Storage Systems: QLogic SANbox Fibre Channel Blade Switches Qualified By Cisco And EMC

QLogic Fibre Channel Switch Modules for IBM BladeCenter Fully Interoperable with MDS Series Directors from Cisco and Storage Systems from EMC

QLogic® Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC), the leader in blade server switches, today announced that Cisco Systems and EMC have qualified QLogic SANbox® Fibre Channel switch modules for IBM BladeCenter® with MDS 9000 Series Multilayer Directors and Fabric Switches from Cisco. EMC has qualified the combination of the QLogic switches and the Cisco MDS 9000 Series for use with EMC® Symmetrix® DMX series and EMC CLARiiON® CX series networked storage systems.

"Through the EMC E-Lab Tested™ program, we work with QLogic, Cisco and others to build and rigorously test real-world configurations for interoperability with our industry leading networked storage systems," said Marty Lans, EMC Senior Director of Storage Networking. "With the highly rigorous testing provided by the EMC E-Lab process, our customers can confidently deploy highly reliable, high performing network- based solutions."

Cisco-Based SANs Deliver Industry-Leading Scalability, Availability, Security and Management
With the exponential growth of data in today's business environment, organizations are consolidating data assets into fewer, larger, and more manageable storage area networks (SANs). Scalability and interoperability are critical factors here, as companies must effectively manage and consolidate data center resources, while continuously responding to changing business requirements. The Cisco MDS 9000 family of switching products offers industry-leading availability, scalability, security, and management in addition to intelligent features such as integrated VSANs, Inter-VSAN routing, and advanced diagnostics.

"The robust and flexible hardware architecture offered by the MDS 9000 Series with multiple layers of network and storage management intelligence allows customers to build highly available, scalable SANs with advanced security and management," said Craig Griffin, director of Business Development, Data Center Business Unit at Cisco. "By working with companies like QLogic and EMC to deliver open, interoperable solutions, we can extend our core competencies to give customers greater flexibility and manageability in their SAN solutions."

QLogic, the Leader in Blade Server Switch Solutions
Developer of the world's first embedded SAN infrastructure for bladed servers, QLogic is the leading supplier of Fibre Channel embedded switches and HBAs for bladed servers. QLogic HBAs and switches provide fast, reliable and scalable storage expansion in an ultra-compact form-factor. QLogic embedded Fibre Channel switch products allow OEM customers to design the switch interface directly into their server and storage devices. This results in easier SAN implementation and management for end users, reduced power consumption and lower overall system costs.

"This is a highly significant qualification for the industry," said Jesse Parker, vice president of product marketing, QLogic Switch Products Group. "Cisco storage area networks, EMC networked storage, and blade servers using QLogic switch modules are pervasive throughout the Enterprise. Customers will be able to confidently build compatible SANs with best-in-class, fully interoperable ingredients."

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.