Storage Networking: Storage Networking Becomes Simpler To Deploy And Manage With QLogic iSCSI HBAs Qualified By Hitachi Data Systems
QLogic® Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC), the leader in Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs) and a leading provider of iSCSI HBAs, today announced Hitachi Data Systems support for iSCSI HBA solutions for Windows and Linux environments. Customers can now buy QLogic SANblade® QLA4050 iSCSI HBAs from authorized QLogic resellers for Hitachi TagmaStore® Adaptable Modular Storage (AMS) and Hitachi Workgroup Modular Storage (WMS) storage systems. QLogic iSCSI HBAs, powered by a single-chip TCP/IP and iSCSI offload engine, combined with Hitachi TagmaStore storage systems, allow businesses to set up user-friendly, high-performance storage networks while preserving server CPU processing for other tasks. The installed base of SANblade QLA4010C iSCSI HBAs are also supported.
"The combination of Hitachi TagmaStore systems with a native iSCSI interface, and QLogic iSCSI HBAs with both TCP/IP and iSCSI protocol offload, is a powerful package for customers that need the simplicity of Ethernet based SANs without sacrificing server performance," said Hu Yoshida, CTO, Hitachi Data Systems. "QLogic and Hitachi Data Systems continue to collaborate on delivering highly reliable storage networking solutions for customers building and managing heterogeneous environments."
QLogic iSCSI Advantages
QLogic SANblade QLA4050C and predecessor QLA4010C iSCSI HBAs offer high performance, low CPU utilization, and server connectivity directly to iSCSI storage or to iSCSI storage through an Ethernet network. These 1Gbps iSCSI-to-133MHz PCI-X HBA solutions offer several key features and benefits including:
- Offloading iSCSI + TCP/IP Processing - SANblade iSCSI HBAs provide access to a high performance iSCSI SAN without sacrificing server performance. Interrupts, CPU utilization, memory bus utilization and host bus access associated with iSCSI and TCP/IP are significantly reduced by offloading the tasks onto the SANblade iSCSI adapter. With iSCSI offload engines, fewer servers are required to maintain application performance. Server CPU utilization testing with typical applications and current servers demonstrates that QLogic SANblade iSCSI HBAs can save 30 percent or more of the server CPU. This can be a 100 percent improvement over software initiator implementations. Recent testing by Network Computing's Storage Pipeline magazine shows less than three percent CPU utilization by QLogic iSCSI HBAs for large block tests.
- Broad Platform Support - Realizing the cost and ease-of-use benefits of iSCSI HBA standardization requires drivers for multiple operating systems. Drivers for popular operating systems are available for the QLogic iSCSI HBAs including Windows, Solaris and Linux.
- Boot from External Storage (SAN) - Managing several operating system "boot images" is a complex and time-consuming task for system administrators. By consolidating operating systems on external storage and booting servers from external storage-- changing, adding and removing servers is easier and faster. The SANblade QLA4050 includes "boot-from-SAN" capability, enabling this cost and time saving strategy.
About QLogic
QLogic is a leading supplier of high performance storage networking solutions including Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs), blade server embedded Fibre Channel switches, Fibre Channel stackable switches, iSCSI HBAs, iSCSI routers and storage services platforms for enabling advanced storage management applications. The company is also a leading supplier of server networking products including InfiniBand host channel adapters that accelerate cluster performance. QLogic products are delivered to small-to-medium businesses and large enterprises around the world via its channel partner community. QLogic products are also powering solutions from leading companies like Cisco, Dell, EMC, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, IBM, NEC, Network Appliance and Sun Microsystems. QLogic is a member of the S&P 500 Index. For more information go to www.qlogic.com.