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QLogic SANBox 9oooFrom STORAGE Magazine
Vol 7, Issue 7 - October 2007 The 9000 is presented as a slim-line 4U chassis but despite its compact dimensions QLogic claims a higher port density than typical core switches more than three times its size, as the chassis supports eight I/O blades allowing it to be expanded to an impressive 128 FC ports. There's more, as QLogic claims the 9000 as the industry's first stackable chassis switch allowing port density to be doubled by linking two systems together using an 800Gb/sec HyperStack connection. Total fault tolerance is essential and the 9000 offers this in abundance as the chassis supports pairs of hot-plug CPU modules, power supplies and cooling fan modules. All I/O blades are also hot-swappable and a key feature is everything can be replaced on-site by the user. QLogic aims to make your entry into core FC switching a pleasant experience as prices for the entry-level systems look highly competitive. The 9100 entry system is equipped with one blade offering sixteen 4Gbps FC ports, a single CPU module and a pair of redundant power supplies and yet comes with a price tag that's only a shade over £25,000 ($51,440). Expansion options are extensive as the chassis can be populated with 16-port 4Gbps FC blades, 4-port 10Gbps FC blades or an SSP (storage services platform) blade which can be used to create virtualised storage environments. QLogic has recognised the demand for combining FC and iSCSI operations and offers a blade with a pair of copper Gigabit ports and eight FC ports. With FCIP support also on the menu the latter can be used for tunneling FC over IP allowing storage networks to be expanded across Ethernet WAN connections. Installation is a swift affair as the switch can be accessed directly via a CLI connection for basic configuration. The interface commands are well documented but we found it easier to load a web browser and access the switch's QuickTools Java applet. This provides a tidy interface with a smart graphic of the switch showing the status of all installed blades and fabric. Basic switch configuration can be managed from QuickTools as it provides access to functions such as switch settings, firmware upgrades and network properties. More details can be gathered using the menu below the switch graphic allowing you to keep a close eye on port status, traffic statistics and environmental values. We found fabric zoning easy enough as you can use QuickTools to create new zonesets and zones and move selected ports into them using simple drag and drop operations. For SAN topology management you'll need the optional Enterprise Fabric Suite 2007 (EFS). A price tag of around £8,700 ($17,409) initially looks high but note that this includes a license to manage an unlimited number of switches. EFS opens with an intuitive interface and on first contact with the switch it fires up a configuration wizard, which runs through basic settings, and then you can move on to viewing topologies, creating and management fabrics and zones and keeping a close eye on the switch and blade hardware. The competition comes expressly from director class switches from Cisco and
Brocade but many businesses may not want the level of features these offer or
simply be able to afford them. With the SANbox 9000 Series QLogic is offering a
solid alternative that delivers an excellent range of features, redundancy and
expansion potential but comes in at a highly competitive price point. ST |
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