CLOUD

Emulex's Latest Release of HBAnyware Management Suite Extends Efficiency With Enhanced Functionality for HP BladeSystem c-Class: Emulex Corporation today announced its support for the HP Virtual Connect Fibre Channel (FC) module within the latest release of its HBAnyware management software. Emulex HBAnyware is a powerful FC host bus adapter (HBA) management suite designed for efficient, scalable administration of enterprise-class SAN connectivity, which fully interoperates with HP BladeSystem c-Class featuring Virtual Connect. HP Virtual Connect technology aggregates the blade server connections within the BladeSystem c-Class chassis so that networked storage environments can communicate with pools of server blades, which simplifies the deployment of SANs by decoupling the server management from the storage administration. "Emulex Fibre Channel SAN connectivity solutions are trusted by business customers of all sizes around the globe," said Mike Smith, executive vice president of worldwide marketing, Emulex Corporation. "Now, HP Virtual Connect enables customers to leverage the best of Emulex technology when deploying an HP BladeSystem c-Class platform. Customers benefit from streamlined server and storage management practices, which simplify IT administration, increase productivity and flexibility, and lower total cost of ownership." Working in conjunction with HP, Emulex has upgraded its HBAnyware management suite to provide support for HP Virtual Connect. HBAnyware simplifies HBA management by allowing for the configuration and management of all the Emulex HBAs within the SAN to be remotely managed from a single console, which increases productivity, reduces downtime, and contributes to improving return on investment. "Emulex is a valued member of our BladeSystem Solution Builder Program, and their decision to support Virtual Connect with their HBAnyware management suite underscores the strong relationship we have in delivering the latest and most robust solutions to BladeSystem customers," said Mark Potter, vice president, BladeSystem Division, HP. "The Virtual Connect Fibre Channel module provides customers with superior scalability and the most efficient IT infrastructures necessary for reducing administrative wait time and driving down the ever-increasing costs associated with managing the data center." Emulex's line of Fibre Channel HBAs for HP's BladeSystem c-Class are designed to be fully compatible with previous generation HBAs and leverage a common driver, utilities and architecture. In addition, Emulex HBAs for server blades are dual channel solutions that perform 78 percent faster than competitive dual channel offerings. Today's announcement further strengthens Emulex's relationship with HP by extending support to its new Virtual Connect architecture. In June 2006, Emulex announced support for the HP BladeSystem c-Class with the Emulex LPe1105-HP, HP Part No. 403621-B21, 4Gb/s FC HBA to provide reliable, high-performance connectivity to HP ProLiant c-Class server blades and a high-availability connection to scalable storage ideal for data-intensive applications. The Emulex HBA for the BladeSystem c-Class is supported today with Virtual Connect technology. The latest release of Emulex HBAnyware management suite is planned to be available starting next month. Please check HP's Web site for availability.