Optica Technologies Announces Mainframe Infrastructure Solutions for FICON® Users

Business Wire,  March 13, 2008  

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Optica Prizm FICON Converters Provide Flexibility and Reduce Costs for Users of FICON Host Technology and Achieve Interoperability with Cisco MDS Directors

BOULDER, Colo. -- Optica Technologies today announced that its FICON solutions for IBM mainframe users have completed laboratory tests for interoperability with the Cisco MDS 9500 Series Multilayer Director platform. Optica's Prizm FICON Converter is the solution that performs native protocol conversion from FICON to ESCON[R]. This allows customers to migrate mainframes to a switched FICON environment using the Cisco MDS storage networking platform, while protecting investments in legacy ESCON storage and peripheral devices.

Migrating from ESCON to FICON

Organizations can ease their migration from ESCON to FICON by deploying Cisco MDS 9500 Series Multilayer Directors with the Prizm FICON Converter. This combination enables FICON channel traffic to communicate with existing ESCON control units through Cisco MDS directors, either locally or via a cascaded fabric using FICON inter-switch links (ISLs) or Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) links. The combined solution of Cisco MDS and Optica Prizm reduces or eliminates the need for ESCON channels on the host as well as existing end-of-life ESCON directors and FICON Bridge technology. Significant cost reductions can be realized by eliminating expenses associated with existing ESCON directors and ESCON channel extension equipment, including maintenance costs; dedicated WAN and telecommunications link costs; and environmental costs such as power, cooling, and floor space.

"With this combined solution, customers can safely and easily modernize their mainframe infrastructure while preserving their investment in ESCON devices and control units," said Bob Nusbaum, product manager, Data Center Business Unit at Cisco. "The combination of Cisco MDS 9000 with the Prizm solution provides a new path forward that helps our customers future-proof their System z installations, span greater distances, and reduce costs at the same time."

"The Prizm solution combined with Cisco MDS Directors helps customers improve efficiency, flexibility, and scalability, while reducing TCO," said Greg Collins, Optica chairman and CEO.

For more information on Cisco's MDS 9500 MDS Series Multilayer Directors, go to http://cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5990/index.html.

For more information on the Optica Prizm FICON Converter, go to http://www.opticatech.com/?page_id=19.

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