As interest in fiber channel storage takes off, Havant, UK based information storage and networking specialist Xyratex Ltd has launched a new testing tool for disk drive manufacturers, the fiber channel protocol analyzer plus. It includes triggering features that enable external devices such as logic analysers to be used with the product. Xyratex, formerly a disk drive division of IBM Corp, claims this will enable developers to capture more data and trace faults more quickly. The new system includes PCI card, DB-9 electrical interface and Xyraview software that now supports Windows 95 in addition to Windows 3.1 and OS/2. All systems come with 3Mb on-board databuffering expandable to 12Mb but the company says it’s also planning an optional daughter card that will offer up to 48Mb of full speed buffer. Other features include a capture to disk facility for additional storage and real-time statistics to enable users to monitor link or loop performance variables such as bytes per second, frames per second and link/loop utilization. The existing version of the product, the TP5-100-PA version 1.1, has been shipping for around a year and a half. Product manager Paul Levine says he is expecting a boost in sales over the coming year as fiber channel technology becomes more widely accepted and more products are launched. The TP5-100-PA will ship later in the year. Pricing for a typical system including PC, software and PA card will start at $30,250.
