMC, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, IBM, Network Appliance and Sun Microsystems. QLogic is a member of the S&P 500 Index.
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: potential fluctuations in operating results; gross margins that may vary over time; revenues may be affected by changes in IT spending levels; the stock price of the company may be volatile; the company's dependence on the storage area network market; potential adverse effects of server virtualization technology on the company's business; potential adverse effects of increased market acceptance of blade servers; the ability to maintain and gain market or industry acceptance of the company's products; the company's dependence on a limited number of customers; seasonal fluctuations and uneven sales patterns in orders from customers; the company's ability to compete effectively with other companies; declining average unit sales prices of comparable products; a reduction in sales efforts by current distributors; dependence on sole source and limited source suppliers; the company's dependence on relationships with certain silicon chip suppliers; the complexity of the company's products; sales fluctuations arising from customer transitions to new products; environmental compliance costs; international economic, regulatory, political and other risks; uncertain benefits from strategic business combinations; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; difficulties in transitioning to smaller geometry process technologies; the ability to protect proprietary rights; the ability to satisfactorily resolve any infringement claims; reliance on third party technology; the use of "open source" software in our products; changes in our tax provisions or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income tax returns; computer viruses and other tampering with the company's computer systems; and facilities of the company and its suppliers and customers are located in areas subject to natural disasters.
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 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 does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
QLogic, the QLogic logo and SANbox are registered trademarks of QLogic Corporation. Other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of the companies with which they are associated.