N+I 1999: Interphase Beefs Up SAN Market Presence

Enterprise networking equipment vendor Interphase Corp. is staking a claim in the hot market for storage area networks (SANs). The Dallas-based company will unveil its PowerSAN Fibre Channel adapter card for 64-bit PCI-bus systems.

SANs are taking on mission-critical importance, just as local area networks (LANs) did five to 10 years ago due to the strategic importance of data and also the simple explosion of the amount of computer data a corporation uses. With this in mind, Interphase is offering the glue to hold a SAN together through its FibreView Enterprise. This new Java-enhanced management tool gives system administrators monitoring, analysis, navigation, and troubleshooting capabilities over the Fibre Channel facilities that support many storage area networks (SANs).

Interphase PowerSAN adapters and FibreView Enterprise will be on display at Networld+Interop 99 in the Interphase Booth # 2552 and at the Fibre Channel Solutions Showcase Booth # 1212.

IP and SCSI multiprotocol capabilities
Interphase PowerSAN adapters provide simultaneous multiprotocol communications by supporting both Internet Protocol (IP) and SCSI data simultaneously and over the same Fibre Channel connection. The adapter uses the Hewlett-Packard Tachyon Fibre Channel protocol engine that provides a high level of interoperability with other Fibre Channel products.

The PowerSAN Fibre Channel adapter is supported on major network operating systems including Windows NT, Solaris, AIX, and Linux. PowerSAN adapters will be available directly from Interphase and its authorized representatives in June. Unit pricing begins at $1,595 for fiber connectivity and $1,495 for copper.

The PowerSAN adapters are supported by the FiberView Enterprise network management software through a graphical user interface that lets a SAN administrator manage and control all of the Interphase Fibre Channel adapters in the SAN fabric from anywhere in the network. The administrator also may dial into a remote access server and manage the network remotely. FibreView Enterprise will be available in May from Interphase and its authorized representatives for a list price of $895 for a single server license, with additional server licenses prices at $295 each.