Brocade unites IP and Fibre Channel management

Brocade has launched Network Advisor to bring together the management of mixed internet protocol (IP) and Fibre Channel storage systems.

The product's single unified dashboard provides a view into the entire storage are network (SAN) and IP network environment. In addition, it enables configuration, monitoring and management of the Brocade DCX Backbone, Brocade IP switches and routers, host bus adapters (HBAs), converged network adapters (CNAs), and Fibre Channel Over Ethernet (FCoE) switches. The product can scale from small local networks to large, geographically-dispersed networks.

"Customers are experiencing significantly high operating expenses associated with disparate islands of tools and fragmented lifecycle management processes," said Jason Nolet, vice president of Brocade's Data Center and Enterprise Networking Group. "Most importantly, Brocade Network Advisor helps reduce customer OpEx by minimising training, increasing automation and consolidating tools."

The heritage of the product lies in the acquisition of Foundry Networks two years ago. This brought IronView Network Manager (INM) for Ethernet-based storage networks into the fold. By combining the acquired technology with its home-grown Data Center Fabric Manager for Fibre Channel SANs, Network Advisor was created.

In larger corporates, individual network administrators can retain discrete control over their specific environment through Brocade's Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) mechanism. Each administrator is given a different view of the system according to their role. This also allows independent auditing so an organisation can track back to see who made a specific change and when.

Brocade said Network Advisor will be available in mid-November as a seamless upgrade from existing Brocade management software. The company has also put in place migration guides and training courses to help new customers and existing clients who need assistance with the transition.

Pricing has yet to be confirmed but the company expects it will align with its Data Center Fabric Manager.