SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 26, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VMworld -- QLogic (Nasdaq: QLGC ), the industry leader in Fibre Channel adapters, today announced that its award-winning FlexSuite ™ and FabricCache ™ adapters are now supported by a VMware vSphere 5.5 native inbox driver. Since no Web download is necessary, inbox drivers save time and simplify the installation process and support tasks. QLogic adapters are automatically recognized by the OS or hypervisor and a certified driver is then installed for the appropriate version of that OS or hypervisor. The native driver model also has tighter integration with the VMkernel, allowing QLogic to take advantage of architectural improvements in the kernel to deliver improved performance. The company also introduced a Web-based version of its QConvergeConsole Plug-in for VMware vCenter Server , which centralizes and simplifies virtualization management of adapters and represents further integration with VMware.
"QLogic and VMware have a long history of collaborating on high performance virtualization solutions for enterprise SANs, beginning with QLogic's delivery of the industry's first VMware certified Fibre Channel adapter," said Amit Vashi, vice president of products, technology and planning, QLogic. "QLogic Fibre Channel adapters are tuned to deliver superior performance for VMware environments and are now enhanced with improved native driver support and Web-based plug-ins for increased operational efficiency across VMware hosts and clusters by centralizing management and improving the end-user experience. We continue to build on the ubiquity of Fibre Channel and VMware platforms with our new, innovative FabricCache adapters, which deliver transparent, server-based flash caching performance acceleration for VMware ESX enabled servers and server clusters."
Recent research from ESG 1 reveals that Fibre Channel continues to be the preferred infrastructure for virtual storage. Compared to competitive offerings, QLogic FlexSuite dual-personality (16Gb Gen 5 Fibre Channel and 10Gb Converged Ethernet) adapters provide the best real-world performance in virtualized environments. The chart in this QLogic blog illustrates how the architecture of QLogic FlexSuite Fibre Channel and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) adapters scale beyond QLogic's nearest rival's shared architecture approach. Throughput increases from the QLogic card as outstanding I/Os increase, while the competitor's adapter experiences a decrease in throughput due to its less scalable architecture.
Additionally, a recent study conducted by Taneja Group 2 also confirms Fibre Channel is the preferred infrastructure for IT end-users seeking enterprise storage acceleration. The Storage Acceleration and Performance Technologies study revealed that server-based storage acceleration solutions, such as QLogic FabricCache 10000 Series adapters, are the "most valued" by respondents and that Fibre Channel is the "most preferred" storage protocol for application acceleration. The study also confirmed that virtualized data centers have the greatest need for application performance acceleration and that customers are increasingly investigating enterprise caching for potential solutions.
QLogic Dual-personality Adapters Double Performance and Provide Flexibility in VMware Environments
QLogic is advancing its server connectivity leadership by delivering unparalleled performance and flexibility with its QLogic FlexSuite dual-personality adapters, the only enterprise networking product to be awarded 2012 Product of the Year by Storage magazine and SearchStorage.com . VMworld attendees can learn more about these highly flexible adapters that fit seamlessly into current SAN installations as 16Gb Gen 5 Fibre Channel host bus adapters (HBAs) today and provide a future-proof approach to building highly agile infrastructures by enabling end-user field upgradeability to 10Gb Ethernet (10GbE)-based converged network adapters (CNAs) in the future.
QLogic FabricCache Adapters Provide New Performance Benefits for ESX Clusters
Clustered and highly virtualized servers have created some of the most performance-challenged environments in today's enterprise. Named by CRN as one of " The 10 Coolest Flash Storage Products of 2013 ," FabricCache adapters usher in a new era of enterprise application performance acceleration for SANs, combining a high-performance PCIe flash card with QLogic's market-leading Fibre Channel adapter to create a dramatically simpler, more cost-efficient and sharable server-based cache solution. Unlike alternative offerings, FabricCache transparently pools individual server caches across multiple, physical servers, so the widest range of mission-critical, virtualized and clustered applications can share flash caching performance benefits. FabricCache also delivers greater ROI while lowering overall TCO by leveraging QLogic's proven Fibre Channel driver, offloading caching functions from the server and integrating seamlessly into existing SAN infrastructure. QLogic will feature live FabricCache demonstrations at VMWorld, including OS and Hypervisor transparent caching of shared SAN storage, including vMotion across physical servers in a VMware ESX cluster while maintaining cached application acceleration performance.
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QLogic – the Ultimate in Performance
QLogic (Nasdaq: QLGC ) is a global leader and technology innovator in high performance server and storage networking connectivity products. Leading OEMs and channel partners worldwide rely on QLogic for their server and storage networking solutions. For more information, visit www.qlogic.com .
1 ESG, Lab Validation Report, Enterprise Application Performance Scalability with QLogic Caching Technology, June 2013
2 Taneja Group, Storage Acceleration and Performance Technologies multi-client study, June 2013
Disclaimer – Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements relating to future results of the company (including certain beliefs and projections regarding business and market trends) that are "forward-looking statements" as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. The company advises readers that these potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: unfavorable economic conditions; potential fluctuations in operating results; gross margins that may vary over time; the stock price of the company may be volatile; the company's dependence on the networking markets served; the ability to maintain and gain market or industry acceptance of the company's products; the company's dependence on a small number of customers; the company's ability to compete effectively with other companies; the ability to attract and retain key personnel; the complexity of the company's products; declining average unit sales prices of comparable products; the company's dependence on sole source and limited source suppliers; the company's dependence on relationships with certain third-party subcontractors and contract manufacturers; sales fluctuations arising from customer transitions to new products; seasonal fluctuations and uneven sales patterns in orders from customers; a reduction in sales efforts by current distributors; changes in the company's tax provisions or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of its income tax returns; international economic, currency, regulatory, political and other risks; facilities of the company and its suppliers and customers are located in areas subject to natural disasters; the ability to protect proprietary rights; the ability to satisfactorily resolve any infringement claims; uncertain benefits from strategic business combinations, acquisitions and divestitures; declines in the market value of the company's marketable securities; changes in and compliance with regulations; difficulties in transitioning to smaller geometry process technologies; the use of "open source" software in the company's products; system security risks, data protection breaches and cyber-attacks; and the company's ability to borrow under its credit agreement is subject to certain covenants.
More detailed information on these and additional factors which could affect the company's operating and financial results are described in the company's Forms 10-K, 10-Q and other reports filed, or to be filed, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The company urges all interested parties to read these reports to gain a better understanding of the business and other risks that the company faces. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made only as of the date hereof, and the company does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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Media Contact: Steve Sturgeon QLogic Corporation 858.472.5669 Investor Contact: Jean Hu QLogic Corporation 949.389.7579
