Compaq Computer Corporation the world`s largest enterprise storage company, has announced a storage industry milestone - the availability of qualified Fibre Channel and Internet Protocol (FC-IP) technology to implement global data replication networks.
This achievement once again raises the bar for storage networking by extending the reach of SANs around the globe and enhancing data recovery solutions with greater flexibility and reduced costs.
"The use of IP-enhanced storage networks for worldwide data distribution significantly improves SAN scalability, leverages existing customer skills, delivers faster time to implementation, simplifies long-distance SAN networking and provides new price performance options," said Kim Howlett, Business Unit Manager, Compaq Enterprise Storage Group. "Our SANworks Data Replication Manager (DRM) solution takes SANs into a whole new dimension by using FC-IP to replicate business critical data around the globe."
The SANworks DRM FC-IP solution offers customers more flexible ways to manage their business continuance systems. By enabling remote replication of data in real time, Compaq offers customers a disaster tolerant, no-single-point-of-failure SAN solution based on StorageWorks Fibre Channel controllers. By using their existing IT infrastructures, customers can leverage regional SANs as recovery sites within the broader national or global infrastructure using IP networking.
Customers may begin to broaden the reach of data replication from other companies as well. Compaq recently announced data replication solutions for Oracle and Giant Loop Networks.
Compaq demonstrated DRM FC-IP technology by linking the SAN across three continents in September 2001. Now available for customers around the world, this technology provides a production-ready application of the Global Replication Network as defined in Compaq`s ENSA-2 roadmap.
Compaq partners complete interoperability testing
Compaq Enterprise Storage Group and its storage technology partners have completed significant interoperability testing for StorageWorks FC-IP and WDM in WAN and MAN networking solutions. CNT, SANcastle and SAN Valley products have completed StorageWorks FC-IP interoperability testing, have proved fully compatible with StorageWorks arrays, and are ready for implementation.
Cisco Systems and Controlware Inc products have also completed rigorous interoperability testing of Wave Division Multiplexing (WDM) and are ready for production use.
Global replication network background
The emergence of global replication networks is a significant step forward in business continuance planning. Companies can now extend SANs beyond data centres to optimise their infrastructure investments through cost-effective, remote storage applications. FC-IP data recovery applications run over existing network infrastructure so contingency plans don`t require customers to allocate dedicated optic cables for Fibre Channel traffic.
The market demand for FC-IP-based remote replication will continue to grow as companies re-evaluate their business contingency plans. FC-IP will help bring about rapid development of the SAN market by increasing data transmission flexibility and performance and lowering long-distance operational costs. True global data mirroring with the reliability of Fibre Channel SAN and the cost efficiencies of IP networks will deliver new levels of savings and data protection.
For more information about Compaq FC-IP technologies and today`s announcement, please click: www.compaq.com storage.
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Compaq, the number one global storage solutions supplier, is the leader in the development and delivery of the enterprise SAN. Recognised for its vision and ability to execute, Compaq is committed to driving radical simplification and investment protection for enterprise and SMB customers. By continuing to extend its Enterprise Network Storage Architecture (ENSA) in key areas such as virtualisation, automation, universal network storage and lifecycle data management, Compaq enables customers to efficiently manage complex, mixed storage environments.
More information on StorageWorks and SANworks solutions is available at www.compaq.com/storage.
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