DALLAS, Oct. 15, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Storage Networking World -- QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC), a leading supplier of high performance network infrastructure solutions, today introduced the QLogic(r) 6200 Series of intelligent storage routers, the industry's first 10GbE iSCSI-to-8Gb Fibre Channel routers. Supporting new high bandwidth 10Gb Ethernet and 8Gb Fibre Channel, the enterprise-class QLogic 6200 intelligent Storage Router offers data center managers 10 times more capacity than the previous generation of 1Gb iSCSI routers for connecting low-cost servers to Fibre Channel storage and replicating data over a wide area network (WAN). The innovative design of the QLogic 6200 features a PCI-Express expansion bus on each router blade to uniquely leverage PCI-E adapters from QLogic and others to support emerging protocols including Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), Quad Data Rate (QDR) InfiniBand(r), Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) and 16Gb Fibre Channel. A QLogic 6200 intelligent Storage Router purchased today can in the near future connect to FCoE networks by simply replacing a router blade with an on-board converged network adapter from QLogic.
"Because proprietary router designs are expensive and multiple storage protocol deployments in the data center are on the horizon, customers have asked us to help protect their investments and reduce costs," said Shishir Shah, vice president and general manager of QLogic Storage Solutions Group. "The standard PCI-E expansion bus in the 6200, along with dual, hot-swap power supplies and router blades, not only allows QLogic to lower the cost of intelligent storage routing, but it opens the door for an almost unlimited number of protocol options."
QLogic 6200 intelligent Storage Routers - PCI-E Expansion for High Performance at Low Cost
The QLogic 6200 sets a new design and flexibility benchmark for routing devices. The revolutionary architecture incorporates two PCI-Express slots to support emerging protocols, such as FCoE and 10GbE iSCSI, plus future protocols such as QDR InfiniBand, SAS and 16Gb Fibre Channel. Additionally, the QLogic 6200 provides the flexibility for expanding additional ports for current protocols. The QLogic 6200 is the only product that seamlessly integrates with any vendor fabric using N_port technology.
The QLogic 6200 in a 1U form factor can be configured with dual, hot-swap router blades and power supplies. Each blade or power supply can be replaced without going offline. The unique capability of the QLogic 6200 requires no changes in Fibre Channel fabric while upgrading from 1GbE iSCSI to 10GbE iSCSI or when replacing a failed unit. All of these features are contained in an environmentally friendly 1U chassis that uses only 250 watts in a fully-configured system.
IT managers can now avoid the pain and risk of forklift upgrades to new protocols. The QLogic 6200 router allows a rational deployment plan to FCoE. The existing storage infrastructure can be easily bridged to hosts or subnets configured with the new interfaces. The QLogic 6200 can support up to 2,048 iSCSI initiators while appearing as only four Fibre Channel hosts to an array, allowing storage consolidation for many virtual machines. The router allows flexibility and adaptation as needs change. Furthermore, a single platform can simultaneously provide 1GbE/10GbE iSCSI-Fibre Channel bridging and SAN-over-WAN connectivity with FCIP or SmartWrite II, the QLogic patent-pending WAN acceleration technology. SmartWrite allows cross-fabric connections without merging the SANs.
About QLogic
QLogic is a leading supplier of high performance network infrastructure 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, NetApp 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; declines in the market value of the company's marketable securities; 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 the company's products; changes in the company's tax provisions or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of its 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.
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