EMC Corp has added hub and multiplexer support to its Symmetrix fibre channel storage systems, which until now have had to rely on direct connections. Hub support has been added to both Hewlett-Packard Co’s HP-UX and Sun Microsystems Inc’s Solaris servers, with HP servers also having the option of multiplexers. HP buys fibre channel hubs from Gadzoox Networks Inc, while Sun goes to Vixel Solutions Inc. EMC says it’s verified the various cables, adapters, hubs and operating systems so that they all work together, as fibre channel standards are still being interpreted somewhat differently by individual vendors. That means both Sun and HP servers can be supported by a single Symmetrix storage unit. The addition of hub support boosts the number of connections available and takes the distance between distributed servers and storage systems to up to 4km. EMC says that because of its close relationship with HP – which is currently sourcing storage units from both EMC and Data General Corp – the two have developed a multiplexer for HP-UX servers which enables older Symmetrix units with SCSI connections to hook up to the fibre channel network, giving them the benefit of increased distance, and enabling up to four SCSI channels to be fed into a single fibre channel link. EMC’s approach differs from Data General’s Clariion storage units in that the Clariion systems have an integrated hub within the unit itself. Clariion systems boast an end-to-end fibre channel architecture which includes fibre channel disks, something with EMC says it doesn’t offer yet but continues to evaluate.
