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Brocade Server Connectivity Certification Program

Brocade invites hardware and software vendors to engage in the Brocade Server Connectivity Certification Program. This program enables our partners to certify new or existing products for compatibility with Brocade PCIe HBAs. Brocade HBA’s provide a new level of server connectivity through unmatched hardware capabilities and unique software configurability, this matched with our partners products will bring a new level of functionality to our mutual end users.

The Brocade Server Connectivity Certification program in conjunction with our Data Center Ready program provides customers with the assurance of proven compatibility with Brocade SANs in multi-vendor, heterogeneous environments. In addition to the usual developer partner benefits, Brocade Server Connectivity Certified partners are eligible for the following additional benefits:

  • Receive Brocade HBAs and tools for ongoing compatibility testing
  • Visibility in the Brocade Server Connectivity Compatibility Matrix
  • Joint marketing opportunities for compatible products to maximize exposure
  • Support of partner press releases that promote certified solutions
  • Execute tests conveniently in your own environment at your own pace
  • Become a part of Brocade’s growing Server Connectivity ecosystem of compatible partners
  • Receive access to drivers and software prior to GA
  • Use of the Brocade Server Connectivity Certified logo

SELF-CERTIFICATION TESTING

This program provides Brocade Partners and Developers the tools and resources to test compatibility of the Brocade HBA with their products and optionally, any installed Brocade switches, Brocade switch Operating Systems, and Brocade Advanced Fabric Services. In addition, ongoing collaboration provides developers with the tools they need to maintain compatibility as new products are introduced.

To achieve self-certification, participants are provided a Brocade-supplied test plan, which guides our partners through the testing of their products at their location. This test plan can be used as a guide to test all the advanced features within a Brocade HBA in correlation with and exiting test criteria that you may already have. Upon completion of the testing, the test results are sent to the Brocade Server Connectivity Certified team for analysis to determine the solution's eligibility for inclusion in the Brocade Compatibility Matrix as "Compatible".

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?

  • Begin your participation in this program by sending a request to the Brocade Server Connectivity Certification Team requesting information on self-testing and include information on your intentions, your product description, your contact details, and any other relevant information.
  • A Server Connectivity Certified team member will contact you to outline the Self-Certification process and guide you through joining the Brocade Server Connectivity Certified Program, if you are not already a member, and signing the necessary agreements.
  • The Self-Certification process is started and Brocade hardware is ordered.
  • Install the HBA into your existing test lab and execute your normal test cases at your location, at your own pace.
  • When you complete the testing, submit the test results, configuration data, and any required logs to the Brocade Server Connectivity Certified Team. The Server Connectivity Certified team will review your testing results and notify you of the assessment. Upon approval, your product will be added to the Brocade Server Connectivity Certified Compatibility Matrix as "Compatible".
  • When you complete the testing, submit the test results, configuration data, and any required logs to the Brocade Server Connectivity Certified Team. The Server Connectivity Certified team will review your testing results and notify you of the assessment. Upon approval, your product will be added to the Brocade Server Connectivity Certified Compatibility Matrix as "Compatible".

GUIDE TO BROCADE HBA KEY FEATURES AND BENEFITS

 

High-performance configuration:

  • Intelligent PCIe lane negotiation to maximize bus throughput
  • Parallel I/O engines to support simultaneous I/O transfers

Guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS):

  • Hardware-based Virtual Channels with low/medium/high data priorities and target rate limiting to minimize storage target data overflow
  • Flow control to maximize link utilization between HBAs and adjacent switch ports

Centralized management and provisioning:

  • Local and remote management of distributed HBAs with fabric-based boot LUN discovery for automated SAN boot configuration to quickly deploy diskless servers
  • FC-ping, FC-Traceroute, and LED port beaconing to simplify fault isolation

Data protection, authentication, and encryption:

  • Data protection across PCIe and FC (T10 CRC), memory blocks, and ASIC (ECC)
  • FC-SP security for device authentication and on-chip in-flight AES-GCM data encryption

Enhanced server virtualization:

  • Multiple I/O data queues to increase performance for virtualized environments
  • Certification is available for Microsoft and Novell hypervisors
  • Certification will be available for VMware and Red Hat hypervisors

If you have any questions on the Server Connectivity Certified Program, please forward them to the scc@brocade.com.

Quotes From Our Partners

Read what our partners are saying about the Brocade Server Connectivity Certification Program.

Partnership Resources

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