Finisar to Provide Next Generation Input Output Instrumentation
Finisar Corp. (San Jose, CA), announced that it will provide design and test instrumentation for Next Generation Input Output (NGIO) technology. Finisar will supply protocol analyzers and data generators to developers of NGIO architecture-based products, including Intel. Finisar is a manufacturer of instrumentation for the Fibre Channel Gigabit-rate serial data protocol.
The NGIO architecture is designed to deliver levels of reliability, scalability and flexibility for data flow in servers-vital in developing a complete and robust internet-connected data center. NGIO technology provides a direct, high-throughput and expandable interface between main memory and the controller devices for I/O subsystems. It defines a very simple message-passing mechanism between the I/O controllers and host memory. The NGIO driver model provides a robust and reliable platform. Lack of contention between drivers and I/O controllers contrasts with the design of a shared-bus system, which sees bandwidth degradation where there is contention.
The Finisar protocol analyzer will be used to capture and examine traffic in detail on the NGIO network. The NGIO Protocol Analyzer will capture data at 2.5 Gbits per second into 512 Mbytes of memory simultaneously on up to four full-duplex links. The analyzer will include real-time data capture filtering and multilevel triggering to help the user pinpoint problems in the data. Real-time data rates and performance statistics continuously display traffic behavior.
Captured data is examined using Finisar TraceView software. This data display software interprets, formats and displays the captured information in time order. Data can be formatted as 10-bit information, hexadecimal or NGIO mnemonics. Extensive search and filter functions are provided. Finisar will also provide statistical analysis software to provide detailed performance and traffic content information.
The Finisar Data Generator will be used to create traffic to verify the operation of both the physical and protocol layers of the NGIO network. The NGIO Data Generator can send, receive and test network traffic created from a user defined script. The script may be written in 10-bit physical layer or upper protocol layer formats. The generator may also be used as an error injector, overwriting or modifying network traffic based on user-defined conditions. The generator includes a "snoop" buffer to capture and display data from the generator.
Finisar Corp., 274 Ferguson Drive, Mountain View, CA 94043. Phone: 650-691-4000.
The NGIO Forum was organized as a non-profit industry standards group in February 1999. Companies interested in joining the Forum, or obtaining more information about the Forum, the specification or the activities of the working groups, may contact the NGIO Forum at 5440 SW Westgate Dr., Suite. #217, Portland, OR 97221. Phone: 503-297-0426, FAX 503-297-1090, email info@NGIOForum.org. Or visit the web site at www.ngioforum.org.