ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING LEADS WITH QUALIFICATION FOR NEW VERSION OF IBM INFINIBAND-BASED GDPS MAINFRAME CLUSTERING SOLUTION

New protocol for lowest latency enhances enterprise disaster
recovery/business continuity solutions

Norcross, Georgia, USA, and Martinsried/Munich, Germany. December
1, 2008. ADVA Optical Networking successfully completed
interoperability testing and qualification of its FSP 3000 platform
for a new version of IBM's mainframe clustering protocol based on
InfiniBand for the IBM System z(TM) Geographically Dispersed Parallel
Sysplex (GDPS®) environments. Parallel Sysplex InfiniBand (PSIFB) has
been introduced as the next-generation high-bandwidth, low-latency
interconnect to further enhance synchronization of System z servers
and follow-ons. These links can be extended over the ADVA FSP 3000
platform up to 100km and will be transparent and support auto
negotiation between hosts running single data rate (SDR, 2.5Gbit/s)
and double data rate (DDR, 5.0Gbit/s) link speeds.

"This qualification is the result of close cooperation with IBM,"
explained Christian Illmer, senior director of enterprise application
solution management at ADVA Optical Networking. "ADVA Optical
Networking has always focused on introducing technologies that
support high-bandwidth applications with the lowest latency for areas
like real-time stock trading, medical image analysis, server
clustering and more. For these areas, InfiniBand is a cost-effective
solution, available today, with proven technology. This work
represents investment protection for customers who already have ADVA
Optical Networking solutions in IBM mainframe environments."

Today's announcement comes at a pivotal time when worldwide customers
continue to invest in the IBM System z mainframe, which powers the
top 50 banks worldwide. Customer demand for the mainframe has
enabled IBM's System z to nearly double its share this decade,
according to IDC's high-end server quarterly tracker.

ADVA Optical Networking has been qualified to use PSIFB to connect
two mainframes across distances of up to 100km, an advancement in
throughput from the 2Gbit/s data rate used in prior generations.
Previously, IBM used PSIFB solely inside the mainframe. To connect
multiple mainframes, conversion to another protocol like Inter System
Channel Links (ISC) was required. The use of PSIFB now eliminates
latency caused by protocol conversion. It also enables a more
efficient transfer of data, more timely delivery and more accurate
synchronization of information between mainframes.

A GDPS-based installation is designed to be a comprehensive disaster
recovery and business continuity solution for large multi-site
enterprises. It combines the characteristics of high availability and
near-continuous operations to deliver high levels of service. It is
based on geographical clusters and data mirroring (point-to-point
remote copy, PPRC or Metro Mirror), including the latest 4Gbit/s
Fibre Channel (FC) and 10Gbit/s FC Inter Switch Link (ISL)
technology. These technologies form the backbone of a GDPS/PPRC
solution, which is designed to manage and protect IT services by
handling planned and unplanned exception conditions. GDPS/PPRC can
also help maintain data integrity across multiple volumes and storage
subsystems.

"InfiniBand-based links provide the ideal combination of high
performance and low latency for our GDPS/PPRC environment," explained
Dr. Casimer DeCusatis, distinguished engineer of the IBM System and
Technology Group. "These are must-have benefits when it comes to
synchronous applications for high-end clustering, business
continuity, disaster recovery and grid computing -- all of which are
increasingly important services for the New Enterprise Data Center."

InfiniBand was introduced into the data center in the early 2000s and
has been used mainly in high-performance computing environments. Yet
with the steady adoption of more powerful business continuity,
disaster recovery and grid computing applications, many enterprises
have turned to InfiniBand as an enabler of latency-intolerant,
bandwidth-intensive applications across Wavelength Division
Multiplexing (WDM) optical networks. Today, within the server,
InfiniBand enables transport speeds of up to 40Gbit/s; it is
anticipated that in two years time, the speed will increase to
120Gbit/s.

# # #

ABOUT ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING
ADVA Optical Networking (FSE: ADV) is at the forefront of providing
Optical+Ethernet solutions that advance next-generation networks for
data, storage, voice and video services. Our company's strength comes
from passionate and dedicated employees, all sharing a common vision:
a fast, customized response to customers' ever-changing needs. Our
innovative FSP products and strong customer focus provide carriers
and enterprises the ability to scale their networks and deliver
intelligent, competitive new services. ADVA Optical Networking's
solutions have been deployed at more than 200 carriers and 10,000
enterprises around the world. For further information about ADVA
Optical Networking: www.advaoptical.com.

PUBLISHED BY:
ADVA AG Optical Networking, Martinsried/Munich and Meiningen, Germany
ADVA Optical Networking North America, Inc., Norcross, Georgia, USA
ADVA Optical Networking (Shenzhen) Ltd., Shenzhen, China
www.advaoptical.com

FOR PRESS:
Christine Keck
t +1 201 258 8293
(U.S.)
t +44 1904 699 358 (Europe)
t +86 755 8621 7400 (Asia)
public-relations@advaoptical.com

FOR INVESTORS:
Wolfgang Guessgen
t +1 201 258 8302 (U.S.)
t +49 89 89 0665 940 (Europe)
t +86 755 8621 7400 (Asia)
investor-relations@advaoptical.com

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