With unprecedented cooperation, the leading manufacturers of storage solutions announced their support and cooperation for the development of standards for multi-vendor storage area networks (SANs). To that end, the companies have agreed to participate with the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), a non-profit organization comprised of more than 77 companies and individuals in the storage industry.
The group includes system and storage-system vendors -- Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., EMC Corp., Hewlett-Packard Company, IBM Corp., Sequent Computer Systems Inc., StorageTek, and Sun Microsystems Inc. -- and storage networking and software vendors -- Brocade Communications Systems Inc., Legato Systems Inc., and VERITAS Software Corp. The companies have agreed to work cooperatively and to participate with the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) to accelerate the evolution and acceptance of multi-vendor storage area networks (SANs).
The 11 companies will submit a prioritized list of work efforts for SNIA`s consideration and have pledged to supply required resources. The companies will delineate key capabilities and recommend SNIA work efforts to further realize benefits of storage networking. Work efforts will address areas such as improved management and mechanisms to share storage and data. Support for SNIA from the 11 companies could take the form of staff power, lab equipment and funds to hire program managers.
"Standards efforts can work quickly when the participants are motivated. The critical mass and focus of this group confirms the required motivation," said Nick Allen, vice president and research director for Gartner Group. "This co-operative bodes well for the future of SANs and for users getting products that conform to open interfaces and it will help speed the interoperability process along."
"SNIA has become the organization that management professionals look to for guidance. This new emphasis by the key leaders of the storage industry will give SNIA the boost that it needs to rapidly author and drive to implementation open standards," said Jerry Lynch, director of information systems at Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). "As a customer using UNIX, NT and mainframe systems, along with storage area networks and equipment from multiple vendors, I am eager to see this improved support and cooperation to ensure my freedom of choice."
Creating Standards through an Industry Forum
SNIA members share a common goal: to ensure that storage networks become efficient, complete and trusted solutions across the IT community. SNIA is uniquely committed to delivering standards, education, and services that will propel open storage networking solutions into the broader market. The full SNIA membership continues to set the organization`s agenda and priorities. However, the companies involved in today`s announcement will bring forward suggested work efforts in the form of recommendations.
There are a number of unrealized benefits of storage networking that the companies believe SNIA can accelerate. While SANs are capable of connecting many components, there is need for better management and mechanisms to share resources. Creating a standard to share nodes on a SAN is a near-term objective for the eleven companies. The consortium of companies believe SNIA can deliver significant results by mid-year.
Unique in the computer industry, SNIA is driving the standards for storage area networks so storage can become as easy to use as a common utility such as telephone or electric service. All of the companies involved in today`s announcement have agreed to abide by the standards set forth by SNIA to make standards-based storage area networks a reality.
TRADEMARKS: Product or company names mentioned are used for identification purposes only, and may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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