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QLogic Introduces First RMC On A Chip

QLogic Corp, the company that powers storage area networks (SANs), has introduced a line of Remote Management Controllers (RMCs) that integrate the capabilities of expensive remote management cards into a single chip.

Targeted at the market for rack optimized servers and bladed servers without PCI slots, the ultra-compact single chip RMCs enable system administrators to turn servers off, diagnose problems and restart servers -- all from a remote management station on the LAN. Previously found only in high-end servers, the low cost of the single-chip RMCs also enables server manufacturers to provide these sophisticated remote management capabilities in their entry-level servers.

"Entry-level servers have the benefit of low-price and 1U form factor, but customers also want the same manageability and reliability as we provide in our high-end servers. The Zircon UL enables us to satisfy both of these requirements in our Intel-based servers, bringing the same manageability and reliability to the entry-level," said Dieter Herzog, vice president, PRIMERGY Servers, Fujitsu-Siemens Computers.

"QLogic is the first to consolidate the management features found in expensive remote management cards into a single, standards-based ASIC," said David Race, vice president and general manager, QLogic management products. "Major server OEMs including Dell, HP, Fujitsu, IBM, Intel and Sun are now able to include high-end features in their entry-level servers at a fraction of the cost."

Zircon Remote Management Controllers

The Zircon UL & BL are a new class of remote management controllers that support the Intelligent Platform Management (IPMI) specification version 1.5. They meet the platform management requirements of IT administrators and data center managers via a highly integrated design that incorporates advanced management functionality into a small package. These RMCs provide baseboard management, remote management and virtual storage management on a single chip. These features allow system administrators to remotely access system configuration and status information, detect and diagnose errors, restart failed systems and install and upgrade component software.

The Zircon UL & BL architecture provides maximum design flexibility in the smallest possible package. It incorporates a RISC microprocessor with support for large addressable space, general-purpose input/output pins, and multiple interfaces including the Low Pin Count (LPC) bus, I2C and serial port. The extensible design allows for future expansion of addressable memory and I/O, satisfying current and long-term requirements. The Zircon UL and BL are 128-pin PQFP and 100-pin PQFP packages respectively.

Two innovative features of the Zircon UL & BL are the Universal Serial Port (USP) and the Virtual Storage Interface (VSI). The USP functions as both the system COM Port -- for access to the system console, BIOS and EFI Consoles -- and as the RMC COM port providing access to the remote management console. The RMC console port is available even when the system is not running and enables remote access to the entire platform management subsystem. The Virtual Storage Interface provides the capability of booting the system from a remote boot disk and updating components such as BIOS and firmware. More information is available at:
www.qlogic.com/products/management--controllers--baseboard.asp.

Availability

Samples of Zircon UL & BL are available now. Production quantities will be available in October.

Intelligent Platform Management Interface (IPMI)

IPMI, Intelligent Platform Management Interface, is an open standard that addresses hardware management interfaces. The IPMI specifications define standardized, abstracted interfaces to platform management hardware. More information about IPMI can be found at
developer.intel. com/design/servers/ipmi/.

Powered by QLogic

QLogic technology powers SAN solutions from the world's leading storage vendors including Cisco, Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Quantum, Sony, StorageTek and Sun. The industry depends on QLogic to simplify SANs with native Fibre Channel support designed into all major operating systems and to innovate new ways to network storage through new technologies like Virtual Interface (VI), Fibre Down and iSCSI.

About QLogic

QLogic Corporation simplifies the process of networking storage for OEMs, resellers and system integrators with the only end-to-end infrastructure in the industry, consisting of award-winning controller chips, host bus adapters, network switches and management software to move data from the storage device through the fabric to the server. QLogic designs and produces solutions based on all storage network technologies including SCSI, iSCSI, InfiniBand and Fibre Channel. A member of the S&P 500 Index, QLogic was recently ranked number 25 on Forbes' Best 200 Small Companies and was named to Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies list for the third consecutive year.

Contact: Frank Calderoni, QLogic Corp, 949-389-6120, frank.calderoni@qlogic.com.