STORAGE

SAN JOSE, CA -- McDATA(R) Corporation (Nasdaq: MCDTA/MCDT), a leader in open storage networking solutions, and IP storage provider Nishan Systems today announced the successful completion of an interoperability test between McDATA's 3000 Series Fabric Switches and Nishan IP Storage switches over a gigabit-speed transcontinental IP storage network. IT professionals are now one step closer to integrating enterprise-class SANs into native IP storage networks over distances of up to thousands of miles. That means customers can design storage networks for the entire enterprise without limitations on distance or performance. "This event clearly demonstrates that not only are storage and traditional networks converging, but the technology to make it happen is ready for prime time right now," said Steve Duplessie, founder and senior analyst of the Enterprise Storage Group. "We love the fact that McDATA, Nishan and other industry heavyweights have been able to collectively demonstrate that these technologies aren't just in the lab. Users with geographic issues need look no farther to tie all their sites together." This integration extends fibre channel SAN capabilities by providing a high speed, reliable and secure connection between a business and its remote data center. IT managers already enjoying the many business benefits of a SAN can now realize those benefits over exceptionally long distances. "This test not only demonstrates the commitment by McDATA and Nishan to open systems fabric switch interoperability," said John Kelley, COO and president, McDATA, "but offers enhanced capabilities for enterprise-wide SANs, including disaster recovery, regional data warehousing, and remote tape backup." Organized by Nishan Systems as part of its IP storage, coast-to-coast Promontory Project, the testing eclipses all previous distance records for gigabit speed transfer of mass storage data. For the Promontory Project testing with McDATA, Nishan IP storage switches were deployed in Qwest CyberCenters in Newark, N.J. and Sunnyvale, Calif., and used the Qwest OC-48 (2.5Gbps) and OC-192 (10Gbps) backbone to transport fibre channel streams using native IP storage protocols. "The multiprotocol support of Nishan's IP Storage switches and interoperability with McDATA switch fabrics are enabling complementary solutions based on both fibre channel and IP storage," said Aamer Latif, president and CEO of Nishan Systems. "This cooperative effort by McDATA and Nishan brings the best of fibre channel and IP storage technologies together to solve real customer problems. We look forward to working together to develop new capabilities for enterprise storage networks." Both McDATA and Nishan products conform to the NCITS/ANSI T11 FC-SW-2 standard for fibre channel switch interoperability. McDATA's 3000 Series Fabric Switches and Nishan IPS 3000 Series switches used in the Promontory Project were linked via standards-compliant E_Port (expansion port) connectivity. McDATA's 6000 Series Directors and 3000 Series Fabric Switches are based on the same architecture and both will support this interoperability. For more information visit www.mcdata.com or www.nishansystems.com