Features - Storage Innovations:

CNT EXTENDS NEW IBM DATA MIRRORING SOLUTION OVER 1,200 MILES

CNT, a global expert in storage networking solutions, announced that they are the first provider to remotely extend a new IBM enterprise disk mirroring solution for storage networks. The event demonstrated the benefits of long distance capabilities for disaster recovery and business continuity solutions, as data was copied over a distance of 1,200 miles between sites in Minnesota and New Jersey.

The solution uses CNT's UltraNet Edge Storage Router, which reliably extends IBM's Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy (PPRC), for Fibre Channel, a controller-based disk mirroring application for IBM TotalStorage Enterprise Storage Server (ESS) Model 800.

The event demonstrated PPRC mirroring between CNT's new IBM TotalStorage Solution Center (TSSC) in southern New Jersey and their remote demonstration site in Minnesota over an IP Network. Each location of the demo included an IBM ESS Model 800 and a CNT FC/9000 Fibre Channel Director with an integrated UltraNet Edge Storage Router WAN module, which is currently included with every new FC/9000 purchase.

"We're proud of our long history of delivering IBM storage solutions to our customers, especially when we are providing unique value through our UltraNet technology for remote storage," said Ed Walsh, vice president of alliances, marketing and strategy at CNT. "Our unmatched expertise in IBM disk mirroring solutions allows us to be first to market for extending PPRC-FC over longer distances, thus giving customers key remote storage options."

The event also was the grand opening for CNT's new TotalStorage Solution Center in Lumberton, NJ. One of more than 150 centers around the world, CNT's facility is able to demonstrate customer business value through a variety of IBM and multi-vendor storage solutions, both local and remote, including disk mirroring, remote tape, enterprise backup, FC/FICON SANs, storage virtualization, storage resource management, and server consolidation. At this facility, CNT can provide customer demonstrations, proof-of-concept projects, and staging and integration work. CNT also has the ability to demonstrate these capabilities on a global scale at their European Executive Briefing Center in the United Kingdom.

"Long distance mirroring capabilities are critical to help customers achieve comprehensive disaster recovery and business continuance solutions," said Tom Simonson, vice president of worldwide storage of disk marketing at IBM Storage. "We're excited about this new solution which represents a highperformance offering for our enterprise customers."

In addition to PPRC for Fibre Channel, CNT's UltraNet products provide remote capabilities for all IBM's enterprise and midrange disk and tape solutions.