ATTO Technology Releases Xtend SAN v3.0 iSCSI Initiator for Mac® OS X

Version 3.0 Introduces Major New Features for Mac OS X iSCSI Users

Sep 18, 2007

Amherst, NY (September 18, 2007) — ATTO Technology, Inc., a global leader of storage connectivity and infrastructure solutions for data-intensive computing environments, announced today that it has released a major upgrade to its Xtend SAN iSCSI Initiator for Mac® OS X, Version 3.0. Xtend SAN software allows Mac users to garner the benefits of Internet SCSI (iSCSI), one of the fastest growing storage networking protocols today. With iSCSI, users can take advantage of existing Ethernet expertise and equipment to benefit from a Storage Area Network (SAN), while avoiding the cost and complexity associated with Fibre Channel. By installing Xtend SAN on an OS X workstation, users can benefit from such key iSCSI applications such as collaborative digital video/audio workflows, laptop connectivity to SANs, and remote backups. Since version 3.0 of Xtend SAN has been tested against products from leading iSCSI manufacturers, users can be assured that Xtend SAN provides a high level of interoperability with various iSCSI products.

Version 3.0 of Xtend SAN provides new features to aid Macintosh users operating in iSCSI environments including:

Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) Support – CHAP is the primary authentication mechanism for iSCSI SANs. The implementation of CHAP in Xtend SAN enhances security of iSCSI SANs by validating the identity of remote clients.
Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) Support – iSNS is designed to facilitate the automated discovery, management and configuration of iSCSI storage devices. By implementing iSNS support, Xtend SAN provides a mechanism to simplify device discovery, reducing the time and effort associated with the initial configuration of an iSCSI SAN.
Login Redirect – Login redirect increases the availability and reliability of the storage being accessed via Xtend SAN. Enabling login redirect in Xtend SAN allows it to redirect users to their intended targets in situations where the targets may not be available at the expected address. Without redirect, the user would not be able to log in to the intended target if it has moved.

“By providing this major upgrade to our Xtend SAN iSCSI Initiator for OS X, ATTO continues to show its support for the iSCSI protocol, and further cements ATTO's position as the premier provider of iSCSI solutions for Apple users,” states Tom Kolniak, director of products for ATTO Technology, Inc. “ATTO has been developing iSCSI bridging products fully compatible with the Mac OS for over five years, and with the introduction of Xtend SAN v3.0, has developed a more capable, fully-featured iSCSI initiator available today for Mac OS X.”

In addition to Xtend SAN, ATTO also carries an extensive line of iPBridges that provides iSCSI connectivity to either SCSI or Fibre Channel storage devices. When ATTO iPBridges are combined with Xtend SAN, SCSI and Fibre Channel storage devices are transformed into iSCSI-enabled devices which Mac OS X users can access via their Gigabit Ethernet port. This allows Mac OS X users to fully realize the benefits of SANs in general, and iSCSI specifically.

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