SAN over IP Router

The Silverline "multi-service access" SAN (storage area network) over IP (Internet Protocol) transport router is the first in a family of products aimed at the SAN market. It is a platform for storage original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and integrators to efficiently connect SAN islands and turbo-charge the emerging storage service provider (SSP) industry.

The routers provide a choice of connectivity options for extending Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP), Gigabit Ethernet and emerging iSCSI and FC-BB local SAN fabrics across public and private wide area (WAN), metro area (MAN) and local area (LAN) networks. A scalable router with a modular configuration, the product will ultimately include access for a full range of transport services, including T3, Gigabit Ethernet, ATM, SONET and OC-3/12/48.

The routers offer a complete array of connectivity interfaces in a single protocol-neutral, modular platform. They will enable OEMs and integrators to leverage existing IP backbones, as well as public and private T-3 and ATM networks for remote storage deployment.

Utilizing existing IP-based network infrastructure to inter-network geographically dispersed SANs -- Transporting SANs over IP -- greatly reduces the risk posed by natural and site-specific disasters, protects mission-critical information and ensures business continuance. The SAN transport routers will enable enterprises with distributed operations to remotely implement vital storage applications such as data replication, backup, disaster recovery, data warehousing and distributed data movement. Executing these and other storage applications over IP accelerates deployment, reduces bandwidth costs and simplifies network management.

The routers represent a critical enabling technology for the fast-growing SSP industry. SSPs provide outsourced storage on a pay-per-use basis. Providing "multi-service access" in a single box, the routers reduce the complexity and cost associated with connecting multiple, geographically dispersed enterprises to a centrally located storage facility.

Entrada Networks, 10070 Mesa Rim Road, San Diego, CA 92121. Tel: 858-623-3265; Fax: 858-623-3275.