Connectrix

The Connectrix product family from EMC Corp consists of a range of SAN switches and directors, from smaller 8 port switches to modular (blade based) directors with up to 256 ports. The smaller and less expensive switches are targeted to SMB/departmental implementations where the number of hosts is light (less than 256 hosts); while the director series switches are targeted to larger enteprises where the higher port density and additional management and availability features facilitate the control of a larger number of hosts while requiring less complexity than a similarly capable fabric based on lighter switches (i.e., because there are fewer overall components, requiring fewer ISLs).

Products in the line support 1, 2, or 4 Gb/s Fibre Channel Protocol connectivity (depending on the model); with some models additionally offering some mix of iSCSI, FICON, FCIP, and iFCP. Each unit is populated with SFP optical transceivers; longwave transceivers, for transferring data over long distances (up to 35 kilometers, depending on model) are also available.

Switches in the EMC Connectrix line include the B, M, and MDS Series offerings; ranging from the 8 port (expandable to 16) DS-220B offering to the new DS-4900B with support for up to 64 ports and 24 domains per fabric.

Features of the B series switches include speed auto-negotiation; the ability of each port to be configured as a fabric-enabled port (F_Port), fabric loop enabled port (FL_Port), or an expansion port (E_Port); RS-232 Serial ports and 10/100 Ethernet ports (one each). Redundant power supplies and fans are included in the DS-4100B, AP-7420B, and the DS-4900B. The Connectrix B Fabric Manager software is optional.

The DS-4900B switch, the newest entry in the Connectrix line, is based on Brocade gear and provides up to 64 4 Gb/sec ports (32 in the base and upgradeable in 16 port increments) in a 2U enclosure. Optional features for the DS-4900B include Brocade ISL Trunking (supporting up to 32 Gb/sec in a single trunk), Brocade Extended Fabrics, Fabric Watch, and Performance Monitor (the options can be purchased together in an "Enterprise" bundle).

M Series switches build on this feature set (including redundant power and cooling) with management via Connectrix Manager, an embedded Web server, CLI, or SNMP.

The MDS 9120 and 9140 switches are 20 and 40 port offerings with 2 Gb/s performance and support for up to 24 domains per fabric; while the MDS 9020 is a 20 port device with 4 Gb/sec ports and and support for up to 8 domains per fabric. Each of these are managed by the vendor's MDS Fabric Manager. Meanwhile, The MDS 9216 fabric switch is a modular offering with two slots, one of which is reserved for the supervisor module. The supervisor module provides supervisor functions and has 16 standard Fibre Channel ports; while the backplane has direct plug-in connectivity to one switching 16- or 32-port Fibre Channel or 8 port IP services blade module.

On the director side of the product line, both FCP and FICON are supported throughout (with the exception of the ED-48000B with only FCP), with port support ranging from dual 64 port offerings to the 256 port MDS 9509 (the MDS series additionally supports iSCSI and FCIP). Key director features include automatic component failure detection and notification (redundant and field replaceable units in the director line include power supplies, fans, control processors, Serial Crossbar cards, and port modules); less than 2 microseconds latency between transmission of a frame at a source port to receipt of the frame at the corresponding destination port (with no port contention); online microcode loading and activation; and intermix support.

The Connectrix product family is available now. Pricing for the new DS-4900B is $36,600 for the base model, with 16 port upgrade kits listed at $15,600 each.

Visit the EMC Web site for further information.