Abstract

Brocade Communications, Inc. commissioned The Tolly Group to evaluate the performance and verify key functionality for the company’s Tapestry WAFS Server appliances running its full suite of “Stackable” Services. Brocade's WAFS product line consists of network appliances designed to deliver wide area file services (WAFS) and other branch office IT services on a single consolidated platform.

Tolly Group engineers conducted extensive performance tests designed to measure the effectiveness of the Brocade appliances – in terms of the response time improvements delivered to users and the yield in bandwidth reduction from caching frequently requested files and E-mail with attachments on local WAFS devices. Tolly Group engineers also verified the presence of several key features and services, including, Server Message Block (SMB) packet signature compatibility, WAFS security and resiliency in the face of WAN circuit disruptions, and the presence of print, DNS, DHCP and Web caching services.