PLX Technology Joins OpenFabrics Alliance, Adding PCI Express-Based RDMA Expertise to Organization
SUNNYVALE, CA--(Marketwired - Oct 28, 2013) - PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT), the global leader in PCI Express® (PCIe®) silicon and software connectivity solutions enabling emerging data center architectures, today announced its membership and active participation in the OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA), an organization committed to enabling efficient computing with the highest network bandwidth and lowest end-to-end latencies for Linux distributions and Microsoft Windows Server operating systems.
OFA develops, tests, licenses, supports, and distributes the open source software package known as OpenFabrics Software (OFS) for high-performance networking applications that demand low latency and high scalability. OFS enables efficient computing through the support of remote direct memory access (RDMA). RDMA allows computers to read from and write to each other's application memory directly, eliminating the need to copy the information to intermediate buffers, thus removing a large burden from system CPUs which substantially reduces latency and increases network utilization.
The PLX vision is to extend OpenFabrics Enterprise Distribution (OFED) compatibility to native PCIe-based platforms, thus leveraging the huge installed base of RDMA-enabled software to run without bridging to intermediate protocols. Transport independence means that users can utilize the same OpenFabrics RDMA, kernel bypass the application programming interface (API), and run their applications agnostically over PCIe, InfiniBand, iWARP or RoCE.
"PLX is well aligned with the OpenFabrics Alliance and currently developing compliant PCI Express-based solutions featuring RDMA and other functions to enable PCI Express to act as a fabric within data center racks," said Mani Subramaniyan, principal architect, system software, PLX. "The core goal is to develop products that greatly reduce energy costs while vastly increasing performance, and our engagement with OFA is a step toward achieving that goal."
"The OFA's mission is to deliver a cross-platform, transport-independent software stack for RDMA," said Jim Ryan, chairman, OFA. "PLX is a recognized supplier of PCI Express switching with expertise in RDMA and we welcome their contributions to the development and promotion of the OpenFabrics Software."
PLX is the worldwide market leader with over 70 percent market share in PCIe switch products, today offering 18 ExpressLane™ PCIe Gen3 switches. The company has many more Gen3 switches in development to enable ExpressFabric®, storage and other key data center applications, and in parallel is planning for PCIe Gen4 products.
About PLX
PLX Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLXT), based in Sunnyvale, Calif., USA, is the industry-leading global provider of semiconductor-based PCI Express connectivity solutions primarily targeting enterprise data center markets. The company develops innovative software-enriched silicon that enables product differentiation, reliable interoperability and superior performance. Visit PLX on plxtech.com, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About the OpenFabrics Alliance:
The OpenFabrics Alliance (OFA) is a 501(c) (6) non-profit company that develops, tests, licenses and distributes the OpenFabrics Software (OFS) -- multi-platform, high-performance, low-latency and energy-efficient open-source RDMA software. OpenFabrics Software is used in business, operational, research and scientific infrastructures that require fast fabrics/networks, efficient storage and low-latency computing. OFS is free and is included in major Linux distributions, as well as Microsoft Windows Server 2012. In addition to developing and supporting this RDMA software, the Alliance delivers training, workshops and interoperability testing to ensure all releases meet multivendor enterprise requirements for security, reliability and efficiency. For more information about the OFA, visit www.openfabrics.org.
PLX, the PLX logo, ExpressFabric, and ExpressLane are trademarks of PLX Technology, Inc., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other product names that appear in this material are for identification purposes only and are acknowledged to be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective organizations.
