APPLICATIONS

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Today, SGI announced its popular shared filesystem for storage area networks (SANs), CXFS(TM) 2.2, can manage up to 32 different client machines within one SAN. CXFS(TM) previously handled up to 16 client machines. This significant improvement increases the scalability of SGI(R) storage solutions and ultimately increases productivity for users of SAN environments by eliminating file duplication and the time it takes to move large files over the network. The release of CXFS follows the release of the Brocade(R) SilkWorm(R) 3900, a 32-port Enterprise Fabric Switch that SGI offers to its customers. CXFS enables multiple computers running different operating systems -- SGI(R) IRIX(R), Windows NT(R) and Sun(TM) Solaris(TM) -- to directly access a single shared, 64-bit filesystem within a SAN, allowing all systems in the environment to simultaneously access the same file at local or near-local disk speeds. CXFS also provides massive scalability, throughput, availability, ease of management and low total cost of ownership for storing, accessing and managing data in a high-performance, multiplatform SAN environment. CXFS improves data workflow by providing customers the performance and scalability of a SAN with the file sharing and connectivity of network-attached storage, addressing two fundamental challenges in data management: fast access to information and seamless integration of multiple operating systems. Earlier this month, Brocade announced the release of the SilkWorm 3900, a 32-port Enterprise Fabric Switch that brings together the best of Brocade entry-to-enterprise features to offer enterprise scalability, manageability and high availability, as well as the attractive pricing, modularity and simplicity required for smaller environments. The SilkWorm 3900 provides a complete solution for a departmental network or can easily function as an edge switch within an enterprise core-to-edge storage network. Based on the same third-generation ASIC technology as the rest of the SilkWorm product family and delivering Brocade's proven advanced fabric services, it provides simplified management, cost-effectiveness, increased performance, higher availability, increased reliability and enhanced security. The SilkWorm 3900, used in conjunction with CXFS 2.2, gives customers the impressive ability to manage and access one filesystem across multiple platforms for up to 32 different systems, in one storage area network. Jay Kidd, Brocade vice president of product marketing, said, "We are pleased that SGI will be offering the SilkWorm 3900 to its worldwide base of customers. CXFS provides enterprises with the unique capability of using one shared filesystem in their heterogeneous SAN environment and of reaping the subsequent efficiencies and management benefits - both of which are key requirements important for organizations looking to deploy a SAN." "This expanded shared-filesystem capability is really an important one for our customers as they continue to look for ways to scale to their rapidly expanding data management needs, while also trying to keep the management of their systems as simple as possible," said Susan Tellep, director of product marketing, SGI. "Allowing customers to access data in one shared filesystem across multiple platforms and storage solutions ultimately allows our customers more- rapid access to the mission-critical data they need." SGI storage solutions are primarily used by customers generating massive amounts of complex data, including customers in industries such as government and defense, media, the sciences, manufacturing, and energy. Because it uses the available SAN infrastructure, CXFS can deliver much greater I/O performance and bandwidth than any network-data-sharing mechanism, such as NFS or CIFS. Based on the industry-leading XFS(TM) filesystem and the XVM volume manager, CXFS benefits from field-proven and feature-rich capabilities such as: -- 64-bit scalability that supports file sizes up to 9 million terabytes and filesystems up to 18 million terabytes -- Heterogeneous client support for IRIX, Solaris and Windows NT now, and other versions of Windows(R) and UNIX(R) environments in the future -- Proven, time-tested technology -- Highly optimized distributed buffering techniques that allow the industy's fastest performance -- High availability with automatic failure detection and recovery -- Centralized intuitive management tools -- Complete POSIX compliance needing no application change -- Tight integration with other SGI infrastructure software including: FailSafe(TM), DMF, TMF, Trusted IRIX(TM) and SGI Media Server(TM) for broadcast