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                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.1

                              VIXEL CORPORATION
                          1999 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN

                            STOCK OPTION AGREEMENT
                 FOR OPTION GRANTED TO _____________________
                          ON ______________________

      Pursuant to your Stock Option Grant Notice ("Grant Notice") and this Stock
Option Agreement, Vixel Corporation (the "Company") has granted you an option
under its 1999 Equity Incentive Plan (the "Plan") to purchase the number of
shares of the Company's Common Stock indicated in your Grant Notice at the
exercise price indicated in your Grant Notice. Defined terms not explicitly
defined in this Stock Option Agreement but defined in the Plan shall have the
same definitions as in the Plan.

      The details of your option are as follows:

      1.    VESTING. Subject to the limitations contained herein, your option
will vest as provided in your Grant Notice, provided that vesting will cease
upon the termination of your Continuous Service.

      2.    NUMBER OF SHARES AND EXERCISE PRICE. The number of shares of Common
Stock subject to your option and your exercise price per share referenced in
your Grant Notice may be adjusted from time to time for Capitalization
Adjustments, as provided in the Plan.

      3.    EXERCISE PRIOR TO VESTING ("EARLY EXERCISE"). If permitted in your
Grant Notice (i.e., the "Exercise Schedule" indicates that "Early Exercise" of
your option is permitted) and subject to the provisions of your option, you may
elect at any time that is both (i) during the period of your Continuous Service
and (ii) during the term of your option, to exercise all or part of your option,
including the nonvested portion of your option; provided, however, that:

            (a)   a partial exercise of your option shall be deemed to cover
first vested shares of Common Stock and then the earliest vesting installment of
unvested shares of Common Stock;

            (b)   any shares of Common Stock so purchased from installments that
have not vested as of the date of exercise shall be subject to the purchase
option in favor of the Company as described in the Company's form of Early
Exercise Stock Purchase Agreement;

            (c)   you shall enter into the Company's form of Early Exercise
Stock Purchase Agreement with a vesting schedule that will result in the same
vesting as if no early exercise had occurred; and

            (d)   if your option is an incentive stock option, then, as provided
in the Plan, to the extent that the aggregate Fair Market Value (determined at
the time of grant) of the shares of Common Stock with respect to which your
option plus all other incentive stock options you hold


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are exercisable for the first time by you during any calendar year (under all
plans of the Company and its Affiliates) exceeds one hundred thousand dollars
($100,000), your option(s) or portions thereof that exceed such limit (according
to the order in which they were granted) shall be treated as nonstatutory stock
options.

      4.    METHOD OF PAYMENT. Payment of the exercise price is due in full upon
exercise of all or any part of your option. You may elect to make payment of the
exercise price in cash or by check or in any other manner permitted by your
Grant Notice, which may include one or more of the following:

            (a)   In the Company's sole discretion at the time your option is
exercised and provided that at the time of exercise the Common Stock is publicly
traded and quoted regularly in The Wall Street Journal, pursuant to a program
developed under Regulation T as promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board that,
prior to the issuance of Common Stock, results in either the receipt of cash (or
check) by the Company or the receipt of irrevocable instructions to pay the
aggregate exercise price to the Company from the sales proceeds.

            (b)   Provided that at the time of exercise the Common Stock is
publicly traded and quoted regularly in The Wall Street Journal, by delivery of
already-owned shares of Common Stock either that you have held for the period
required to avoid a charge to the Company's reported earnings (generally six
months) or that you did not acquire, directly or indirectly from the Company,
that are owned free and clear of any liens, claims, encumbrances or security
interests, and that are valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise.
"Delivery" for these purposes, in the sole discretion of the Company at the time
you exercise your option, shall include delivery to the Company of your
attestation of ownership of such shares of Common Stock in a form approved by
the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you may not exercise your option by
tender to the Company of Common Stock to the extent such tender would violate
the provisions of any law, regulation or agreement restricting the redemption of
the Company's stock.

            (c)   Pursuant to the following deferred payment alternative:

                  (i)   Not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the
aggregate exercise price, plus accrued interest, shall be due four (4) years
from date of exercise or, at the Company's election, upon termination of your
Continuous Service.

                  (ii)  Interest shall be compounded at least annually and shall
be charged at the minimum rate of interest necessary to avoid the treatment as
interest, under any applicable provisions of the Code, of any portion of any
amounts other than amounts stated to be interest under the deferred payment
arrangement.

                  (iii) At any time that the Company is incorporated in
Delaware, payment of the Common Stock's "par value," as defined in the Delaware
General Corporation Law, shall be made in cash and not by deferred payment.

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                  (iv)  In order to elect the deferred payment alternative, you
must, as a part of your written notice of exercise, give notice of the election
of this payment alternative and, in order to secure the payment of the deferred
exercise price to the Company hereunder, if the Company so requests, you must
tender to the Company a promissory note and a security agreement covering the
purchased shares of Common Stock, both in form and substance satisfactory to the
Company, or such other or additional documentation as the Company may request.

