QLogic offers 8Gbit Fibre Channel switches through EMC Select

Adds to 8Gb Fibre Channel stackable switches offered by HP

Developments of the week in storage

The momentum continues for 8Gbit Fibre Channel stackable switches. First HP integrated them into their product lines. Now, EMC is adding QLogic's switches to its EMC Select Program.

EMC upgrades backup and recovery software

The QLogic 5800V Series 8Gb Fibre Channel stackable switches will be available from EMC and have been qualified by its EMC E-Lab to work with the EMC Symmetrix V-Max, Symmetrix DMX, CLARiiON CX4, CLARiion AX4 and EMC Celerra NS storage systems.

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The momentum continues for 8Gbit Fibre Channel stackable switches. First HP integrated them into their product lines. Now, EMC is adding QLogic's switches to its EMC Select Program.

EMC upgrades backup and recovery software

The QLogic 5800V Series 8Gb Fibre Channel stackable switches will be available from EMC and have been qualified by its EMC E-Lab to work with the EMC Symmetrix V-Max, Symmetrix DMX, CLARiiON CX4, CLARiion AX4 and EMC Celerra NS storage systems.

QLogic's 5800V 8Gb Fibre Channel switches do not waste switch ports for interswitch links (ISL) like switches from other vendors. This feature makes them particularly attractive for consolidation projects where the cost of each port used is a factor.

In addition, the 5800V Series include 10Gb Fibre Channel stacking ports that can be upgraded when necessary to 20Gb performance. Higher bandwidth connectivity options are necessary in this world of increasingly virtualized data centers. The 20 dedicated 8Gb Fibre Channel device ports per switch can be scalable to over 100 device ports in a fabric. And because the switches have stacking ports, IT is able to non-disruptively expand by adding switching cables.

QLogic also distributes its entry level QLogic 3810 Fibre Channel switch, its 5602 4Gb Fibre Channel stackable switch and its Enterprise Fabric Manager through EMC.

Wikibon.org has published a report on the return-on-investment of stackable Fibre Channel switches with separate ISL ports. You can see it here. 

Read more about data center in Network World's Data Center section.

Deni Connor is principal analyst for Storage Strategies NOW and host of both the Masters of Storage and Masters of Servers Solution Centers.