QLogic Announces Support for IBM iDataPlex System

Switches Maximize HPC Performance, Simplify and Reduce Costs of Operating Data Center: QLogic, a leader in networking for storage and high performance computing (HPC), today announced that its QLogic SilverStorm 9000 Series InfiniBand directors and switches are now qualified with IBM iDataPlex and System Cluster 1350 systems for HPC environments. IBM iDataPlex is a new category of server that dramatically increases compute density while significantly decreasing energy consumption and associated data center costs for Internet-scale computing. Designed to maximize cluster and grid computing interconnect performance while simplifying and reducing the cost of operating a data center, QLogic InfiniBand switches provide a solution for IBM-based HPC networks, database clusters and grid utility computing applications. "IBM iDataPlex and Cluster 1350 systems are addressing a wide range of important market sectors from weather & climate modeling to computational chemistry and petroleum exploration," said Jesse Parker, vice president and general manager, QLogic Network Solutions Group. "The integration of QLogic InfiniBand switches and directors helps maximize cluster performance in these environments, and simplifies installation with fabric management tools that make it easy for administrators to have their InfiniBand networks up and running within minutes." "With our innovative iDataPlex system design, customers realize significant savings on power and cooling, as well as space," said Jim Gargan, vice president, IBM Systems & Technology Group. "IBM iDataPlex combined with QLogic InfiniBand directors and switches provide the high performance connectivity and productivity necessary to run increasingly complex scientific and commercial applications." QLogic SilverStorm 9000 Series -- Maximizes Cluster Connectivity, Minimizes Data Center Costs QLogic SilverStorm 9000 Series multi-protocol fabric directors support high performance computing, database clustering and grid utility computing applications. The SilverStorm 9000 Series maximizes cluster and grid computing interconnect performance while simplifying and reducing data center costs. The director leverages the latest InfiniBand-based technologies to provide industry-leading port densities, throughput performance, and ultra low latency. Incorporating the innovative Virtual I/O Controller (VIC) technology, the SilverStorm 9000 Series enables hosts on InfiniBand fabrics to transparently access either Fibre Channel or Ethernet networks or both. VIC technology eliminates the cost and complexity of running multiple server physical connections for storage, network, and inter-processor communications and allows each virtual network type to scale independently over a "single wire" connection. QLogic High Performance Computing Solutions -- Second to None QLogic offers a comprehensive end-to-end product portfolio of HPC solutions which includes multi-protocol fabric directors, edge fabric switches, host channel adapters (HCAs), and a complete software suite to install, operate, and maintain high performance interconnect fabrics. Delivering the industry's highest message rate, lowest MPI latency and highest effective bandwidth, QLogic InfiniBand HCAs enable MPI and TCP applications to scale to thousands of nodes with unprecedented price-performance. The most comprehensive and flexible interconnect fabric solutions on the market, QLogic InfiniBand switches incorporate the industry's only fabric management tools that enable an administrator to install and boot an InfiniBand fabric in minutes, helping to satisfy the growing demand for high performance computational clusters and grids.