Meanwhile, Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD) sells the 32-port SilkWorm 3900, and the Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) MDS 9216 offers up to 48 ports (see Cisco Gets Set, McData Lowers Boom on Brocade, and Brocade Preps 32-Port Push).
As first reported by Byte and Switch, QLogic has been working on its 64-port unit for about a year, seeing an opportunity to undercut the pricing of directors from Brocade and McData, which typically cost more than $2,000 per port. Originally, QLogic hoped to start shipping it by the end of 2002 (see QLogic Exposes Big Unit and QLogic Preps 64-Port Switch).
The SANbox2-64, delivered in a 4U-high chassis, provides many director-like features -- high density, a 256-Gbit/s crossbar architecture, nondisruptive code-load activation, and dual power supplies and fans -- but there is a single point of failure in the device. Berry says there's only one management module, and if that fails the switch is toast. But he says most customers would deploy two switches in dual redundant fabrics anyway, a configuration QLogic claims can deliver five-9s reliability (99.999 percent uptime). "For many customers, this is 'good enough,' " he says.
The Sun/QLogic deal reaffirms the companies' partnership in what is essentially a new market category for QLogic. Some analysts had speculated -- incorrectly, it would appear -- that Sun's acquisition of virtualization switch startup Pirus Networks would reduce QLogic's presence in the Sun storage lineup. Sun accounted for about 16 percent of QLogic's revenues in fiscal 2002, or around $58 million, according to its 10-K filing (see QLogic in a Quandary? and Sun Beams on Pirus).
"Sun's strategy has always been to team up with best-of-breed
partners, and we view QLogic as one of those partners," says Sun spokeswoman Angie Devlin.
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