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San Francisco, CA., February 9, 2004 -
Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA), the storage industry's authority on
Fibre Channel technology and standards, announced today the SANmark™
Qualified Test Provider Program for the benefit of members and non-members.
Under the program, third-party test vendors are invited to apply to become
qualified SANmark test providers to Fibre Channel OEMs. Successful SANmark
testing permits manufacturers to use the SANmark trademark on their Fibre
Channel products, signifying that they meet the highest industry standards for
functionality and interoperability.
FCIA established the SANmark Qualified Test Provider Program to give Fibre
Channel OEMs increased testing options through having their products tested
against the SANmark-approved test suites by third-party test houses. The
program saves OEMs the capital costs of test lab equipment, staffing and
training and also speeds time to market.
Bill Martin, Principal Engineer, Brocade Communications and Chair of the
SANmark Technical Committee, stated, "The SANmark Qualified Test Provider
Program will offer Fibre Channel manufacturers and system integrators added
resources from qualified third-party vendors to provide SANmark testing.
Products will be professionally and thoroughly tested just as they would be
with in-house testing and they will meet the same high standards."
SANmark Test Equipment Vendor Statements of Support
According to I-TECH CEO Steve Bucher, "The development of a SANmark
Qualified Test Provider Program is the next step in the process of ensuring
that only the highest standards are followed in every facet of the network
storage industry. I-TECH's active involvement in the program as a developer
of test suites and equipment used by test providers to perform SANmark
qualification demonstrates our full commitment to the program's goals of
promoting high-quality products and component interoperability."
"As a Fibre Channel test equipment vendor, Finisar wholeheartedly supports the
FCIA SANmark Qualified Test Provider initiative," said Kevin Cornell, Sr. Vice
President, General Manager, Finisar Network Tools. "It will provide a valuable
resource to Fibre Channel OEMs who are faced with very complex tests required
to meet SANmark standards and carry the SANmark trademark. We look forward to
assisting Fibre Channel vendors move their products to market more efficiently
and at less cost."
About SANmark
The SANmark Qualified Program is sponsored, operated and promoted as an open
industry conformance test suite development program within the Fibre Channel
Industry Association (FCIA). This program addresses product interoperability
and device-level compatibility for companies participating in the program. The
program is open to members and nonmembers of the FCIA organization and is
intended to benefit the entire storage networking industry. For a list of test
vendors providing platforms for executing SANmark-qualified test suites, a list
of SANmark-qualified products and general information about the SANmark
Qualified Program, please visit www.sanmark.org.
About FCIA
The Fibre Channel Industry Association (FCIA) is a nonprofit international
organization of manufacturers, systems integrators, developers, systems
vendors, industry professionals and end users. With 100 member companies and
FCIA affiliates in the United States and Japan, FCIA is committed to delivering
a broad base of Fibre Channel infrastructure to support a wide array of
industry applications within the mass storage and IT-based arenas. FCIA working
groups focus on specific aspects of the technology, targeting both vertical and
horizontal markets including storage, video, networking and SAN management. For
more information on FCIA, please visit our web site:
www.fibrechannel.org, contact us:
info@fibrechannel.org or call
1-415-561-6270.
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