Brocade(R) offers new Brocade solution-enabled via a recent software release on its Storage Area Network (SAN), switch and router products, provides enterprises a wide range of solutions to support business continuity, disaster recovery and compliance. This shall enable IBM system Z customers improve data availability at reduced costs.

Brocade(R), network storage solution provider announced new breakthroughs that allow IBM mainframe customers to dramatically reduce the complexity and cost of data center and disaster recovery solutions. The new Brocade solution-enabled via a recent software release on its Storage Area Network (SAN) director, switch and router products, allows system z customers, to utilize cost-effective IP Wide-Area-Network (WAN) links to transmit FICON(R) data over long distances. The FICON protocol is used for mainframe storage hosts. The Brocade implementation of FICON over IP WANs increases efficiency for IBM mainframe disk and tape storage solutions, while providing extended distance support for IBM Global Mirroring applications. Previously, customers typically had to rely on more-expensive, dedicated network links for these long-distance connectivity solutions. 

The new FICON-over-IP extension solutions have been successfully tested and qualified by both Brocade and IBM in conjunction with IBM Global Mirroring solutions (including Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy (PPRC) and eXtended Remote Copy (XRC) disk replication solutions) and other IBM storage-over-distance solutions (including IBM Virtual Tape Systems). As a result, enterprises now have additional design options for extending their mainframe business continuity and disaster recovery applications and could avoid the expense of dedicated network bandwidth links. For very long-distance requirements, Brocade also offers extension solutions with unique FICON emulation and pipelining capabilities, enabling mainframe applications to extend over thousands of miles. In addition, Brocade offers a variety of professional services specifically designed to help mainframe customers' design, deploy, optimize and better manage their FICON infrastructures.

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