CLOUD

Emulex Corporation, the world leader in Fibre Channel host bus adapters and embedded storage switches, today announced a new Fibre Channel HBA designed specifically for IBM eServer BladeCenter environments. The LP1005DC is a dual channel, high performance SAN connectivity solution designed for use within the IBM BladeCenter, and is fully driver compatible with Emulex's entire line of market-leading HBAs, enabling end users to migrate seamlessly to IBM BladeCenter solutions. The Emulex LP1005DC is qualified for use with the IBM HS20 and HS40 BladeCenter products in Windows and Linux operating system environments, and it will begin shipping this quarter. "As an IBM BladeCenter Business Partner, Emulex has leveraged our design specification to develop a mezzanine HBA designed to provide high performance SAN connectivity for our market-leading IBM BladeCenter connecting to storage networks," said Jeff Benck, vice president, IBM eServer BladeCenter. "Emulex leveraged the BladeCenter open specification program to create an enterprise solution that expands the portfolio of available options clients can leverage with BladeCenter, which was a key reason why IBM and Intel opened the blade specs. The Emulex LP1005DC promises to be an integral part of our overall BladeCenter ecosystem." With over 500,000 HBAs shipped into IBM server environments, Emulex is the SAN connectivity solution of choice for IT managers at leading data centers worldwide. The availability of the LP1005DC for the IBM eServer BladeCenter will enable these customers to incorporate BladeCenter solutions seamlessly into their existing SAN environments, utilizing common drivers and a familiar HBA architecture. "The Emulex LP1005DC enables IBM customer installations that have already standardized their data centers on Emulex HBAs to continue utilizing the reliable and proven Emulex infrastructure solutions they have come to rely on - and now demand," said Mike Smith, executive vice president of worldwide marketing for Emulex. "Utilizing the BladeCenter Open Specification enabled Emulex to control the entire design and testing process internally, which dramatically reduced our time to market - enabling the company to meet the demands of our large installed base within IBM environments. IBM's BladeCenter Open Specification program has enabled us to work collaboratively with IBM to address a critical customer need for Emulex-based SAN connectivity within the BladeCenter solution." The Emulex LP1005DC provides a unique level of firmware flexibility and driver compatibility, enabling an easy-to-manage, scalable implementation of the IBM BladeCenter SAN solution. Built on the sixth generation Fibre Channel Thor controller for enterprise-class performance, the Emulex LP1005DC provides the same features and capabilities as Emulex's standard form factor PCI HBAs, including Emulex's unique firmware-based architecture, which allows for new features and other upgrades without requiring costly hardware replacements. The LP1005DC also provides driver compatibility with previously installed Emulex HBAs, enabling end users of Emulex HBAs in IBM installations to seamlessly migrate to the BladeCenter solution. The Emulex LP1005DC also leverages Emulex's centralized HBA management suite, HBAnyware. HBAnyware is driver-based technology that enables the discovery and complete management of HBAs within the SAN, reducing total cost of ownership and planned downtime while enabling sophisticated management capabilities such as remote firmware upgrades from a single console anywhere in a SAN. For more information on the Emulex LP1005DC, please visit www.emulex.com .