STORAGE

Topspin Communications, the leader in switched computing, today announced that its Topspin 360 Server Switch and Fibre Channel gateway have passed IBM's comprehensive TotalStorage Proven testing. The IBM TotalStorage Proven program helps customers identify storage solutions and configurations which have been pre-tested for interoperability with IBM's portfolio of storage products. Topspin's solution is the first InfiniBand-to-Fibre Channel offering to pass these rigorous interoperability tests, providing customers the confidence they need for their mission critical deployments. "Customers demand industry-proven interoperability with their existing storage infrastructures," said Tracy Edmonds, vice president of software at Topspin. "IBM's TotalStorage Proven Program allows us to offer assurance to our customers and demonstrates that Topspin and IBM are working together to increase customer satisfaction by promoting greater interoperability." The Topspin 360 Server Switch is designed to build high-performance server clusters out of InfiniBand, and provide seamless Ethernet and/or Fibre Channel connectivity between the server cluster and its shared network and storage resources. The Topspin 360 and Fibre Channel Gateway are certified with the following IBM products: * IBM Shark Enterprise Storage Server 2105-800 * IBM FAStT200 Storage Server 3542 * IBM FAStT700 Storage Server 1742 * IBM LTO Ultrium Scalable Table Library * IBM SAN Fibre Channel Switch 2109 "We've seen in the past that Fibre Channel solutions are not always plug-and-play. This certification gives customers confidence that Topspin's solutions will work in their environment and that implementation will go smoothly," said Tony Prigmore, senior analyst, Enterprise Storage Group. The Topspin 360 and Fibre Channel Gateway are available today.