IOA can be deployed with disk data replication solutions to extend the distance between data centers or  reduce the effects of latency. IOA can also be used to enable remote tape backup and restore operations  without significant throughput degradation. Here are the main features of IOA: IBM Storage Networking SAN50C-R is mainframe-ready and supports IBM zSeries FICON and Linux  environments provided with the Mainframe advanced software package. Qualified by IBM for attachment  to all FICON-enabled devices in an IBM zSeries operating environment, IBM Storage Networking  SAN50C-R switches support transport of the FICON protocol in both cascaded and noncascaded fabrics,  as well as an intermix of FICON and open systems Fibre Channel Protocol traffic on the same switch.  VSANs simplify intermixing of SAN resources among IBM z/OS, mainframe Linux, and open systems  environments, enabling increased SAN utilization and simplified SAN management.  VSAN-based intermix mode eliminates the uncertainty and instability that is often associated with  zoning-based intermix techniques. VSANs also eliminate the possibility that a misconfiguration or  component failure in one VSAN will affect operation in other VSANs. VSAN-based management access  controls simplify partitioning of SAN management responsibilities between mainframe and open systems  environments, enhancing security. FICON VSANs can be managed using the standard Data Center  Network Manager (DCNM), the command-line interface (CLI), or CUP-enabled management tools,  including SA/390, Resource Measurement Facility (RMF), and Dynamic Channel Path Management  (DCM). The Mainframe package is required for all IBM Storage Networking SAN50C-R integrated FICON channel  extension features. In combination with SAN extension capabilities, it enables FICON tape read and write  acceleration. The following advanced traffic-management capabilities are integrated as standard on the IBM Storage  Networking SAN50C-R switch: The following extra advanced traffic-management capabilities are available on the IBM Storage  Advanced traffic management Mainframe support Extension of the acceleration service as a fabric service to any port in the fabric, regardless of where   it is attached Fibre Channel write acceleration (FC-WA) and Fibre Channel tape acceleration (FC-TA)  FCIP write acceleration (FCIP-WA) and FCIP tape acceleration (FCIP-TA)  Fibre Channel and FCIP compression  High availability using PortChannels with acceleration over Fibre Channel and FCIP  Unified solution for disk and tape I/O acceleration over metropolitan area networks (MANs) and   WANs Speed-independent acceleration that accelerates 2/4/8/16-Gbps FC links and consolidates traffic over   8/16 Gigabit ISLs Virtual output queue (VOQ): Helps ensure line-rate performance on each port, independent of traffic   pattern, by eliminating head-of-line blocking. PortChannels: Allow users to aggregate up to 16 physical ISLs into a single logical bundle, providing   optimized bandwidth usage across all links. The bundle can consist of any speed-matched ports from  any module in the chassis, helping ensure that the bundle can remain active even during a module  failure. Fabric Shortest Path First (FSPF)-based multipathing: Provides the intelligence to load-balance   across up to 16 equal-cost paths and, during a switch failure, dynamically reroute traffic. 5 IBM Storage Networking SAN50C-R Product Guide