Agilent Technologies announces availability of new fiber-optic transceiver

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE:A) announced the volume availability of its two-gigabit-per-second (2 Gb/s) small-form-pluggable (SFP) fiber-optic transceiver for Fibre Channel storage area networks (SANs). Agilent offers a complete solution set for 2 Gb/s Fibre Channel, including Tachyon Fibre Channel controllers, serializer/deserializer (SerDes) and port bypass ICs, and integrated host bus adapters.

The new transceiver is "hot-pluggable," meaning it can be inserted or removed from a board without removing power. This benefit is critical to SAN switch environments that cannot afford system downtime for online transaction processing applications. Agilent customers now have the ability to add fiber-optic ports, replace fiber-optic transceivers, and scale their systems without interrupting network services. Additionally, this helps to reduce inventory costs by allowing units to be stocked without optical transceivers.

The Agilent HFBR-5720L SFP fiber-optic transceiver operates at 1 Gb/s and 2 Gb/s, providing backward compatibility with existing 1 Gb/s SANs. The HFBR-5720L offers size and interoperability advantages and meets Fibre Channel performance and reliability specifications. Superior electromagnetic emissions (EMI) performance aids customers in complying with Federal Communications Commission standards.

Designed for multimode applications up to 300 meters, the 3.3 V fiber-optic transceiver is compliant with the proposed specification for 2 Gb/s Fibre Channel and is also compatible with the existing 1 Gb/s standard. Target applications include Fibre Channel mass storage systems, switching systems and host bus adapters.

The HFBR-5720L SFP fiber-optic transceiver is shipping now and is priced under $100 in low volume quantities. The HFBR-5720L will also be available as an option with Agilent's new host bus adapter cards HHBA-5218A (expected introduction planned for Q2 2001) and HHBA-5220A (expected introduction planned for Q3 2001).

Agilent will continue its fiber-optic transceiver development, including pin-through hole (PTH) solutions for host bus adapter card providers, and single mode 1300 nm laser solutions in both SFP and PTH packages, all planned to be available later this year.

About Agilent:

Agilent is a supplier of 1 and 2 Gb/s Fibre Channel solutions for the high-performance, enterprise-class SAN market. Agilent provides integrated HBA solutions as well as Tachyon Fibre Channel protocol chips, fiber optics, high-speed serializer/deserializer (SerDes), and port bypass ICs. Agilent serves the communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare markets. For more information, visit www.agilent.com.