Brocade extends cloud-optimized SAN leadership with new 16 Gbps Fibre Channel Switch

Brocade (Nasdaq: BRCD), the pioneer and market leader in Storage Area Networks, has announced the introduction of the Brocade 6505 Switch - an entry level 16 Gbps Fibre Channel switch. This comes almost a year after the networking vendor was the first to market with a comprehensive family of 16 gigabits per second (Gbps) Fibre Channel offerings that set new standards for performance, scalability and data center efficiency. 

The new switch provides exceptional price/performance value and enterprise-class functionality. It is available in a 1U-high enclosure and can be configured in 12 or 24 ports, supporting 2, 4, 8 or 16 Gbps speeds. To simplify management and deployment, there is an added virtualization functionality between Brocade adapters and switches. 

With storage needs of enterprises escalating sharply over the past 10 years, virtualized data centers and private cloud environments is becoming a growing trend. Fibre Channel (FC) is the predominant information storage architecture for virtualized data centers which is why the FC market is showing experiencing huge growth figures. Dell’Oro Group reports that FC switch revenue and port shipments reached record levels in 4Q11. With its strong history in the storage switching space, Brocade is well placed to capitalize on this growth. 

The new Brocade 6505 Switch is available now through Brocade channel and OEM partners, including EMC, Fujitsu, HP, HDS, IBM and NetApp. 

IBM is the first OEM partner to integrate the 16-Gbps Fibre Channel embedded switch and mezzanine card as part of its high-performance blade server IBM Flex System x240 Compute Node. This will be offered to customers in May of this year and will come with the option of upto 48 ports. Brocade stand-alone 16 Gbps HBAs are now available for integration with IBM System x enterprise servers.  The adapters include dynamic fabric provisioning, which virtualizes connections between the Brocade adapters and switches to simplify server deployment and reconfiguration. It also features Brocade Diagnostic Ports capability, previously offered only on switches, so administrators can quickly identify and isolate problems for optics and cables. 

Unique features of Brocade SAN solutions that customers are realizing immediate value from include second-generation inter-chassis links that enable flatter, faster, and simpler fabrics with fewer cables that increase consolidation, while reducing network complexity and costs.