Brocade Fibre Channel connectivity supports and enhances EMC launches

Fibre Channel SANs are a key unifying element for the new EMC® VMAX® 3, and XtremIO™ systems that, as complete end-to-end solutions, allow businesses to redefine what is possible in the data centre. As a foundation for these new solutions, Brocade Gen 5 Fibre Channel SAN directors and switches, sold by EMC under the Connectrix® brand, are purpose-built to support highly virtualised cloud infrastructures and are optimised for all-flash array storage systems that enable applications to perform tasks significantly faster than with traditional disk-based arrays.

Flash storage is another common element across the new EMC XtremIO and VMAX3 systems. To support this EMC innovation, Brocade Gen 5 Fibre Channel switches are purpose built to maximise system performance, scalability, manageability and availability in all-flash storage. For all flash storage, Fibre Channel offers the highest-bandwidth capability, fast application response time and superior reliability—all which are critical requirements to deliver the full flash benefits for applications and users.

“EMC Connectrix networks form the bedrock for private- and hybrid-cloud infrastructures that allow our market leading hybrid and all-flash-enabled storage to deliver the most powerful, trusted and agile solutions to meet customers’ current and future business demands. As part of a shared storage solution, the new features and capabilities built into our flash-enabled VMAX3 and XtremIO all-flash arrays deliver breakthrough application and workload acceleration, consolidation, and agility benefits across the data center and are optimised for the power of these next-generation hybrid and all-flash array storage systems that enable applications to perform tasks significantly faster,” said Barry Ader, Vice President, EMC Corporation.

“Today, as EMC redefines the possible for data center storage, the network is even more critical to help ensure application availability and performance,” said Jack Rondoni, Vice President, Data Center Storage and Solutions, at Brocade. “In addition, new integration for XtremIO all-flash storage with the EMC ViPR® software-defined storage platform extends our joint efforts to enable policy-based automation for managing and provisioning both EMC and non-EMC storage infrastructure within medium to large enterprise SANs.”

Connectrix Fibre Channel SANs deliver industry-leading performance to support EMC VMAX3 systems, which now feature 2X the 16 Gbps full line-rate ports to double throughput compared to previous-generation VMAX systems. Brocade Fabric Vision™ technology, integral to Connectrix solutions, complements and enhances the advanced VMAX3 management tools by providing unprecedented visibility and insight across the storage network to maximize uptime and simplify SAN management. Together, the VMAX3 management tools and Fabric Vision technology allow SAN administrators to realise considerable time savings, along with a comprehensive and holistic view of their storage environment.

The new EMC VMAX3 delivers predictable service levels, scalability and flash-optimised performance at scale with support for full line-rate 16Gbps Fibre Channel throughput. Additionally, the VMAX3 provides radically simplified management, always-on availability and cloud agility.

To support requirements for redefining the data center and hybrid cloud environments, Brocade Fabric Vision technology with Brocade Network Advisor includes key SAN health and analytics integration to VMware vCloud Suite and VMWare Log Insight. This approach extends the innovative diagnostic, monitoring, and management capabilities, that Fabric Vision technology provides to the VMware Cloud administrator.

Brocade Fabric Vision technology maximises uptime, simplifies SAN management, and provides unprecedented visibility and insight across the storage network. Offering innovative diagnostic, monitoring, and management capabilities, Fabric Vision technology helps administrators deploy 15 years of SAN management experience in one click, reduce common network problems by 50 percent and eliminate 48 percent of network maintenance costs.