Brocade Simplifies Network Architectures

Brocade Communications Systems introduced converged fabric-based innovations designed to simplify network architectures. These new innovations will help enable the seamless transition to highly virtualized infrastructures where information and services are available anywhere in the cloud.

Based on customer-driven demand for simplified IT architectures and cost reduction, these new solutions and technologies introduced at Brocade Technology Day will optimize data center networks to support virtual servers, applications and data. Customers will now have the ability to build large, highly intelligent, converged fabrics based on industry-standard Data Center Bridging (DCB) technology.

The new Brocade converged fabric solutions include a wide variety of innovations customized to support virtualized data centers, including:

• Brocade Virtual Cluster Switching (VCS): A new class of Brocade-developed technologies designed to address the unique requirements of virtualized data centers. Brocade VCS overcomes the limitations of conventional Ethernet networking by applying non-stop operations, any-to-any connectivity and the intelligence of fabric switching.
• Brocade Virtual Access Layer: A logical layer between Brocade converged fabric and server virtualization hypervisors that will help ensure a consistent interface and set of services for virtual machines (VMs) connected to the network. Brocade VAL is designed to be vendor-agnostic and will support all major hypervisors by utilizing industry-standard technologies, including the emerging Virtual Ethernet Port Aggregator (VEPA) and Virtual Ethernet Bridging (VEB) standards.
• Brocade Open Virtual Compute Blocks: Brocade is working with leading systems and IT infrastructure vendors to build tested and verified data center blueprints for highly scalable and cost-effective deployment of VMs on converged fabrics.
• Brocade Network Advisor: A best-in-class element management toolset that will help provide industry-standard and customized support for industry-leading network management, storage management, virtualization management and data center orchestration tools.
• Multiprotocol Support: Brocade converged fabrics are designed to transport all types of network and storage traffic over a single wire to reduce complexity and help ensure a simplified migration path from current technologies.

Brocade also introduced the building blocks for this dynamic infrastructure with a new class of converged fabric solutions. Developed on standards-based networking technologies, the new converged fabric solutions are open and highly interoperable with a wide ecosystem of computing, storage and software products. The new offerings protect existing network investments, providing full interoperability with the Brocade 8000 Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) Switch and blade (for the Brocade DCX Backbone), the Brocade NetIron MLX Series and Brocade Converged Network Adapters (CNAs).

“While server virtualization provides certain cost-efficiencies, it creates complexities at the network level and for network administrators, which need to be addressed through network advancements,” said Zeus Kerravala, senior vice president of enterprise research at the Yankee Group. “Building of new data center networking architectures has to be done in an evolutionary manner that preserves the hundreds of billions of dollars that customers have already invested in server, storage and networking hardware and software within their networks. Brocade has the required heritage and knowhow in the data center to simplify the inherent complexities in this migration process.”

The Brocade converged fabric solutions are expected to be available in Q1 of the Brocade 2011 fiscal year.