PALM DESERT, Calif. - April 9, 2001 - Cisco Systems, Inc. today announced the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router, which delivers the benefits of IP networking, such as security, management, Quality of Service (QoS), and scalability, to existing storage infrastructures through the use of iSCSI technology. The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router is the first product available for the Cisco Storage Networking initiative also announced today at Storage Networking World.
Cisco has been on the forefront of developing and promoting iSCSI, technology, and has joined with IBM to develop a draft standard undergoing ratification within the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force). Cisco has further promoted the development of iSCSI technology by licensing the source code for iSCSI-compatible drivers at no charge to more than 20 companies. All together, over 250 storage and networking companies have committed to developing the iSCSI standard and iSCSI-compatible products.
iSCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface over IP) works by encapsulating SCSI data traffic and transporting them over TCP/IP networks. This allows the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router customers to access block-level storage anywhere on an IP network.
The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router is a multi-interface platform that allows devices on IP networks to access pools of Fibre Channel storage. It works in conjunction with iSCSI drivers installed in host servers, which encapsulates the SCSI data and transports them to the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router over TCP/IP. From here, the router can forward the data to any Fibre Channel based storage device on the network.
"Developing products that adhere to the iSCSI standard, like the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router, is an important building block to the future of this new technology," said Clod Barrera, Director of System Strategy at IBM, which recently announced the industry's first product line of iSCSI storage servers. "The industry has embraced the emerging iSCSI standard as it provides important guidance for companies to produce new, interoperable iSCSI products. These new products will pave the way for improved customer operations by extending existing storage solutions."
The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router allows customers to take advantage of the high-performance Fibre Channel transport and the ubiquity of Ethernet over TCP/IP networking. The familiarity most network administrators have with IP networking makes the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router as easy to deploy and manage as any other IP device. This reduces the total cost of ownership of managing a storage network.
"Our customers want the best available storage solution, whether that solution is iSCSI or Fibre Channel based," said Jose Iglesias, vice president of Storage, Tivoli Systems. "Gaining visibility into both types of network becomes increasingly important as iSCSI technology allows storage to span both infrastructures."
The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router will enable and enhance many storage networking applications over local and wide area networks. In a local area environment, typical applications might include server consolidation or storage clustering, which reduces costs and improves network efficiency and redundancy. Over WANs, the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router can perform applications such as remote backup or Fibre Channel extension by interconnecting Fibre Channel SAN "islands" over IP. The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router enables these applications in both enterprise and storage service provider networks.
Storage Service Provider (SSP) Model
The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router is a cost-effective solution for SSPs, many of whom, until now, have been forced to build completely different storage network infrastructures for each customer, all to ensure adequate levels of security and interoperability.
With the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router, SSPs can pool their customers' storage resources under a common network and storage infrastructure, which reduces costs, provides greater network utilization, and saves space. Security features such as access control lists and Logical Unit Number (LUN) mapping in the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router help SSPs ensure that they separate customers data on shared storage resources. And through iSCSI authentication and IP security, SSPs can ensure customers can only access their own data.
Several SSPs have been trial testing the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router, including Waltham, Mass.-based StorageNetworks, Inc. a leader in the SSP market.
"The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router will help StorageNetworks drive complexity and cost out of storage infrastructure, by enabling better storage network management, which is particularly important for our target market -- large enterprise customers," said Bill Miller, co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO) of StorageNetworks, Inc. "Furthermore, as a component in our Global Data StorageSM Network (GDSN), overlaid with our STORosSM operating system, StorageNetworks will be able to improve functionality and adjust our storage infrastructure to meet our customers needs."
StorageWay, an SSP based in Fremont, Calif., also tested the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router. Chris Eidler, vice president of engineering and CTO at StorageWay said: "The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router will enable us to more efficiently leverage the global IP infrastructure as a seamless extension of our unique storage utility architecture. By combining the existing and emerging high performance IP infrastructure with StorageWay's Liquid Storage Architecture, Cisco and StorageWay can together provide a wider array of products and services than currently available in a Fibre Channel-only infrastructure."
Arsenal Digital Solutions, a national SSP based in Durham, NC was another beta test site. Vijay Ahuja, CTO said: "The storage industry is experiencing two important trends - the need to extend storage over distance and the need for a better way to share storage. The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router fills an important gap for us so we can offer our customers access to storage services using IP networks both within the Internet data centers as well as at remote locations."
Third-Party Validation
In addition to customer tests, the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router has undergone extensive evaluation among many third-party vendors. For example, LSI Logic Storage Systems, Inc tested the Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router for certification with its MetaStor E-Series storage systems. The LSI Logic Storage Systems E-Series provides clustering and SAN storage solutions for entry level, mid-range and enterprise-class IT operations.
"Being able to transport block-level data over standard IP networks is a great fit for certain customers," said Gerard Meluso, director of alliances for LSI Logic Storage Systems. "The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router, in combination with our storage systems, enables this. Through rigorous certification testing, the LSI Certified Compatible designation for the Cisco SN 5420 assures users our products work effectively together, making this is a win-win for our end customers."
Pricing and Availability
The Cisco SN 5420 Storage Router is expected to be available later this month and is listed at $27,000. It will be on display at the Cisco booth at Storage Networking World (Booth #P-14). It will also be featured in the "iSCSI Emerging Technologies" Demo Lab at the Desert Salons Pavilion (#1-6).