      5.    WHOLE SHARES. You may exercise your option only for whole shares of
Common Stock.

      6.    SECURITIES LAW COMPLIANCE. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained herein, you may not exercise your option unless the shares of Common
Stock issuable upon such exercise are then registered under the Securities Act
or, if such shares of Common Stock are not then so registered, the Company has
determined that such exercise and issuance would be exempt from the registration
requirements of the Securities Act. The exercise of your option must also comply
with other applicable laws and regulations governing your option, and you may
not exercise your option if the Company determines that such exercise would not
be in material compliance with such laws and regulations.

      7.    TERM. The term of your option commences on the Date of Grant and
expires upon the earliest of the following:

            (a)   three (3) months after the termination of your Continuous
Service for any reason other than your Disability or death, provided that if
during any part of such three- (3-) month period your option is not exercisable
solely because of the condition set forth in the preceding paragraph relating to
"Securities Law Compliance," your option shall not expire until the earlier of
the Expiration Date or until it shall have been exercisable for an aggregate
period of three (3) months after the termination of your Continuous Service;

            (b) twelve (12) months after the termination of your Continuous
Service due to your Disability;

            (c) eighteen (18) months after your death if you die either during
your Continuous Service or within three (3) months after your Continuous Service
terminates;

            (d)   the Expiration Date indicated in your Grant Notice; or

            (e)   the tenth (10th) anniversary of the Date of Grant.

      If your option is an incentive stock option, note that, to obtain the
federal income tax advantages associated with an "incentive stock option," the
Code requires that at all times beginning on the date of grant of your option
and ending on the day three (3) months before the date of your option's
exercise, you must be an employee of the Company or an Affiliate, except in the
event of your death or Disability. The Company has provided for extended
exercisability of your option under certain circumstances for your benefit but
cannot guarantee that your option


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will necessarily be treated as an "incentive stock option" if you continue to
provide services to the Company or an Affiliate as a Consultant or Director
after your employment terminates or if you otherwise exercise your option more
than three (3) months after the date your employment terminates.

      8.    EXERCISE.

            (a)   You may exercise the vested portion of your option (and the
unvested portion of your option if your Grant Notice so permits) during its term
by delivering a Notice of Exercise (in a form designated by the Company)
together with the exercise price to the Secretary of the Company, or to such
other person as the Company may designate, during regular business hours,
together with such additional documents as the Company may then require.

            (b)   By exercising your option you agree that, as a condition to
any exercise of your option, the Company may require you to enter into an
arrangement providing for the payment by you to the Company of any tax
withholding obligation of the Company arising by reason of (1) the exercise of
your option, (2) the lapse of any substantial risk of forfeiture to which the
shares of Common Stock are subject at the time of exercise, or (3) the
disposition of shares of Common Stock acquired upon such exercise.

            (c)   If your option is an incentive stock option, by exercising
your option you agree that you will notify the Company in writing within fifteen
(15) days after the date of any disposition of any of the shares of the Common
Stock issued upon exercise of your option that occurs within two (2) years after
the date of your option grant or within one (1) year after such shares of Common
Stock are transferred upon exercise of your option.

      9.    TRANSFERABILITY. Your option is not transferable, except by will or
by the laws of descent and distribution, and is exercisable during your life
only by you. Notwithstanding the foregoing, by delivering written notice to the
Company, in a form satisfactory to the Company, you may designate a third party
who, in the event of your death, shall thereafter be entitled to exercise your
option.

      10.   OPTION NOT A SERVICE CONTRACT. Your option is not an employment or
service contract, and nothing in your option shall be deemed to create in any
way whatsoever any obligation on your part to continue in the employ of the
Company or an Affiliate, or of the Company or an Affiliate to continue your
employment. In addition, nothing in your option shall obligate the Company or an
Affiliate, their respective shareholders, Boards of Directors, Officers or
Employees to continue any relationship that you might have as a Director or
Consultant for the Company or an Affiliate.

      11.   WITHHOLDING OBLIGATIONS.

            (a)   At the time you exercise your option, in whole or in part, or
at any time thereafter as requested by the Company, you hereby authorize
withholding from payroll and any other amounts payable to you, and otherwise
agree to make adequate provision for (including by means of a "cashless
exercise" pursuant to a program developed under Regulation T as


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promulgated by the Federal Reserve Board to the extent permitted by the
Company), any sums required to satisfy the federal, state, local and foreign tax
withholding obligations of the Company or an Affiliate, if any, which arise in
connection with your option. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall
not be authorized to withhold shares of Common Stock at rates in excess of the
minimum statutory withholding rates for federal and state tax purposes,
including payroll taxes.

