QLogic Gets Stacked

QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq: QLGC) this week is launching another offensive in its campaign to convince the world that Fibre Channel is not too expensive and complicated for small and midsized businesses.

For years, "affordable SAN" has been something of an oxymoron. And while QLogic has had marginal success in developing the entry-level FC market, this time it may actually get some traction (see SANs for the Masses and QLogic's Mantra: FC Everywhere!).

The centerpiece of QLogic's renewed strategy is the SANbox 5200 series of "stackable" switches -- the first of its kind in the industry. In a stackable switch architecture, interswitch links that connect multiple devices into a meshed fabric are provided via high-speed external connectivity. While the low end of the Ethernet switch market has been populated with stackable switches for years, QLogic is finally helping Fibre Channel catch up (see QLogic Intros Stackable FC Switch).

"The magic of stackable switches is you don't have to tie up ports for interswitch links," says Frank Berry, VP of marketing at QLogic. "Surprisingly, our competitors haven't picked up on this." [Ed. note: You know, Frank says that a lot.]

The other innovation in the 5200 is that those interswitch links (ISLs) are provided via 10-Gbit/s Fibre Channel ports. Each switch provides 16 2-Gbit/s ports and four 10-Gbit/s ports; the 10-Gig ports are used to interconnect up to four switches in a stack, yielding a total of 64 2-Gbit/s ports.The advantages of this approach are obvious. Berry points out that building a 64-port SAN using typical 16-port FC switches, you would need a total of six switches -- with 32 ports wasted for ISLs. "At $1,000 per port, that's $32,000 burned up," he says.

Moreover, QLogic says the 5200 is going to be priced at around half what Fibre Channel switches from Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD) and McData Corp. (Nasdaq: MCDTA), even in the lower-end space, usually cost. Berry says he expects the street price of the 5200 to be less than $500 per port. "It will be a price leader," he promises.

QLogic is making the switch available to its OEM partners now, with commercial distribution expected to begin in January 2004.

The 5200 switch is based on a new switch ASIC developed by QLogic, code-named Agate. Each Agate chip provides four 10-Gig ports and 16 2-Gig ports. The 10-Gbit/s FC ports on the switch use Intel Corp.'s (Nasdaq: INTC) XPAK technology, and QLogic has implemented copper interfaces (rather than optical) to keep the cost down. "With the short interconnections in the stack, you don't need the optical interfaces," Berry notes.

Another piece of QLogic's new affordable SAN push is an upgrade to its management software. SANsurfer Management Suite 3.0, provided free with each QLogic switch or host bus adapter (HBA), provides wizard-based configuration and device management.Finally, QLogic is collaborating with Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) to provide the SAN Connectivity Kit for Windows Server 2003. Priced at $6,999, the package includes an eight-port switch, four HBAs, cables, drivers, and management software. The bundle also includes QLogic's SANsurfer VDS Manager, a utility that presents a single user interface for managing different storage arrays. (VDS, a feature in Windows 2003, stands for "Virtual Disk Service.")

"Our focus is not trying to compete with Brocade and McData," Berry says. "It's the untapped market for low-cost switches. Our competitors are very focused on charging for a lot of value-added features. This is a different model."

Can QLogic make Fibre Channel smell more like Ethernet in terms of cost and simplicity? If so, it already has a healthy headstart.

Todd Spangler, US Editor, Byte and Switch