ENGINEERING

SUNNYVALE, CA -- Capitalizing on the successful deployment of the Promontory Project in September, Dell (Nasdaq:DELL), Hitachi Data Systems (NYSE:HIT), Nishan Systems, QLogic (Nasdaq:QLGC), and Qwest Communications International, Inc. (NYSE:Q) today announced the transmission of IP Storage data at a peak throughput of 215 Megabytes per second (MBps), and a sustained throughput of over 200MBps between Sunnyvale, California, and Newark, New Jersey, using the Internet Fibre Channel Protocol (iFCP). The data is being transmitted at wire speed over a single Gigabit Ethernet port on a pair of standard IP routers connected by OC-48 (2.5Gbps) WAN links. The companies also announced the successful mirroring of a terabyte of data, coast to coast. These tests further demonstrate the viability of IP Storage networking for mission-critical on-line remote replication across virtually any geographic distance. The Promontory Project test bed has been in continuous operation through September and October. The equipment includes best-in-class servers, Fibre Channel host bus adapters, Fibre Channel storage devices and IP Storage switches from the project participants. The IP Storage protocol, Internet Fibre Channel Protocol (iFCP), is used to integrate Fibre Channel end systems natively with IP networks. IP Storage switches provide the wire-speed conversion between Fibre Channel and IP. Prior testing for the Promontory Project also included iSCSI adapters and storage devices operating from coast to coast. The first phase of the Promontory Project demonstrated that multiple ports on a Nishan IP Storage switch could collectively process IP Storage data from Fibre Channel and iSCSI end systems at a rate sufficient to completely saturate the OC-48 (2.5Gbps) channels on an OC-192 (10Gbps) coast-to-coast WAN link. This second phase is even more rigorous. It demonstrates the ability of a pair of Nishan IP Storage switches, linked by a single transcontinental full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet connection, to convert between Fibre Channel and native IP Storage data at wire speed (215MBps), simultaneously in both directions. "When we submitted iFCP to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), we knew that it would support sustained wire-speed throughput across standard IP networks," said Franco Travostino, IETF technical coordinator for iFCP. "Today's announcement showcases a real-world demonstration of iFCP's capabilities over extraordinary distances." Comments by Participants "Working with Nishan Systems and the other members of the Promontory group has provided valuable information for Hitachi Data Systems and its customers," said Hu Yoshida, chief technology officer, Hitachi Data Systems. "We now have concrete data to support the ability of our Freedom Storage Lightning 9900 to transfer data at high speed over IP networks. This will accelerate our ability to offer solutions that meet customers' needs in critical areas such as disaster recovery and data streaming." "As IP and Ethernet protocols begin to standardize, many Dell customers are beginning to look for simple implementations of remote storage over cost-effective IP networks," said Bruce Kornfeld, director of product marketing, Dell Enterprise Systems Group. "To assist our customers as they evaluate this new technology, Dell now includes Nishan's Multiprotocol IP storage switches through our Software and Peripherals Business." "QLogic is focused on providing a complete range of storage network connectivity options," said Frank Berry, vice president of corporate marketing at QLogic Corporation. "Nishan's products help us leverage our strength in the host bus adapter market by giving our customers IP Storage networks that use our proven Fibre Channel adapters today, and the freedom to shift at any time to our iSCSI adapters without having to replace their storage switches." Additional Details Network transmission facilities provided by Qwest Communications for the Promontory Project also included networking equipment from Cisco Systems and Ciena. Cisco's Catalyst 6500 Series Switches and 12000 Series Internet Routers powered the link between the co-location facilities. Ciena's dense wave division multiplexing systems provided long-haul optical transport.