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LightSand Launches Comprehensive FICON Extension Solution

LightSand, a leading provider of SAN connectivity products, announced a family of solutions for extending FICON over distance. FICON (FIbre CONnection) is IBM's preferred method of connecting its mainframe computers to storage devices such as the Enterprise Storage System (Shark). Unfortunately, native FICON is limited to distances of 10 kilometers, restricting it to single site or campus-wide applications.

LightSand has developed a new capability that allows FICON links to be extended without the use of traditional FICON directors. The cornerstone of LightSand's FICON extension capability is the new i-7100F, which extends all of the functionality of traditional FICON links over distance using conventional IP networks. This is achieved without the need for expensive director-class SAN switches. Successful tests conducted at IBM's test labs in Mainz, Germany, showed the i-7100F to provide transparent compatibility with existing FICON equipment.

"Enterprise-wide computing and storage must extend across the entire geographically dispersed enterprise," said Philip Black, LightSand's CEO. "Data stored at one site must be available for analysis anywhere in the organization. Centralized backup capabilities can enhance productivity and reduce overall costs. Effective business continuity plans require that the distance from the primary site to the backup site exceed any expected disaster radius. Each of these applications requires the ability to extend FICON to remote locations, and LightSand's i-7100F makes this possible."

For FICON applications that require the utmost in performance, the i-7100F can be coupled with LightSand's S-2500B SONET gateway. The combination of these two devices delivers unprecedented FICON bandwidth across the WAN while eliminating the need for costly FICON directors. This pairing provides loss-free, highly efficient communication and allows the system to move more than 290 MB per second from one site to another across a single SONET link or DWDM wavelength. For installations with existing FICON directors, a LightSand S-series SONET gateway can be deployed to provide FICON extension capabilities.

FICON extended with a LightSand gateway can be used for a wide variety of applications including remote mirroring for disaster recovery, storage consolidation for cost containment, centralized or shared tape operations and even remote printing. Almost any application that can be run locally over FICON can be extended to remote locations.

The i-7100F is uniquely positioned to provide a cost effective solution to support extended FICON applications over the MAN/WAN at high speeds. The LightSand i-7100F is scheduled for production release in 4Q03.