Sun Lights QLogic 'Un-Director'

PHOENIX -- Storage Networking World Spring 2003 -- Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) will resell QLogic Corp.'s (Nasdaq: QLGC) new 64-port Fibre Channel fabric switch, which is almost (but not quite) an enterprise-class director, QLogic executives say.

QLogic says its modular 2-Gbit/s SANbox2-64 has many of the features of a higher-priced SAN director but for substantially less -- around $1,000 per port. The device is designed to let customers implement bigger FC fabrics without having to use lower-port-count switches in configurations that consume numerous precious ports as interswitch links (ISLs), says Frank Berry, VP of marketing at QLogic (see QLogic Intros 64-Port FC Edge Switch).

"Most people building large meshed fabrics don't like having to take up a $2,000 port as an ISL," he says.

QLogic can credibly claim to have the largest FC fabric switch on the market. But is bigger necessarily better? Mike Gustafson, senior VP of marketing at McData Corp. (Nasdaq: MCDTA), says if a customer really wants to put 64 ports at the edge, the best way to do that is to hook two 32-port switches together via an ISL. "It's a better solution because it's nonblocking," he says. QLogic, though, claims its SANbox2-64 is a nonblocking switch.

Next year, McData plans to release a 32-port version of the Sphereon 4500, which currently only provides up to 24, Gustafson says; previously, McData had indicated that 48- and 64-port Sphereon switches were on the roadmap (see McData Packs in the Ports).Meanwhile, Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD) sells the 32-port SilkWorm 3900, and the Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) MDS 9216 offers up to 48 ports (see Cisco Gets Set, McData Lowers Boom on Brocade, and Brocade Preps 32-Port Push).

As first reported by Byte and Switch, QLogic has been working on its 64-port unit for about a year, seeing an opportunity to undercut the pricing of directors from Brocade and McData, which typically cost more than $2,000 per port. Originally, QLogic hoped to start shipping it by the end of 2002 (see QLogic Exposes Big Unit and QLogic Preps 64-Port Switch).

The SANbox2-64, delivered in a 4U-high chassis, provides many director-like features -- high density, a 256-Gbit/s crossbar architecture, nondisruptive code-load activation, and dual power supplies and fans -- but there is a single point of failure in the device. Berry says there's only one management module, and if that fails the switch is toast. But he says most customers would deploy two switches in dual redundant fabrics anyway, a configuration QLogic claims can deliver five-9s reliability (99.999 percent uptime). "For many customers, this is 'good enough,' " he says.

The Sun/QLogic deal reaffirms the companies' partnership in what is essentially a new market category for QLogic. Some analysts had speculated -- incorrectly, it would appear -- that Sun's acquisition of virtualization switch startup Pirus Networks would reduce QLogic's presence in the Sun storage lineup. Sun accounted for about 16 percent of QLogic's revenues in fiscal 2002, or around $58 million, according to its 10-K filing (see QLogic in a Quandary? and Sun Beams on Pirus).

"Sun's strategy has always been to team up with best-of-breedpartners, and we view QLogic as one of those partners," says Sun spokeswoman Angie Devlin.Of course, Sun also resells the full line of Brocade and McData switches. But QLogic's Berry says the 64-port fabric switch fills a previously unmet gap in the market. "Unless Brocade convinces customers that only Brocade switches can go into their environment -- and that does happen -- I think we will get traction with this product," he says (see Sun Stuffs Its SAN Bag and Sun to Resell McData Gear).

The University of Utah Health Sciences Center is using two of the new QLogic switches to consolidate access to multiple Novell Inc. (Nasdaq: NOVL) and Sun servers. "Adding several additional switches would have made the configuration way too complicated," says Mark Beekhuizen, IT director of the hospital. "We wanted to abandon susbsystems and grow our data efficiently in one place, not in 100 places."

The QLogic SANbox2-64 starts at around $26,000 for a 16-port system ($1,500 per port) and is about $64,000 for 64 ports. QLogic's SANsurfer management software is included in the price. The system provides incremental expansion via eight-port line cards; eventually, QLogic plans to deliver a 10-Gbit/s port module for the SANbox2-64, which would provide ISL capability (see QLogic Starts 4-Gig Quest).

The switch has already been shipping in the channel for about two months and is generally available from Sun this week.

Todd Spangler, US Editor, Byte and Switch