IT managers now have a choice when considering SAN management options. The QLA4050, QLA4050C, and QLA4052C (collectively referred to as the QLA405x) iSCSI HBAs provide connectivity to SANs over Ethernet and TCP/IP network infrastructures (switches, routers, and VPN appliances). Using a widely deployed and familiar networking technology, iSCSI can lower the total cost of ownership to better manage and support storage networking.

By offloading the iSCSI and TCP/IP protocol to the adapter, the QLA405x eliminates the processing, interrupts, and bus accesses required to support protocols in host software. The QLA405x virtually eliminates the host CPU system processing required for iSCSI and TCP/IP, delivering the equivalent initialization and host processing performance of direct attach storage (DAS) and Fibre Channel (FC) SANs.

Point-and-click installation and configuration wizards simplify the HBA setup process. Storage administrators can quickly deploy HBAs across a SAN using standard HBA management tools and device utilities. The QLA405x is also fully compatible with industry standard application programming interfaces (APIs), thereby allowing administrators to manage QLogic HBAs using third-party software applications.