According to a recently published report, shipments of Fibre Channel switch ports continued to rise in the third quarter of this year and were up over 30 per cent compared to the same period a year ago.

The Dell’Oro Group report indicates that Host Bus Adaptor shipments remained flat for the third consecutive quarter.

"We see some interesting dynamics now that Brocade has its 8Gbps platforms in qualification at its major resellers," said Tam Dell’Oro, president and founder of Dell’Oro Group.

"For the first time since Brocade announced its intention to acquire McDATA, Brocade gained share, particularly at the high-end. We surmise that Brocade has gained credibility by being first-to-market with a next-generation platform and delivering a product that customers can touch, feel, and see the future migration path."