COSTA MESA, Calif., April 13, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Emulex Corporation (NYSE:ELX) today announced that its LightPulse(r) 8Gb/s Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) are optimized for use with the new generation of IBM System x Intel(r) Xeon(r) processor 5500 series-based servers. Emulex 8Gb/s HBAs, working with IBM System x3650 M2 and IBM System x3550 M2 equipped with Intel QuickPath Interconnect technology (QPI), provide customers with the increased performance, I/O bandwidth and the scalability necessary for their virtualized server environments.
"With greater transaction rates and more effective CPU utilization than other market offerings, Emulex 8Gb/s HBAs are best positioned to handle the mission-critical and I/O-intensive applications of next-generation data centers," said Steve Daheb, chief marketing officer and senior vice president of business development, Emulex. "By working closely with IBM and other industry leaders, we will continue to deliver best-in-class HBA and connectivity technologies that meet the demanding requirements of rapidly-growing virtualized server environments."
Leveraging Emulex HBA technology, the new IBM System x3650 M2 and System x3550 M2 servers offer twice the performance for virtualized environments. Emulex LightPulse HBAs offer customers a range of capabilities, including:
* Bandwidth that supports more virtual machines (VMs) per server
than other solutions. Emulex 8Gb/s HBAs maximize the performance
improvements and power savings offered by IBM's new servers.
* Enterprise scalability and flexibility through support for
Message-Signaled Interrupts eXtended (MSI-X), offering end users
greater CPU efficiency, reduced system latency and improved I/O
throughput -- all of which contribute to increased server
performance and reduced power consumption.
* Comprehensive virtualization capabilities with support for N_Port
ID Virtualization (NPIV) and Virtual Fabric, enabling IBM System
x users to leverage storage area network (SAN) management tools
and best practices at the VM level, including fabric zoning and
LUN mapping/masking.
* Host to Fabric FC-SP authentication -- ensures end-to-end data
integrity and protects sensitive data from unauthorized access.
* Support for the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)
preboot environment common across all new IBM systems.
* Common driver model allows a single driver to support all Emulex
HBAs on a given operating system -- lowers administrative costs
and speeds server deployment.
* Support for 8Gb/s, 4Gb/s & 2Gb/s Fibre Channel devices --
integrates seamlessly into existing SANs.
"Offering superior performance in virtualized environments, as well as significantly lower power requirements, our new System x servers give customers a reason to invest in their IT infrastructures, even in challenging economic times," said Robert Galush, Vice President of Systems x Servers and Options, IBM Corporation. "With Emulex's 8Gb/s HBA supporting our new systems, IBM is even better equipped to drive x86 server innovation and help customers to maximize their server efficiency and power savings, without compromise."
Emulex HBAs are managed using HBAnyware(r), a secure, automated and centralized enterprise management platform that provides a single interface for the deployment, dynamic provisioning, asset management, connectivity management, security and quality of service (QoS) of I/O connectivity that is optimized for virtualized server environments.
For more information on Emulex connectivity solutions for IBM, please visit: http://www.emulex-ibm.com/
To learn more about Emulex, please visit: http://www.emulex.com
About Emulex
Emulex is the leader in converged networking solutions for the data center. Our Connectivity Continuum architecture provides intelligent networking services that transition today's infrastructure into tomorrow's unified network ecosystem. Emulex provides a single framework that intelligently connects every server, network and storage device within the data center. Through strategic collaboration and integrated partner solutions, Emulex provides its customers with industry leading business value, operational flexibility and strategic advantage. Emulex is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:ELX) and has corporate headquarters in Costa Mesa, California. News releases and other information about Emulex Corporation are available at http://www.emulex.com.
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Emulex Safe Harbor Statement
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: With the exception of historical information, the statements set forth above include forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. The company wishes to caution readers that a number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Those factors include the rapidly changing nature of technology, evolving industry standards and frequent introductions of new products and enhancements by competitors; fluctuation in the growth of Fibre Channel and IP markets; changes in economic conditions or changes in end user demand for technology solutions; fluctuations or delays in customer orders; the highly competitive nature of the markets for Emulex's products; Emulex's ability to gain market acceptance for its products; the company's ability to attract and retain skilled personnel; the company's reliance on third-party suppliers. These and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are also discussed in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its recent filings on Forms 8-K, 10-K and 10-Q. All trademarks, trade names, service marks, and logos referenced herein belong to their respective companies.