Fibre Channel: Cambex Announces Industry's First High Speed Micro Channel to Fibre Channel Storage Adapter Card

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, August 24, 1998

Cambex Corporation (CBEX) announced Thursday the FibreQuik MC1000, a Micro Channel-to-Fibre Channel host bus adapter (HBA) that enables high-speed Fibre Channel connectivity for IBM RS/6000 and RS/6000 SP processors utilizing the Micro Channel architecture.

Availability of the FibreQuik MC1000 HBA means that all IBM RS/6000 computers, whether PCI or Micro Channel based, can now migrate to Fibre Channel to substantially expand the size, speed and scalability of their storage capabilities. For the first time, all RS/6000 platforms can be equipped with high-speed Fibre Channel interfaces to form integrated storage area networks (SAN). Cambex believes more than 400,000 RS/6000 and RS/6000 SP processors are candidates for Fibre Channel connectivity.

A Fibre Channel SAN allows the interconnection of processors in multi-host, multi-platform environments, including heterogeneous environments consisting of UNIX platforms from IBM, Hewlett Packard and Sun Microsystems as well as Windows NT platforms. A SAN greatly enhances information sharing and management as well as the overall data availability of the processors.

Cambex's Micro Channel-to-Fibre Channel HBA has been fully qualified with the Company's recently announced Centurion 2000 Models FM and FJ Fibre Channel disk array subsystems. Cambex is in the process of qualifying the FibreQuik MC1000 with disk arrays from other vendors.

Fibre Channel -- which runs at 100 megabytes per second -- operates two to five times faster than the Ultra SCSI and Fast-Wide SCSI interfaces currently used in Micro Channel-based RS/6000 and RS/6000 SP processors. In addition, when using two FibreQuik MC1000s in each host server in conjunction with the dual fibre loops and controllers provided by Cambex's Centurion disk arrays, the Fibre Channel data rate can be doubled providing up to a 10 times performance improvement in RS/6000 and RS/6000 SP environments in some applications. The Fibre Channel interface also enables those processors to increase cabling distances, device attachment options, capacity upgrading, systems reliability and large-scale deployment alternatives as it supports the attachment of up to 126 devices at distances up to 10 kilometers in a variety of configurations and to a variety of hosts and servers.

"The delivery of unique functionality that enriches the performance of computer systems has been the core of Cambex's business since 1968. Our ability to add value to the IBM user community is demonstrated once again in this new product release," Joseph F. Kruy, Chairman and CEO of Cambex Corporation, stated.

The FibreQuik MC1000 Micro Channel-to-Fibre Channel adapter card is available immediately from Cambex and is priced at $4,995.

Cambex, headquartered in Waltham, MA, has been a leader for nearly 30 years in the design and manufacture of memory and direct access storage systems for IBM and other computer processors. Its products today include memory, cache controllers, DASD and disk array systems for IBM, SUN, HP and Windows NT environments. Cambex's products are installed in over 800 mainframe and open systems data centers worldwide. Cambex can be reached at 781-890-6000, or on the World Wide Web at www.cambex.com.