McData, IBM Make FICON Management Server Available

McData Corp. , which produces open storage networking solutions, and IBM Corp. today the availability of FICON Management Server. FICON Management Server is a comprehensive and easy-to-use software product that allows automated control of both FICON and ESCON storage networks from a single interface.


McData delivered the first ESCON Director to IBM in 1994. Since that time, more than 1 million ESCON ports have been shipped to IBM mainframe customers. As those customers migrate from IBM’s original protocol, ESCON, to FICON, IBM’s next-generation storage networking technology, FICON Management Server provides those customers with the unrivaled management capabilities of McData’s Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager (EFCM), but does so in-band, retaining the same look and feel of IBM’s System Automation for OS/390.


Customers will see a dramatic simplification of their fabric due to the transition from multiple ESCON channels onto a single FICON channel. FICON also enhances network performance over long distance connections. Where ESCON performance significantly decreases over a distance of nine kilometers, FICON channel performance degradation does not occur until 100 kilometers. This gives the customer the benefit of extended distance from a FICON channel.


IBM mainframe customers with McData’s Galaxy-class 6000 Series Directors at the core of their SANs now have a single point of control and centralized and proactive management capabilities — all in an established ESCON/FICON environment.


IBM and McData also are bolstering the warranty service for McData’s 6000 Series Directors, 3000 Series Fabric Switches and 1000 Series Loop Switches. The hardware warranty on these products will now be 24 hours per day/7 days per week, same day service warranty for 13 months from the date of shipment. These enhanced base warranties are being offered with no purchase price increase. Through IBM, McData is now also offering a two-year extended warranty option on its products that would match the warranty on IBM’s Enterprise Storage Server (Shark).

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