SNIA iSCSI/IP Storage Industry Forum conference call

[Tom Clark <tclark@NishanSystems.com>]

I know I am taking some risk here by distributing something not entirely
technical on the IPS reflector.  However, I want to make sure we reach all
interested parties who may benefit from the following SNIA initiative for
IP-based storage networking.  

Please forgive this intrusion, but please also respond if you or your
company is interested (or forward to the appropriate person in your
organization).

Thanks and apologies,

Tom

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------
Originally distributed to SNIA-ALL reflector:


Friends,

The SNIA is creating SNIA-sponsored Industry Forums for marketing and
promotion of specific storage networking technologies.  The SNIA Industry
Forums (SNIFs) will launch their own marketing initiatives, conference
events, demonstrations, etc. while leveraging SNIA resources and
infrastructure.  SNIF participants must be SNIA members and will pay an
additional Forum membership fee to defray SNIA expenses and provide budget
for SNIF activities. This fee will be approximately $5,000 per member
company per year, and each SNIF may elect to require additional fees for
special activities if necessary. 

The first SNIA Industry Forum that has been proposed will focus on IP-based
storage networking.  The final name of this SNIF ("iSCSI Industry Forum" or
"IP Storage Industry Forum") and its scope of work will, in SNIA's
democratic tradition, be determined by the participants who wish to be
active in the Forum. 

The SNIA board has appointed Clod Barrera of IBM and Tom Clark of Nishan
Systems to initiate the  first SNIF conference call.  The first call will be
this coming Thursday, December 14th,  at 10:00 AM Pacific standard time.
The conference line has been provided by Doug Ingraham of Cisco and is as
follows:

Dial-in Number:  1-877-232-0064
Long distance and international callers: 1-816-650-0641
Participate code number is: 3981001

Since we anticipate substantial interest in this SNIF, please share phone
lines if more than one representative from your company wishes to dial in. 

We are also establishing a temporary SNIA reflector for discussion and
document distribution.  The reflector is: 

snia-snifs@snia.org

To subscribe, send an email to jennifer@tfginc.com with your request.  Once
we have a final name for this SNIFs, a permanent reflector will be
established. 

If your company is interested in joining this Industry Forum, please
subscribe to the snia-snifs reflector, copying Tom Clark
(tclark@nishansystems.com), and participate in Thursday's call. 

We will have several conference calls in December and January to finalize
the mission statement, scope of work, and budget proposal.  We have planned
for a face-to-face meeting at the SNIA Technology Center in Colorado Springs
on the morning of January 9th.  Final documents will be voted on at this
meeting and forwarded to the SNIA board for approval. 

Special thanks to Clod Barrera for formulating the SNIA Industry Forum
proposal.  Hopefully this will be the first of many affinity groups within
the SNIA advancing the cause of storage networking.

Tom



Tom Clark
SNIA Board Member
Co-Chair SNIA Interoperability Committee
Director of Technical Marketing
Nishan Systems, Inc.
425-844-0675
tclark@nishansystems.com