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SANchips: Page 3 of 3

Still, SANchips has its supporters. Storage Technology Corp. (StorageTek) (NYSE: STK) validated an alpha version of SANchips’s first product last month after testing it in storage arrays and a tape library (see StorageTek Validates New SANchips).

“Aggressively lowering FC port costs will open the floodgates of innovation," says Brad O'Neill, senior analyst with the Taneja Group. “This is a welcome development.”

OK, but who'll be rolling out that welcome mat? Shillo says even the established switch makers might be interested as a way to further drive down costs for low-end switches. He also targets host bus adapter (HBA) and chip makers who might want to enter the switch fray. He indicates that SANchips' first customers will probably be low-end SAN OEM vendors, bringing to mind Dot Hill Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: HILL), LSI Logic Storage Systems Inc., or XIOtech Corp. -- if SANchips can deliver on performance and price.

— Dave Raffo, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch