EXFO launches fibre channel test module for storage area networks

March 18, 2003--EXFO Electro-Optical Engineering (Quebec City, Canada) announced today the launch of the Packet Blazer SAN FTB-8515 fibre channel test module for installation and commissioning of storage-area-network (SAN) based services in carrier markets.

Fibre channel is an advanced transmission protocol increasingly found in SANs. Network service providers are extending transparent fibre channel circuits in access and metro networks to multiple locations across SANs in order to increase revenues. According to a recent report from Pioneer Consulting, a market research firm specializing in high-speed telecommunications networks and technologies, the global SAN equipment market is expected to grow from approximately U.S. $7.5 billion in 2002 to nearly U.S. $84 billion in 2007.

The Packet Blazer SAN module, which is contained inside EXFO's FTB-400 field-testing platform, provides field technicians with highly accurate bit-error-rate values that reflect the quality of their transmission systems. Another functionality is its capability to qualify the delay or latency introduced by the transport network, which is a critical element in deploying SAN-based services. The Packet Blazer SAN module will be displayed at booth 2341 during OFC 2003 from March 25-27 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.