SAN FRANCISCO, March 1, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Intel Developer Forum -- QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC), the company that powers storage area networks (SANs), will demonstrate its SANblade(tm) QLE2360 series PCI-Express Fibre Channel host bus adapter (HBA) at the Intel Developer Forum, March 1 - 3 at the Moscone West Convention Center, San Francisco. The HBA allows customers to take full advantage of the performance benefits of servers with PCI-Express buses.
Most system administrators are familiar with the PCI bus, the server interconnect introduced in the early 1990s. Since then, storage interconnects, such as Fibre Channel and iSCSI, have delivered increased connection speeds. However, the PCI bus has remained constant, having received only minor performance enhancements. The result is a growing imbalance in processing and I/O performance.
PCI-Express represents a new approach to I/O connectivity and takes advantage of a decade of technology innovation to support deployment of multi-port, multi-gigabit host bus adapters without server I/O bottlenecks. Major server vendors are beginning to offer products with PCI-Express, providing an opportunity for IT managers to deliver increased system performance and reliability across their enterprise.
The SANblade QLE2360 family (single and dual port versions) is the fastest performing 2Gbps Fibre Channel host bus adapter currently available. In recent tests, the HBA outperformed its nearest competitor's by up to 53 percent. In full-duplex testing, the SANblade QLE2362 achieved 149,000 I/Os per second (IOPs), or 53 percent higher than its closest competitor; in half-duplex testing, 166,000 IOPs, were achieved, or 42 percent higher.
"Removing the I/O bottlenecks from servers is one of the reasons that PCI Express is being broadly embraced within the enterprise," said Jim Pappas, initiative marketing director for Intel's Digital Enterprise Group. "IT managers are ready to fully take advantage of the benefits of PCI Express-based servers. Additionally, IT managers want increased server availability and performance. The combination of PCI Express with high-speed Fibre Channel connectivity in products, such as QLogic's, offers a very fast, serviceable storage solution." The SANblade QLE2360 HBA was recently qualified for use with the EMC(r) Symmetrix(r) and EMC CLARiiON(r) families of networked storage systems.
SANblade QLE2360 Support for PCI-Express x4
PCI-Express has the ability to scale speeds by forming multiple lanes. A point-to-point connection allows each device to have a dedicated connection without sharing bandwidth. The SANblade QLE2360 series supports a four-lane implementation of PCI-Express (PCI-Express x4) and delivers more than 80,000 IOPs per port.
SANblade QLE2360 Series PCI-Express Host Bus Adapter
The SANblade QLE2360 series Fibre Channel HBAs balance 2Gbps Fibre Channel throughput with PCI-Express x4 buses and utilize the most advanced Intelligent Serial Processor (ISP) designed by QLogic.
These HBAs include features like:
-- Native support for all major operating systems, including
Microsoft(tm) Windows 2003, Red Hat(tm) Linux, and SuSE(r) Linux
-- PCI-Express host bus connectivity
-- Single or dual port Fibre Channel models
-- Auto-negotiation of Fibre Channel speed (1 Gbps or 2 Gbps)
-- Concurrent support for SCSI and IP protocols
-- Local and remote HBA management
-- Enhanced beacon/LED indicators
-- SANsurfer APIs that include SNIA HBA APIs and SMI-S
-- Supported by SANsurfer Management Suite(tm) application that
combines Fibre Channel switch and HBA management functionality in
a single, central console
Availability
QLogic SANblade QLE2360 series host bus adapters are now available from QLogic resellers. For further information, visit www.qlogic.com.
Powered by QLogic
Since 1993, over 50 million QLogic products have shipped inside servers, workstations, RAID subsystems, tape libraries, disk and tape drives. These products were delivered to small, medium and large enterprises around the world. Powering solutions from leading companies like Cisco, Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NEC, Network Appliance, Quantum, StorageTek and Sun Microsystems, the broad line of QLogic controller chips, host bus adapters, network switches and management software move data from storage devices through the network fabric to servers. A member of the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100, QLogic was named to the following during fiscal year 2004: (i) Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies list for the fourth consecutive year; (ii) Forbes' Best 200 Small Companies for the fifth consecutive year; and (iii) Business Week's list of 100 Hot Growth Companies. For more information visit www.qlogic.com.
Note: All QLogic-issued press releases appear on the Company's website (www.qlogic.com). Any announcement that does not appear on the QLogic website has not been issued by QLogic.
Disclaimer -- Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains statements relating to future results of the Company (including certain beliefs and projections regarding business trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. The Company advises readers that these potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: the volatility of the Company's stock price; fluctuations in operating results; the dependence on the storage area network market; the ability to maintain and gain market or industry acceptance of the Company's products; the dependence on a limited number of customers; seasonal fluctuations and uneven sales patterns in orders from customers; the ability to compete effectively with other companies; declining average unit sales prices of comparable products; a reduction in sales efforts by current distributors; the dependence on relationships with certain silicon chip suppliers and other subcontractors; the complexity of the Company's products; sales fluctuations arising from customer transitions to new products; terrorist activities and resulting military actions; international, economic, regulatory, political and other risks; changes in semiconductor foundry capacity; uncertain benefits from strategic business combinations; the ability to maintain or expand upon strategic alliances; the strain on resources caused by rapid growth and expansion; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; the ability to protect proprietary rights or to satisfactorily resolve any infringement claims; changes in tax laws or adverse audit results; decreasing effectiveness of equity compensation in employee retention; charter documents and stockholder rights plan that may discourage a business combination; and facilities located in areas subject to earthquakes.
More detailed information on these and additional factors which could affect the Company's operating and financial results are described in the Company's Forms 10-K, 10-Q and other reports, filed or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company urges all interested parties to read these reports to gain a better understanding of the many business and other risks that the Company faces. The forward looking statements contained in this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
(c)2004-2005 QLogic Corporation. Specifications are subject to change without notice. All rights reserved worldwide. QLogic, the QLogic logo and the powered by QLogic logo are registered trademarks of QLogic Corporation. SANblade is a registered trademark in the United States. SANsurfer Management Suite is a trademark of QLogic Corporation which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.