QLogic 8Gb FC HBAs Certified for VMware ESX and ESXi

QLogic Corp. announced that QLogic 2500 Series 8Gb Fibre Channel adapters are certified for the latest release of VMware ESX and ESXi 3.5 Update 2.

After going through extensive compatibility testing, QLogic 2500 Series adapters are natively supported by VMware ESX and ESXi which simplifies the process of deploying storage networks. QLogic 2500 Series adapters deliver enhanced manageability via QLogic Common Information Model (CIM) providers embedded in the latest update to VMware ESXi 3. With enhanced Fibre Channel port virtualization technologies, QLogic 8Gb adapters provide a higher number of dedicated virtual host bus adapter (HBA) connections to virtual machines (VMs). The 2500 Series adapters are key contributors to a "greener" data center and are set apart from all other 8Gb Fibre Channel HBAs with Dynamic Power Management and Cool HBA(tm) technologies — two breakthrough innovations developed under the QLogic Star Power Green Initiative.

"In our testing we have validated the value proposition of running QLogic 8Gb adapters in VMware ESX environments," said Jack Fegreus, OpenBench Labs. "The combination of QLogic 8Gb Fibre Channel bandwidth and the ability of these adapters to represent multiple virtual HBAs associated with VMs under VMware ESX provides a highly stable, long-term infrastructure for businesses looking to consolidate their IT resources through virtualization."

"This certification is the latest example of our close relationship with VMware to maximize the benefits of a virtualized datacenter," said Amit Vashi, vice president of marketing, QLogic Host Solutions Group. "QLogic 8Gb adapters, through dynamic power management and cool HBA technology, offer outstanding transactional I/O performance per watt in virtualized environments hosted by VMware ESX and ESXi. This translates into lower TCO, greater productivity and a competitive advantage for businesses."

QLogic 2500 Series HBAs — Transforming Server Connectivity into Competitive Advantage
The QLogic 2500 Series is a family of 8Gb Fibre Channel-to-PCIe Gen2 adapters designed for next generation virtualized data centers with powerful multi-processor, multi-core servers. QLogic 2500 Series adapters are optimized for virtualization, power, RAS (reliability, availability, and serviceability), security and management to transform server connectivity into competitive advantage. QLogic 2500 Series adapters also provide complete investment protection by maintaining backward compatibility with previous Fibre Channel network and PCIe host bus speeds.