            (b)   Upon your request and subject to approval by the Company, in
its sole discretion, and compliance with any applicable conditions or
restrictions of law, the Company may withhold from fully vested shares of Common
Stock otherwise issuable to you upon the exercise of your option a number of
whole shares of Common Stock having a Fair Market Value, determined by the
Company as of the date of exercise, not in excess of the minimum amount of tax
required to be withheld by law. If the date of determination of any tax
withholding obligation is deferred to a date later than the date of exercise of
your option, share withholding pursuant to the preceding sentence shall not be
permitted unless you make a proper and timely election under Section 83(b) of
the Code, covering the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock acquired upon
such exercise with respect to which such determination is otherwise deferred, to
accelerate the determination of such tax withholding obligation to the date of
exercise of your option. Notwithstanding the filing of such election, shares of
Common Stock shall be withheld solely from fully vested shares of Common Stock
determined as of the date of exercise of your option that are otherwise issuable
to you upon such exercise. Any adverse consequences to you arising in connection
with such share withholding procedure shall be your sole responsibility.

            (c)   You may not exercise your option unless the tax withholding
obligations of the Company and/or any Affiliate are satisfied. Accordingly, you
may not be able to exercise your option when desired even though your option is
vested, and the Company shall have no obligation to issue a certificate for such
shares of Common Stock or release such shares of Common Stock from any escrow
provided for herein.

      12.   NOTICES. Any notices provided for in your option or the Plan shall
be given in writing and shall be deemed effectively given upon receipt or, in
the case of notices delivered by mail by the Company to you, five (5) days after
deposit in the United States mail, postage prepaid, addressed to you at the last
address you provided to the Company.

      13.   GOVERNING PLAN DOCUMENT. Your option is subject to all the
provisions of the Plan, the provisions of which are hereby made a part of your
option, and is further subject to all interpretations, amendments, rules and
regulations which may from time to time be promulgated and adopted pursuant to
the Plan. In the event of any conflict between the provisions of your option and
those of the Plan, the provisions of the Plan shall control.

      14.   ACCELERATED VESTING. If a change in control occurs, as defined under
the Plan, and within twelve (12) months after the effective date of such change
in control, your continuous service terminates due to an involuntary termination
(not including death or disability) without "Cause" or due to a voluntary
termination with "Good Reason," then the vesting and exercisability of the
designated stock option awards held by you will be accelerated


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as follows: (i) if you have been employed as an officer by the Company for less
than one year, then twelve months of additional vesting shall immediately occur,
or (ii) if you have been employed as an officer by the Company for at least one
year, the greater of one half of your unvested options or one year of your
unvested options will immediately vest and become exercisable; provided,
however, that if such potential vesting acceleration would cause a contemplated
change of control transaction that would otherwise be eligible to be accounted
for as a "pooling-of-interests" transaction to become ineligible for such
accounting treatment under generally accepted accounting principles, as
determined by the Company's independent public accountants prior to the change
in control, your stock options will not have their vesting so accelerated.

      For purposes of the Accelerated Vesting provisions above, "Cause" will
mean the occurrence of any one or more of the following: (i) your conviction of
any felony or any crime involving fraud, dishonesty or moral turpitude; (ii)
your participation in a fraud or act of dishonesty against the Company that
results in material harm to the business of the Company; or (iii) your
intentional, material violation of any contract or agreement between the Company
and you or any statutory duty you owe to the Company that you do not correct
within thirty (30) days after written notice thereof has been provided to you.

      For purposes of the Accelerated Vesting provisions above, "Good Reason"
will mean that one or more of the following are undertaken by the Company
without your express written consent: (i) the assignment to you of any duties or
responsibilities that results in a material diminution in your position or
function as in effect immediately prior to the effective date of the change in
control; provided, however, that a mere change in your reporting relationships
will not provide the basis for a voluntary termination with Good Reason; (ii) a
material reduction by the Company in your annual base salary, as in effect on
the effective date of the change in control or as increased thereafter; (iii)
any failure by the Company to continue in effect any benefit plan or program,
including incentive plans or plans with respect to the receipt of securities of
the Company, in which you were participating immediately prior to the effective
date of the change in control (hereinafter referred to as "Benefit Plans"), or
the taking of any action by the Company that would adversely affect your
participation in or reduce your benefits under the Benefit Plans or deprive you
of any fringe benefit that you enjoyed immediately prior to the effective date
of the change in control; provided, however, that Good Reason will not be deemed
to have occurred if the Company provides for your participation in benefit plans
and programs that, taken as a whole, are comparable to the Benefit Plans; (iv) a
relocation of the Participant's business office to a location more than one
hundred (100) miles from the location at which you perform duties as of the
effective date of the change in control, except for required travel by you on
the Company's business to an extent substantially consistent with your business
travel obligations prior to the effective date of the change in control; or (v)
a material breach by the Company of any provision of the Stock Option Agreement
or any other material agreement between you and the Company concerning the terms
and conditions of your employment.

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