Brocade announced the general availability of a new family of server host bus adapters (HBAs) that offers unique breakthroughs in terms of performance and end-to-end data center networking capabilities. The new server adapters offer key advantages for customers who are considering and deploying server virtualization as part of their evolving data center operations.

Brocade 815/825 HBAs

The innovative Brocade HBAs utilize an industry-first integration of important adapter functions into high-performance hardware and have been designed to enable the adapters to deliver twice the throughput of competing products. This performance is an important factor in highly virtualized environments. The adapters also offer new Quality of Service (QoS), Data Mobility and Data Encryption features that help ensure faster and more secure communications between virtual servers and storage.

Available in both 8-gbps (the Brocade 815/825) and 4-gbps models (the Brocade 415/425), the new adapters are designed to support servers in the following environments:

• Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 including Standard, Enterprise and Datacenter versions;
• Enterprise Linux servers including Novell SUSE and others;
• Enterprise Unix servers including Sun Solaris and others;
• VMWare environments.

The new HBAs are available through a network of Brocade distributors and resellers including Arrow, Avnet, Bell Micro, Info-X and Tech Data. These channel partners will benefit from newly implemented Brocade partner programs, education, sales tools, server and support offerings, and joint marketing campaigns designed to make is easier to sell and implement total Brocade end-to-end server-to-storage solutions that include the new Brocade HBAs.

"Through Tech Data's Advanced Infrastructure Solutions Division, our IT reseller customers are increasingly deploying data center solutions that utilize virtualization to enhance performance," said Pete Peterson, senior vice president and general manager, Advanced Infrastructure Solutions, Tech Data. "With that focus on performance and resource optimization, Brocade and our reseller partners are well positioned to address the market by utilizing the new 8-gbps HBA products."

"The new 8- and 4-gbps portfolio of branded switches and HBAs gives Brocade resellers greater reach," said Gary Gammon, vice president, Enterprise Marketing, Bell Micro. "Brocade's HBAs with expanded fabric services and management software coupled with their large installed base of Fibre Channel fabric creates greater opportunity for Bell Micro to deliver superior end-to-end solutions to our partners and customers."

Brocade's server-connectivity solutions are an integral component of Brocade's Data Center Fabric (DCF) architecture. The Brocade DCF is designed to enable customers to dramatically increase utilization of their server and storage assets while simplifying infrastructure provisioning and management. As data centers become increasingly virtualized, customers will require unified touch points throughout the data center infrastructure to deliver and manage advanced storage services. Brocade server connectivity products are thus a key element in building uniform infrastructures that have the advantage of end-to-end consistency in architecture to support the new data center services.

"Brocade enhances channel partners' business opportunities through our server connectivity product line and industry-leading programs," said Luc Moyen, vice president and general manager, Server Connectivity Division, Brocade. "Server connectivity products are crucial to successful, manageable server virtualization implementations and end-to-end data center networking solutions. Brocade continues to extend our portfolio, driving innovation to new levels of service and performance for our partners."