HP StorageWorks 8/8 SAN Switch

HP Updated: 2008-09-20 RSS
HP StorageWorks 8/8 SAN Switch

The 8/8 Base SAN Switch and 8/8 SAN Switch are targeted for small to medium sized enterprises and are ideal for entry-level SANs, and as an edge switch for core-to-edge SAN environments. The 8/8 Base SAN Switch and 8/8 SAN Switch provide SAN connectivity that simplifies IT management infrastructures, improves system performance, maximizes the value of virtual server deployments, and reduces overall storage costs

The 8 Gbit/sec Fibre Channel 8/8 Base SAN Switch provides an affordable single-switch solution for a new, small SAN installation and connects to storage and servers only. An optional Full Fabric SAN scaling license provides connectivity to other switches. The 8/8 SAN Switch comes with a Full Fabric license and may be connected to multiple switches. Both 8 port switches provide growth options with Ports On Demand, the ability to non-disruptively to a max of 24 enabled ports.

The 8/8 SAN Switch provides auto-sensing 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbit/sec full duplex performance to enable up to 128 Gbit/sec of throughput. To provide more targeted performance, enhanced Inter-Switch Link (ISL) Trunking combines up to eight ISLs between a pair of switches into a single high-speed trunk capable of up to 64 Gbit/sec of throughput. The evolutionary design provides these capabilities while consuming less than 2.5 watts of power per port for exceptional power and cooling efficiency.

An optional enhanced Power Pack+ software bundle can be purchased separately and includes Adaptive Networking, Fabric Watch, ISL Trunking, Extended Fabric and Advanced Performance Monitor. The software bundle provides the SAN administrator with the necessary tools to proactively monitor the health and performance thresholds of the network through a single pane of glass. New capabilities are based on the Adaptive Networking software, a suite of tools for optimizing fabric behavior and ensuring ample bandwidth for mission-critical applications

What's new

* 8 Gbit/sec Technology
* Full 1:1 subscription on all ports at 8 Gbit/sec
* Enhanced Inter-Switch Link (ISL) Trunking
* Adaptive Networking with Quality of Service, Traffic Isolation, and Ingress Rate Limiting

Features and Benefits

* 8 Gbit/sec port speeds: Remove/avoid performance bottlenecks in high-density virtualized server environments.
* Auto-sensing 1, 2, 4, and 8 Gbit/sec switch and router ports: Enables rapid deployment with minimal configuration in existing environments; provides the highest performance available, with complete backward and forward investment protection.
* Ports on Demand capability: Enables “pay-as-you-grow” 8-port scalability for easy, non-disruptive growth in highly dynamic business environment.
* Non-blocking architecture: Includes simultaneous wire-speed support for all ports to provide a high-performance system with aggregate bandwidth of up to 384 Gbit/sec full duplex.
* N_Port ID Virtualization: Provides seamless server connectivity to multi-vendor fabric environments, and allows a great number of servers to connect to a SAN fabric without increasing switch domain count.
* Enhanced Inter-Switch Link (ISL) Trunking: Easily integrates into installed base of B-series SANs for investment protection.
* Dynamic Path Selection (DPS): Optimizes fabric-wide performance and load balancing by automatically routing data to all available paths in the fabric.
* Full 1:1 subscription on all ports at 8 Gbit/sec: Simplifies SAN management, negating the need to map application performance requirements to port speeds.
* Dynamic Path Selection (DPS): Optimizes fabric-wide performance and load balancing by automatically routing data to all available paths in the fabric.
* Adaptive Networking: Advanced fabric services to optimize SAN performance and resource utilization.
* Dynamic Path Selection (DPS): Optimizes fabric-wide performance and load balancing by automatically routing data to all available paths in the fabric.
* Sixth-generation technology: Delivers low latency, power efficiency, and high reliability while providing a highly scalable and flexible platform for advanced fabric services.