QLogic 12Gb FC and 10GbE FlexSuite Supports NetApp FAS8000

QLogic Corporation announced its FlexSuite technology supports NetApp, Inc.’s next-generation storage arrays, providing multiprotocol connectivity for Gen 5 FC and 10GbE for both block and file-based storage access.

FlexSuite technology enables NetApp customers to select their storage protocol of choice through a field upgrade, and allows for future transitions to alternative I/O options. NetApp’s new FAS8000 unified scale-out storage systems and second-generation Universal Target Adapters (UTA2) now support FC, FCoE, iSCSI NFS, and CIFS on a single wire.

The QLogic technology deployed in the UTA2 provides NetApp customers with the versatility to handle any protocol while delivering performance advantages compared to previous-generation UTAs. The UTA2 provides expansion and upgrade paths for multiprotocol support across NetApp’s new storage platforms. 

For NetApp customers deploying MetroCluster software with FAS8000 arrays to provide long-distance FC connectivity for replication and DR, the QLogic-designed UTA2 delivers performance and shorter replication and recovery windows. This results in improved overall application performance, and enables continuous availability and transparent recovery from failures, without data loss.

The FAS8000 unified scale-out storage systems are powerful and feature-rich with superior I/O flexibility to simplify and eliminate complex upgrades as IT needs change. It is an first enterprise storage system to unify SAN, NAS and storage virtualization into a single hybrid array. It is also NetApp’s first FAS platform designed for scale-out storage environments built on clustered Data ONTAP.

“NetApp and QLogic have a long history of collaborating to drive greater efficiency in the data center through innovative storage and data management solutions,” said Vikram Karvat, VP marketing, QLogic. “This announcement represents not only the continued acceleration of Gen 5 FC technology in the market, but also marks a major expansion in our role as a core Ethernet technology provider to NetApp.“

“QLogic FlexSuite technology provides NetApp with additional support for our new FAS8000 to continue delivering improved performance and increased availability for business-critical applications,” said Mark Welke, senior director, product marketing, NetApp. “With our new storage systems, we will provide our customers with the flexibility and efficiency to easily respond to changing IT environments.“