Complete core-to-edge networked storage line-up from EMC

EMC Corporation is delivering a scalable range of high performance networked storage solutions with the introduction of three new Connectrix Fibre Channel devices - the enterprise-class Connectrix ED-64M director, the Connectrix DS-32M departmental fabric switch, and Connectrix DS-16M workgroup switch.

The new models deliver as much as twice the port density and occupy just half the floor space as previous models, without sacrificing high availability features. They have been qualified to integrate flawlessly within an EMC Symmetrix or EMC CLARiiON based Enterprise Storage Network (ESN) environment.

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"Our new lineup of Connectrix systems is aimed squarely at addressing this universal customer challenge," says Graham Prime, product marketing manager at EMC SA.

"As core-to-edge deployment of networked storage accelerates the need to interconnect more hosts and more storage capacity, larger networked storage fabrics are required. At the same time, availability and reliability of the network remains mission-critical, and the `floor-tile squeeze` drives a mandate for smaller, more space-efficient connectivity devices," he adds.

The Connectrix ED-64M director, the new flagship of the Connectrix product line, packs twice the number of ports into half the physical space of the existing Connectrix ED-1032, enabling scalability of up to 256 ports in a single cabinet and fabrics of up to 512 ports. By delivering an combination of ultra-high performance, complete component redundancy for the highest availability, non-blocking, protocol-independent architecture, bullet-proof security features and unlimited scalability, the ED-64M is positioned as an essential ESN building block for the future.

The new Connectrix DS-32M is a high-density, high-availability 32-port departmental fabric switch suitable for both core and edge deployments, requiring less than three inches of rack space. The 16-port Connectrix DS-16M workgroup switch requires less than two inches of rack space and is ideal for branch-office networked storage applications, such as Web content distribution.

EMC ControlCenter, Connectrix Manager and ESN Manager software tools enable customers to leverage a common configuration, operation and management infrastructure for their entire ESN deployment.

The new Connectrix models provide core-to-edge connectivity for distributed ESN environments and are fully interoperable with the existing Connectrix ED-1032 enterprise director.