GOVERNMENT

SAN JOSE, CA -- SANavigator Inc., a leader in heterogeneous SAN management software, today introduced its SANavigator(TM) software Version 2.5. The newest version of this acclaimed SAN management application incorporates a variety of features that make Storage Area Network management easier. The new features, many of which were inspired by suggestions from customers, including end users, the SANavigator Advisory Board and partners, include an export feature that provides a point-in-time snapshot of the SAN, support for a variety of SAN devices and device types, and enhancements to the SANavigator user interface. Point-in-Time Snapshot of the SAN The point-in-time snapshot feature, which captures critical SAN management information, is an important addition to SANavigator's disaster recovery capabilities. With this feature, network administrators can now easily capture, export, backup and recover critical SAN infrastructure information. The advanced user interface allows selection of storage network information, including asset information, topology and interconnects, event logs, and historical performance data. The information is then encapsulated in a compact file format tspecially valuable in assisting an organization's technical support group. With it, a support engineer can receive specific information about the SAN, such as the topology and device parameters from the user, minimizing support costs and customer downt "SANavigator features such as the SAN snapshot are an important addition to the IT manager's 'arsenal' of disaster recovery tools." Support for Entire McDATA Product Line SANavigator 2.5 provides tools to more easily manage SANs as its incorporates a growing number of devices, device types and SAN software. Version 2.5 supports controllers, Directors, switches, routers, enclosures, bridges and HBAs from an increasing variety of vendors. Among the SANavigator 2.5 version's new features is its support for the discovery of McDATA's switches and Directors. SANavigator now supports the entire family of McDATA's core-to-edge enterprise solutions and can launch McDATA's Enterprise Fabric Connectivity Manager (EFCM) and other McDATA management tools. SANavigator is constantly adding support for new devices. Updated information regarding supported hardware can be accessed at the SANavigator Web site. User Interface Enhancements A number of improvements in the user interface of Version 2.5 simplify SAN management. For example, new icons distinguish in-band from out-of-band discovery. With a quick glance at the topology, a manager knows instantly which devices are accessible via in-band communication, and can easily obtain more detailed information from the devices. The improved user interface also incorporates the ability to associate Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) with a server for environments where SANavigator is not installed locally on a server and out-of-band discovery is employed. The device information ToolTip, also new with Version 2.5, is another powerful management tool. Moving a mouse over the device's ToolTip displays selected properties for a device, making it unnecessary to drill down and open up a new window to obtain this information. This is especially useful on very large SANs, where drilling down into hundreds of objects for a specific piece of information costs critical time. Version 2.5 simplifies SAN management in other ways. It associates multiple URLs for each device for browser launch. This feature allows the user to associate and launch many web-based management applications for a particular device, increasing SANavigator's ability to flexibly manage a variety of heterogeneous hardware devices. The new version also contains an enhanced discovery engine to better identify specific ports on discovered devices. This helps create a more accurate picture of the SAN for the user and aids troubleshooting and diagnosis. Previous versions of SANavigator displayed multiple ports as separate devices; now, SANavigator logically identifies multiple ports as part of the same device. "As SANs incorporate more devices and features, the challenges for SAN discovery and management tools become more complex," said Steve Hindman, Senior Software Product Manager at SANavigator. "SANavigator continues to be first-to-market with enhancements that make SAN management easier, because we listen to our customers, industry analysts, and our Advisory Board, whose members are among the industry's most sophisticated SAN users. We are grateful for their input."