ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Oct. 9, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- QLogic (Nasdaq:QLGC) today announced that it has added a 10GBASE-T model to its 3200 Series portfolio of Intelligent Ethernet Adapters. The new QLogic® dual-port QLE3242-RJ rounds out the 3200 Series, which includes support for SR optics, LR optics, twinaxial (twinax) copper and now twisted pair cabling. Although still in the early stages of deployment, 10GBASE-T is expected to eventually overtake other cabling options given its distance and cost advantages over direct-attached copper and optical fiber alternatives. Delivering full backward-compatibility with an installed base of millions of 1GbE twisted pair switch ports, the QLogic QLE3242-RJ makes it easy for organizations to migrate seamlessly to 10Gb Ethernet (10GbE) networks.
QLogic QLE3242-RJ 10GbE adapters offer several key benefits:
- Investment protection and reduced costs
Unlike more expensive twinax copper, 10GbE SR and LR alternatives, 10GBASE-T offers full backward-compatibility and auto-negotiation with legacy infrastructure investments in Gigabit Ethernet (1Gb/second) and Fast Ethernet (100Mb/second). Additionally, direct-attach copper can't compete with the 100 meter reach of 10GBASE-T. Customers can connect QLogic QLE3242-RJ adapters to their existing 1GbE twisted pair infrastructure (1GbE RJ45 switch ports), protecting existing IT investments and initiating a cost-effective transition to 10GbE networks.
- Five-year warranty protection
QLogic offers the industry's only portfolio of Fibre Channel, 10Gb Intelligent Ethernet and converged networking adapters to be backed by a five-year standard warranty. Raising the bar for reliability in data and storage networking, QLogic helps customers achieve a higher return on their investments with critical data center hardware that is ensured to be operational over a longer lifetime. All QLogic-branded 3200 Series Intelligent Ethernet adapters are warrantied for three years at purchase; customers can extend their warranty to five years at no charge simply by registering their adapters at http://connect.qlogic.com/extendwarranty/index.aspx
- Network and storage I/O virtualization
QLogic VMflex innovation—the industry's first switch-agnostic NIC partitioning (NPAR) technology—provides the flexibility to partition each physical port into four virtual partitions and assign Quality of Service (QoS) and bandwidth parameters to each virtual partition.
- Cloud enabling
The ability to allocate bandwidth and set priorities for each virtual partition enables granular QoS settings that are essential for shared public and private cloud deployments.
- Enterprise performance
The QLE3242-RJ provides the line-rate performance and latencies similar to direct-attach copper cabling, required to support enterprise workloads.
- Simplified and secure management
QLogic QConvergeConsole (QCC) provides a single management application to install, configure and update drivers and firmware on multiple adapters simultaneously. QCC has the unique ability to enable remote and simultaneous network-wide management of network parameters for 3200 Series adapters. QCC provides secure, separate access to LAN and SAN administrators through role-based authentication.
"Based on our widely adopted, battle-tested networking stack, QLogic 10GbE adapters make it easy for customers to migrate to next-generation converged enterprises, virtualized data centers and cloud computing environments," said Amit Vashi, vice president, marketing, Host Solutions Group, QLogic. "The 100 meter range and backward compatibility features of our new 10GBASE-T adapter make it a highly compelling option for organizations that want to leverage their 1GbE RJ45 switch investments and transition easily to 10GbE networks at their own pace."
Supporting Quotes
Alcatel-Lucent
"Data center administrators are focused on improving performance and flexibility while reducing costs," said Stephane Robineau, vice president of networks, Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise. "In accordance we are working to ensure QLogic QLE3242-RJ adapters and Alcatel-Lucent switches interoperate to provide our mutual customers with complete 10GBASE-T solutions that allow organizations to take the first step toward migrating from 1GbE to 10GbE networks, without having to rip and replace any of their current IT investments."
Dell
"At Dell, we believe 2012 is the year of 10GbE. As part of this transition, 10GBASE-T leverages the cost advantage and flexibility of unshielded twisted pair cabling (UTP) which has been widely deployed in networks worldwide," said Arpit Joshipura, vice president for marketing and product management, Dell Networking. "Deploying QLogic QLE3242-RJ adapters with Dell 10GBASE-T switching products helps deliver a cost-effective solution leveraging all of the benefits of UTP structured cabling."
Ethernet Alliance
"10GBASE-T is becoming increasingly important to the Ethernet ecosystem," said John D'Ambrosia, chairperson, Ethernet Alliance. "As companies launch industry-standard solutions for this growing market, more organizations can begin the path from 1GbE to 10GbE networks and begin to reap the numerous associated benefits with a ten-fold increase in bandwidth."
Extreme Networks
"10Gb Ethernet is critical for data center consolidation. By reducing the amount of cables, switches and multiple network adapters in each physical server, 10Gb Ethernet allows organizations to consolidate and simplify their infrastructure," said Marty Lans senior director, data center marketing, Extreme Networks. "Moving to 10Gb Ethernet does not have to be costly or disruptive. 10GBASE-T solutions from Extreme Networks and industry leaders such as QLogic take advantage of existing copper cabling and RJ45 connectors that are widely deployed in data centers, making the migration to 10Gb Ethernet seamless and cost-effective.
Juniper Networks
"Juniper is completely focused on delivering business value through technical innovation, and it's no different with our 10GBASE-T solution," said Dhritiman Dasgupta, senior director, product marketing and strategy, Juniper Networks. "The QLogic QLE3242-RJ adapters and Juniper EX 4550 switches are a cost-effective way for our customers to meet their expanding 10GbE needs. What's more, this solution is unique in the industry in that it is plug and play. It can be connected to other Juniper EX switches (both 1GbE and 10GbE) in a Virtual Chassis configuration meaning our customers can seamlessly migrate and build out a 10GbE network with zero operational downtime."
Panduit
"As our clients increasingly deploy virtualization, I/O consolidation and automation, we see a strong market demand for 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking solutions," said Andrew Caveney, Panduit senior vice president of global marketing, Panduit. "With a reach of up to 100 meters, Panduit Category 6A cabling systems and QLogic 10GbE Intelligent Ethernet Adapters provide a cost-effective, efficient migration path to 10 Gigabit Ethernet in the data center."
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QLogic-- the Ultimate in Performance
QLogic (Nasdaq:QLGC) is a global leader and technology innovator in high performance networking, including adapters, switches and ASICs. Leading OEMs and channel partners worldwide rely on QLogic products for their data, storage and server networking solutions. For more information, visit www.qlogic.com.
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