FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UNH-IOL, CHELSIO, NETEFFECT DEMONSTRATE MULTIVENDOR INTEROPERABILITY FOR iWARP
First iWARP plugfest yields encouraging success, sets stage for additional plugfest this year
DURHAM, N.H. MAY 1, 2007 – The University of New Hampshire InterOperability Laboratory (UNH-IOL) successfully demonstrated multi-vendor interoperability between iWARP devices, an industry first, at an iWARP interoperability “plugfest” held last month, the lab announced today at the Open Fabrics Alliance (OFA) Sonoma Workshop in Sonoma Valley, California.
Engineers at the plugfest, held April 16-20, 2007, successfully achieved interoperability running iWARP between 10-Gigabit Ethernet adapter cards from Chelsio Communications and NetEffect. Additional plugfest participants included network testing systems vendor Anue Systems, testing solutions provider Finisar, cable provider W.L. Gore and partner test company Lamprey Networks, as well as storage and network gear vendors ProCurve Networking by HP and Fulcrum Microsystems.
iWARP is the latest IETF-ratified series of extensions to Ethernet that virtually eliminates CPU overhead in Ethernet networks, empowering Ethernet to deliver higher throughput for networking, faster access for storage, and lower latency for high-performance computing. In addition to supporting the technology’s capacity for interoperability between devices from various manufacturers, the UNH-IOL event also demonstrated the growing capabilities of test tools, such as Finisar’s 10GbE analyzer and Anue Systems’ XGEM 10-Gigabit Ethernet Network Emulator, to measure performance and conformance to the IETF/RDMA Consortium iWarp specification.
“One of the major pitfalls in iWARP’s market acceptance has been the lack of demonstrated interoperability between products,” said Bob Noseworthy, UNH-IOL senior technical manager. “We have successfully built the bridge — now all that has to happen is for the rest of the industry to walk over it.”
A second iWARP plugfest is tentatively scheduled for late calendar Q3. All companies developing iWARP-compatible products are invited. In addition to hosting the plugfests, UNH-IOL provides a year-round product analysis program. Member companies that belong to the lab’s iWARP technology testing consortium receive detailed third-party test reports that can be used to reduce time to market and increase customer confidence in iWARP-capable devices. In addition to a suite of between 200 and 300 conformance and interoperability tests, engineers in the UNH-IOL iWARP consortium have developed a downloadable interoperability self-test tool available to these consortium members.
“This is an important milestone in the adoption cycle of iWARP as a clustering technology for the data center,” said Kianoosh Naghshineh, president & CEO of Chelsio Communications, Inc. “The economics of Ethernet and fabric convergence will now prevail to make iWARP the ubiquitous choice for data center clustering.”
“We are pleased to have been a founding member of the iWARP Interoperability Consortium and to have supported the significant efforts championed by UNH-IOL. This successful iWARP Plugfest is a significant step forward for iWARP,” said Rick Maule, CEO of NetEffect. “We understand the importance of interoperability. Customers worldwide expect that Ethernet will just plug in and work. Through the cooperation of our industry colleagues and UNH-IOL, this plugfest shows that customers can be assured that iWARP Ethernet will meet this expectation for deployment in their data centers.”
“Anue Systems is pleased to participate in this event with our XGEM Network Emulator,” said Chip Webb, CTO of Anue Systems. “The OpenFabrics Alliance and UNH-IOL bring together an extraordinary array of companies, devices and test scenarios, providing a unique opportunity for interoperability testing.”
About the UNH-IOL
The UNH-IOL is one of the networking industry’s premier independent proving grounds for developing technologies. More than 150 companies use the UNH-IOL’s 32,000+ sq. foot facility to extend their development and quality assurance efforts by testing and fine-tuning technologies, protocols and products for multi-vendor interoperability and conformance to data communications networking standards. For more information, visit http://www.iol.unh.edu.
About Chelsio Communications
Chelsio Communications is leading the convergence of networking, storage and clustering interconnects with its robust, high-performance and proven unified wire technology. Featuring a highly scalable and programmable architecture, Chelsio is shipping 10-Gigabit Ethernet and multi-port Gigabit Ethernet adapter cards, delivering the low latency and superior throughput required for high-performance computing applications. For more information, visit the company online at http://www.chelsio.com.
About NetEffect
NetEffect is a network connectivity solutions company providing high performance, low power multi-gigabit Ethernet products. Using its unique patented architecture, NetEffect products deliver the highest Ethernet performance in the industry while dramatically reducing latency and networking overhead on host processors for all data communications traffic for networking, storage, and clustering. NetEffect’s products implement the latest extensions ratified by the IETF for Ethernet, while maintaining full compatibility with existing Ethernet infrastructure in any datacenter. Visit www.neteffect.com for more information.
About Anue Systems, Inc.
Anue Systems is the worldwide leader in Network Emulation. Anue Systems products enable companies to plan, analyze, test and verify the quality-of-experience and performance of network applications. Anue Systems customers include the leading network equipment manufacturers, telecom providers, government agencies and contractors, research institutions, and enterprise companies. For more information, please visit the Anue Systems website at www.anuesystems.com.
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Media Contact:
Tim Helms
Helms Communications, Inc.
925-606-6936
timhelms@comcast.net