MAHWAH, N.J., MARTINSRIED and MUNICH, Germany, Aug. 1, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- ADVA Optical Networking successfully completed interoperability testing and qualification of its Fiber Service Platform (FSP) systems for an early version of IBM's planned Server Time Protocol (STP) technology for the IBM System z(TM) Geographically Dispersed Parallel Sysplex (GDPS(R)) environments. STP is planned to be the follow-on to the Sysplex Timer(R) (9037-002). STP is designed to allow clock synchronization of System z servers without requiring the Sysplex Timer.
Through the elimination of Sysplex timers in a GDPS/Peer to Peer Remote Copy (PPRC) multisite solution, it is anticipated that enterprise customers will benefit from storage network connectivity of up to 100km, up from 40km previously, which may allow them to build highly-effective disaster recovery and business continuity solutions for mission-critical applications. A pre-general availability version of STP is currently only available through an IBM early customer program called the Implementation Assistance Program (IAP). It is expected that STP will be made generally available following the completion of the IAP.
Expanding its portfolio of IBM GDPS qualifications, this major new qualification for ADVA's FSP systems leverages storage and server connectivity solutions from one of the industry's leading optical networking vendors to extend the distances between clustered data centers.
"Wide-scale GDPS installations by large enterprise customers increasingly call for greater distance and bandwidth capacity to interconnect multiple sites in widespread metropolitan areas. In this way, enterprises are in a strong position to help mitigate the potential risks of various disaster recovery scenarios, create more comprehensive business continuity solutions and respond to an increasing number of new regulations that may require businesses to take a stricter approach to corporate data protection and management," explained Dr. Casimer DeCusatis, distinguished engineer of the IBM System and Technology Group.
A GDPS/PPRC STP-based installation is designed to be a comprehensive disaster recovery and business continuity solution for large multi-site enterprises. It is intended to combine the characteristics of high availability and near-continuous operations to deliver high levels of service. It is based on geographical clusters and data mirroring, including the latest 4Gbit/s and 10Gbit/s Inter Switch Link (ISL) technology. These technologies will form the backbone of a GDPS/PPRC STP solution, which is designed to manage and protect IT services by handling planned and unplanned exception conditions. GDPS/PPRC can also help maintain data integrity across multiple volumes and subsystems. By managing both planned and unplanned exception conditions, GDPS/PPRC can help to maximize application availability and provide business continuity.
"Early GDPS STP qualification is another important milestone in building ADVA's partnership with IBM. It offers our customers a proven solution that allows greater distances between data centers. ADVA is committed to supporting the mission-critical nature of GDPS STP environments for our enterprise customers," commented Brian P. McCann, chief marketing and strategy officer at ADVA.
The ADVA Fiber Service Platform is a portfolio of networking products designed specifically for the delivery of high-speed services and network infrastructure rollout. The product family's modular design and flexible architecture options enable the most comprehensive and cost-effective solutions for customer premises, access, metro core and regional deployment.
GDPS STP early test qualification is one in a long series of interoperability tests conducted by ADVA and IBM. Other IBM qualifications achieved by ADVA can be found on IBM's website at www.ibm.com. More information about the FSP products and key applications can be found on ADVA's website at www.advaoptical.com.
About ADVA Optical Networking
ADVA Optical Networking (Frankfurt:ADV) is at the forefront of providing Optical+Ethernet solutions that advance next-generation networks for data, storage, voice and video services. ADVA's strength comes from passionate and dedicated employees, all sharing a common vision: a fast, customized response to customers' ever-changing needs. Our innovative Fiber Service Platform (FSP) and strong customer focus provide carriers and enterprises the ability to scale their networks and deliver intelligent, competitive new services. ADVA's solutions have been deployed at more than 180 carriers and 5,000 enterprises in more than 40 countries worldwide. For further information about ADVA: www.advaoptical.com.
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ADVA AG Optical Networking, Martinsried/Munich and Meiningen, Germany ADVA Optical Networking Inc., Mahwah, New Jersey, USA ADVA Optical Networking Corp., Tokyo, Japan www.advaoptical.com