MaXXan Systems Inc. is poised to release a smaller version of its high-end Fiber Channel switch. News of the product was first reported in Byte and Switch in early March (see MaXXan Plans Midrange Muster). Details are now confirmed by MaXXan VP of marketing, Ravi Chalaka. Dubbed the MXV250, the switch features 16 to 64 ports, considerably smaller than MaXXan MXV500, a 256-port director-class switch. Other than size, though, Chalaka says the features largely duplicate those of MaXXan higher-end gear, including virtual tape, volume pooling, LUN aggregation, and a range of data management options, via IPStor software OEM from FalconStor Software Inc. (Nasdaq: FALC - message board). Chalaka thinks users will want to populate the switch four ports with three cards for a 48-port maximum, leaving one port free for the embedded server and applications. He says further software functionality, including apps from vendors besides FalconStor, will be added in upcoming releases.