PMC-Sierra and Trebia Networks Develop IP SAN

PMC-Sierra and Trebia Networks have developed a complete Gigabit Ethernet to Fibre Channel reference system for speeding the deployment of IP storage systems.

The reference system integrates Trebia Networks’ chart-topping SNP-1000 and SNP-1000L storage network processors with PMC-Sierra’s PM8356 QuadPHY FC and PM8354 QuadPHY 1G SERDES and RM5200 MIPS-based processors. The companies say the new reference system is a complete sub-system solution that includes reference design, board schematics, and layout as well as storage management software for rapid deployment of IP storage gateways, fabric and director switches, and iSCSI-based storage systems.

“Our collaborative reference design provides storage equipment manufacturers with a high performance, high density, and low power IP storage solution coupled with an accelerated time-to-market advantage,” states Mark Stibitz, PMC-Sierra’s Enterprise and Storage Division vice president.

In addition to the complete sub-system, PMC-Sierra and Trebia are ensuring interoperability between storage processor, control processor, and physical layer interfaces, adds Stibitz.

According to the companies, some customers who buy the reference design can use it as a plug-in solution, while for others, it can serve an example of how to design a system, with all of the chips, firmware, and software laid out on a board, and the flexibility to substitute compatible or comparable devices.

iSCSI and Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) allow the convergence of Ethernet and Fibre Channel enterprise networks and equipment. iSCSI and FCIP are gaining attention from enterprise IT managers for their ability to integrate Storage Area Networks (SANs) and provide long distance storage connectivity for multiple applications, including disaster recovery for business continuity, storage consolidation, data migration, and remote mirroring.

Incorporating four Gigabit Ethernet channels with a pair of 2 Gigabit Fibre Channel ports, the PMCS-Trebia reference system offers an unprecedented low power solution of 14.2W while operating at full wire speed, the firms report.

“The combination of our advanced Storage Network Processor, which features industry-leading I/Os per second processing, and PMC-Sierra’s leading-edge SERDES provides an optimal solution for emerging iSCSI and FCIP designs,” says Trebia CEO Ruediger Stroh. “This alliance clearly demonstrates our combined effort to deliver a complete, standards-based IP Storage Gateway solution with the flexibility customers need to deliver differentiated storage solutions.”

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