Brocade has announced that it will be working with Intel Corporation to deliver server adapters for evolving data centre networks. Brocade will provide its storage networking software technology and expertise, along with Intel's 10 Gigabit Enhanced Ethernet server adapter hardware, to deliver Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) server connectivity. Today's announcement further advances the Brocade Data Center Fabric (DCF) architecture for high performance, multiprotocol data center networks.

The FCoE standard is currently being worked on in the INCITS Fibre Channel (T11) Technical Committee and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2008.

"Our collaboration with Intel brings together Brocade's expertise in Fibre Channel with Intel's strength in Ethernet adapters to enable the consolidation of server I/O into a unified data centre fabric," said Madhu Matta, Vice President of the Brocade Server Connectivity Division. "The solution will give our customers a choice to enable greater consolidation of server connectivity while preserving the benefits of their current storage networking and data centre infrastructure."

"Intel believes that unified fabric over Ethernet will further simplify the virtualised data centre," said Tom Swinford, General Manager of Intel's LAN Access Division. "The enhanced Ethernet features in Intel's 10 Gigabit Ethernet adapters will help enable Brocade's solution to provide the reliable, high-performance server connectivity that our LAN and SAN customers are seeking."