Emulex and QLogic 8Gb FC Expansion Cards for IBM BladeCenter
Available at the end of June
This is a Press Release edited by StorageNewsletter.com on May 29, 2009 at 4:02 pmThe new Emulex and QLogic 8 Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Cards (CIOv) for IBM BladeCenter enable high-speed access for IBM blade servers to connect to a Fibre Channel Storage Area Network (SAN). In addition to enabling the benefits of the PCIe architecture, these adapters are both based on the innovative CIOv form factor, which means that the blade server can also support additional I/O technologies such as additional NIC, Fibre, InfiniBand, and other adapters.
When compared to the previous-generation 4 Gb adapters, the new adapters help provide up to twice the throughput speeds for Fibre Channel traffic. This results in clients being able to manage increased amounts of data and possibly a reduced hardware expense; for example, in bandwidth-constrained Microsoft Exchange environments, using 8 Gb adapters and switches, clients can deploy up to 68% less adapter and switch hardware to support the same number of users as 4 Gb. Additionally, each adapter features two ports from the blade server to the Fibre Channel switch, helping provide constant access to the SAN data.
The Emulex and QLogic cards:
- Feature Blade CIOv adapters that enables two 8 Gb Fibre Channel ports
- Support the HS22 blade platform
- Use Emulex ASIC and QLogic 2532: Emulex CIOv adapter uses Emulex Saturn 8 Gb ASIC; QLogic CIOv adapter uses QLogic 2532 8 Gb ASIC.
Warranty: One year on both adapters
Key prerequisites
- IBM BladeCenter H, E, or S chassis
- HS22 Blade Server Model 7870
- BladeCenter Fibre Channel Switch Module
Planned availability date: June 30, 2009