Fujitsu Brocade 6505 SM-6505-12-0R 24x SFP+ 16Gb - Fibre Channel Switch

The Brocade 6505 Fibre Channel Switch (SM-6505-12-0R) is an excellent choice due to its cost-effective 16Gb Fibre Channel performance, flexible scalability with Ports on Demand, and enterprise-grade reliability, making it a superb solution for foundational and expanding SAN infrastructures. Its cost-effective 16Gb Fibre Channel performance, supporting speeds up to 16 Gbps per port and an aggregate bandwidth of 384 Gbps (full duplex when fully populated), provides the necessary speed for demanding workloads and next-generation flash-based storage, all within an accessible price point for smaller environments. The flexible scalability with 'Ports on Demand' allows organizations to initially activate only 12 ports and upgrade to the full 24 ports as their needs evolve, offering a pay-as-you-grow model that protects initial investments. Furthermore, its enterprise-grade reliability is ensured by redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and fan trays, leveraging the robust Brocade Fabric OS (FOS) for high availability and simplified management. These features combined ensure a reliable, high-performance, and adaptable SAN foundation.
The Brocade 6505 Fibre Channel Switch (SM-6505-12-0R) is perfect for:

• Small to Mid-Sized SAN Deployments: Its initial configuration with 12 active 16Gb Fibre Channel ports makes it highly suitable for foundational SAN deployments in departmental or remote office settings, providing high performance without excessive initial investment.
• Cost-Effective SAN Expansion and Future-Proofing: The 'Ports on Demand' capability allows businesses to start with 12 active ports and seamlessly upgrade to 24 ports as their storage and server connectivity needs grow. This provides a cost-effective path for future expansion and ensures the SAN infrastructure can scale without requiring a forklift upgrade.
• Entry-Level Virtualized Environments: The low latency and 16Gbps speed are crucial for supporting virtualized servers that require fast and reliable access to shared storage, ensuring virtual machine performance remains optimal even with growing workloads.
• Flash-Optimized Storage Connectivity: With its 16Gb Fibre Channel links, the 6505 can effectively utilize the high performance of all-flash arrays (AFAs) and hybrid storage solutions, preventing bottlenecks at the network layer and maximizing the return on investment in high-speed storage.
• Consolidating Server-to-Storage Connections: By providing a dedicated, high-performance Fibre Channel fabric, it helps consolidate numerous direct-attached storage connections, reducing sprawl, simplifying management, and improving data access efficiency.