SNIA Releases its First Software with XAM Software Development Kit

XAM Specification Version 1.0 Receives SNIA Vote Approval; On-track for ANSI Standards Submission

SAN JOSE, Calif. (July 22, 2008) – The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) announced today at the SNIA 2008 Summer Symposium that it has approved the eXtensible Access Method (XAM) version 1.0 specification and released a working draft of the associated XAM Software Development Kit (SDK). The XAM specification is now being prepared for ANSI and ISO accreditation and is expected to be integrated into storage products by Fall 2008 and into applications by early 2009.

The July working draft of the XAM SDK is available for download today and will provide Independent Software Vendors (ISVs), storage vendors and operating system vendors a preliminary version of the tools they need to develop and test the latest XAM specification. The initial release of the XAM SDK will include a C XAM Library with a Java Native Interface (JNI) Wrapper; a Java version of the XAM Library; a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) VIM and a Reference Vendor Interface Module (VIM). The latest version of the XAM SDK can be accessed here at www.snia.org/xam/software.

"The availability of a preliminary version of the SNIA's first software suite, the XAM SDK, marks a significant step forward for both the association and the XAM specification in helping to resolve the barriers associated with accessing data 5 minutes, 50 years or 100 years from now," said Vincent Franceschini, Chair of the SNIA. "With reference data expected to account for more than half of all corporate data in the next few years, the XAM specification will help fulfill the market needs for a standard that enables information independence for applications and storage needed for long-term digital information retention requirements."

The XAM Initiative and associated specification development efforts continue to progress and build momentum. More than 45 participants, which include storage vendors, application developers and academia, are participating in the initiative and its two associated Technical Work Groups. The XAM Initiative is also holding a “plugfest” at the SNIA Technology Center the week of August 18th for vendors and ISV’s interested in testing their integration with the multiple platforms available at the center. In addition, the first Hands–On–Lab for Developers will be held during SNIA’s Storage Developers Conference in September. In support of the community of XAM developers, the association has also created a new publicly available XAM Developers Group community site aimed at sharing best practices, expert advice, first–hand experiences and links to critical XAM resources.

"Our aim is to create both a specification and an SDK that can ease deployment for vendors and provide a simplified and valuable asset to end users," added Mark Carlson, co-chair of the SNIA XAM SDK Technical Work Group. "The approval of the XAM specification, delivery of this working draft of the XAM SDK, and formation of the open XAM Developers Group mark significant milestones for SNIA, end users and storage vendors. Together these achievements provide the tools, resources and capabilities needed for the industry to come together, accelerate the adoption of the specification and ultimately realize the value of the eventual implementation of XAM in products."

The discussion surrounding XAM development continues at the 2008 SNIA Summer Symposium, taking place through July 24, as several sessions focus on refining the XAM SDK and the XAM specification. For an overview of the Symposium’s agenda, please visit /events/summersymposium.For more information on the XAM Initiative, specification and SDK, please visit www.snia.org/xam or sign up for the XAM Developers Group at groups.google.com/group/xam-developers-group.

About the SNIA

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) is a not–for–profit global organization, made up of some 400 member companies and 7,000 individuals spanning virtually the entire storage industry. SNIA’s mission is to lead the storage industry worldwide in developing and promoting standards, technologies, and educational services to empower organizations in the management of information. To this end, the SNIA is uniquely committed to delivering standards, education, and services that will propel open storage networking solutions into the broader market. For additional information, visit the SNIA web site at www.snia.org.