QLogic 1400 Manual Suplementario

 

 

ESG Lab Review

 

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Just as stackable switches provide a right-sized and scalable alternative to rack-mounted and chassis 
switches in the Ethernet networking market, the expanding line of stackable SANbox switches from 
QLogic is bringing pay as you grow flexibility to the storage switching market. Ranging from an entry-level 

switch with 8 ports up to the recently announced SANbox 9000, which supports up to 256 ports using an 
I/O bladed architecture, switches can be stacked to accommodate future growth.   
 

QLogic introduced the concept of stackable switches into the storage market. SANbox stackable switches 
are connected together using 10 Gbps FC InterSwitch Links (ISLs).  SANbox ISLs provide a simply 

elegant alternative to the trunking technology of traditional storage switch architectures.  Instead of 
combining user ports together to create a trunk as needed when interconnecting traditional storage 
switches. SANbox switches have built-in dedicated 10 Gbps ports which create a cost-effective highway 

for shared traffic between switches.   

SANbox switches support availability features like non-disruptive code load support and redundant hot 
swappable power supplies. Stackable SANbox solutions have been qualified and are now supported by 
major storage and systems vendors.  

The SANbox 9000 is the latest addition to the SANbox line of stackable switches.   For maximum port 

density, the low-profile 4u chassis of the SANbox 9000 supports up to eight 4 Gbps I/O blades for a total 
of 128 ports. For maximum performance, the SANbox 9000 can also support up to eight 10 Gbps I/O 
blades for a total of 32 ultra-high-bandwidth ports.  Blade types can be intermixed within a frame, and two 

chassis can be stacked for a maximum of 256 ports. In the future, QLogic will provide additional blades 
that can be installed in the SANbox 9000.  Storage routing and storage services available today in the 

SANbox 6000 and 8000 series platforms will be offered in I/O blade form factors. 

 

 

ESG Lab Review 

As shown in Figure Three, a SANbox 9000 ultra-high density “Designed to the Core” switch was used to 
implement a core storage network. The SANbox 9000 at the core was connected to a pair of SANbox 
5600s and a SANbox 5200 towards the edge.  An entry level ten port SANbox 1400 switch was used by a 

simulated workgroup performing video editing.   
 
 

Figure Three – Distributed Switching – from Core to Edge and Remote 

 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

Enterprise Strategy Group  

 

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