Netreon(TM), Inc., a developer of management software for Storage Area Networks (SAN), today announced a collaboration with Microsoft Corporation to create and register a new class of Visio 2002 objects to help storage administrators diagram and plan SANs.
Titled “Get Your * in Shape, *Switch, disk array, tape drive, HBA, hub, router, cool device, whatever,” the program encourages manufacturers of SAN hardware such as switches, drives and routers, to submit icons that represent their respective devices for inclusion in a new SAN-specific stencil from Microsoft Visio. Each icon will also have associated attributes such as the manufacturer, version number, and other pertinent data related to the device’s role in a SAN.
Microsoft said it will complete the customization of the icons and prepare the stencil for inclusion in Visio 2002.
Netreon has created a Web site, www.getyour-inshape.com, that provides SAN OEMs with the criteria to follow for the physical representation of their devices, sample icons, the attribute options and custom extensions, and access to the associated legal documentation.
According to Netreon, its SANexec(TM), currently in beta, is the first storage management software application to use Visio 2002 as part of an integrated SAN design and monitoring tool. Using the Visio 2002 icons in SANexec, SAN designers can lay out a SAN, input configuration and zoning information for the SAN devices, and generate wiring diagrams and a bill of materials for their SAN.
“Netreon is using Visio 2002 in a very innovative and exciting way,” said Jan Nelson of Microsoft. “This approach will save lots of time in planning, designing, and implementing a SAN. We have partnered with Netreon to help the SAN Industry take full advantage of the new and efficient ways for SAN professional services organizations to design and manage SANs using Visio 2002 and leveraging the Windows 2000 server infrastructure.”
