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SSD and storage news - February, 2000SSD newsstorage history SSD market history |
Martinsried/Munich, Germany. February 29, 2000 - ADVA AG Optical Networking today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Storage Area Networks (SAN) Ltd., a leading privately-held U.K.-based designer and manufacturer of intelligent storage area network gateways.
This acquisition strengthens ADVA's leadership position in the enterprise and metro access optical networking market by adding complementary products to ADVA's portfolio. In addition, SAN provides ADVA with in-depth knowledge about switching and routing technology for storage area networking applications, Fibre Channel protocol, and transmitting information over longer distances to remote storage facilities. Under the terms of the agreement, the acquisition will be made at a total purchase price of approximately $83 million.
"This is an important first acquisition in ADVA's growth strategy, which complements and strengthens our leadership position in the enterprise and metro access optical networking market," said Brian L. Protiva, ADVA's Chief Strategy Officer. "By adding SAN's technology to our Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) and intelligent optical networking solutions, we are now not only able to offer full wire-speed transparent Fibre Channel optical channels up to 30 km, but also a high performance switching product that enables enterprises to send local FC network information over high-speed optical, IP or ATM network clouds to remote storage facilities located anywhere in the world. Storage area networking (SAN) is a vital application to enterprise businesses today, as the exponentially-growing amount of mission-critical information needs to be transferred to remote back-up locations for storage."
Centripetal launches SAN colocation services
SAN DIEGO, Calif. - February 28, 2000 - Centripetal today announced Data Services Suite™, a new breed of Internet storage utility services that will enable Web-centric companies to outsource data storage at colocation facilities on a pay-as-you-grow basis.
Today, many Web-centric companies must "co-locate" their Web servers, that is, house the servers in a shared facility with high-bandwidth Internet connectivity. Colocation enables companies to capitalize on bandwidth discounts and increased availability of mission-critical data. Many of these companies are also looking for backup and storage services in the same facility to extend the benefits of lower cost and high availability to data storage. Centripetal's Data Services Suite will allow these companies to pay a monthly fee for storage and enable them to focus on their core competencies rather than on purchasing, managing and maintaining a data storage facility. At the same time, companies can significantly lower their total cost of ownership (TCO) while improving speed, reliability, scalability and data security.
Centripetal will offer storage utility services through centralized, shared SANs at leading colocation facilities with direct Internet backbones. The company's first facility in San Diego will be fully operational in March, 2000 and will have 26 terabytes of ultra-fast SAN-based storage available for lease on a monthly basis. In addition, the company will offer storage services such as backup and disaster recovery. The company plans to have storage services on-line in 27 co-location centers by December 2000.
Trek Technology launches Thumb Drive
SINGAPORE- Feb. 25, 2000 - Trek Technology, a Singapore-based technology research and design solutions provider, launched its revolutionary Thumb Drive at CeBIT 2000 in Hannover, Germany, this week..
The Thumb Drive is a technological breakthrough in the memory-data companion IT sector. Measuring only 45mm in length and 30g in weight, the Thumb Drive operates on the "plug-and-play" system using USB Version 1.0. Unlike products currently available in the retail and OEM market, the Thumb Drive does not require the use of cumbersome cables, external hardware or PCMCIA adapters -- making it truly mobile and convenient to use. It is also device-friendly as it can be used as a memory companion for PDAs, laptops, as well as desktop PCs. The Thumb Drive has the capacity to store data ranging from 8MB to 128MB and is able to transfer data at 700 kb/sec. Independent of batteries, the Thumb Drive draws power from the PC or notebook while functioning just like an external drive.
Said Mr. Henn Tan, Chief Executive Officer of Trek 2000 International, "When we started our R&D for the Thumb Drive, we had in mind the requirements of the market, namely the need for mobility, ease of use, data safety and of course, cost. With its storage capacity, the Thumb Drive allows the user to carry large data files conveniently and quite literally in their pockets. All that is needed is to install the device into the computer by inserting it into the USB port and the computer will automatically detect its presence."
StorageTek ships SAN-ready native Tape Library
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2000 - StorageTek today announced the immediate availability of the StorageTek L180 Tape Library at the Company's annual financial analysts' meeting.
The L180 allows mid-size businesses to take advantage of the advanced information management capabilities of StorageTek tape libraries, including support for mixed media, flexible interface options, outstanding scalability, superior robotics and high-availability features. In combination with the recently announced StorageTek 9840 Fibre Channel tape drive, the L180 tape library is the industry's first SAN-ready all-native Fibre Channel automated tape solution. End-to-end Fibre Channel solutions allow distance extension and drive sharing across many UNIX and Windows NT servers, enabling businesses to manage and share data faster and more simply.
Pricing and Availability:- StorageTek's L180 Tape Library provides capacity of up to 7 terabytes (uncompressed) and is targeted at the UNIX and Windows NT marketplaces for midrange, open systems implementations. It supports up to 10 DLT drives or six 9840 drives, or a combination of both. The L180 is immediately available worldwide through StorageTek and StorageTek channels. Pricing starts at $44,520 for an 84-slot library with standard SCSI-3 interface (drives and Fibre Channel interface are priced separately). See also:- petabyte SSD roadmap
Amdahl announces System/390 and UNIX compatible SAN
Sunnyvale, California, February 23, 2000 - Amdahl Corporation today announced that the Platinum/400 RAID storage subsystem attaches to open systems UNIX® and Windows NT® platforms, via a storage area network (SAN) environment, as well as to the System/390 platform.
Platinum/400 will connect to Sun Solaris, HP-UX, and IBM AIX to allow enterprises to share the same storage platform for a diversity of uses and to build a single connecting infrastructure. Customers achieve efficient information management, improved data access, and lower cost of ownership.
"Many of our customers are looking at ways to manage their entire IT infrastructure as a single entity, regardless of platform. Amdahl has an answer with our new SAN-attachable Platinum/400 offering. We help our customers create seamless and scalable SANs for the entire enterprise," explains Ali Jenab, group president of Amdahl Technology Division. "We are putting special emphasis on storage solutions as more and more enterprises develop strategies that put storage in the center of their IT infrastructure."
Maxtor previews 1U NAS
MILPITAS, Calif., February 22, 2000 - Maxtor Corporation today announced the MaxAttach NAS 4000 rack mount server appliance, the newest member of Maxtor's family of network attached storage (NAS) appliances.
The MaxAttach NAS 4000™ appliance, slated for volume production and shipments in April, provides advanced software and high system availability features not previously available in comparably priced appliances. With storage configurations of 40, 80 and 160 GB, these individual units fit into industry standard 19" racks and are only 1.75" (1U) high, making them ideal for space-constrained network closets. Their compact size allows for multiple servers with over a terabyte of capacity to be stored in less than 13" of rack space. The new MaxAttach NAS 4000 appliance supports an expanded set of network platforms from previous MaxAttach products, including Linux and UNIX in addition to Windows.
"With the rapidly growing storage needs of corporate networks and applications that manage information from the Internet, IT professionals require more efficient and cost-effective solutions than have previously been available," said Cannon. "Traditional servers often provide greater capabilities than required for many of these file-serving applications, and their cost reflects that. The MaxAttach NAS 4000 rack mount solution is a high-value alternative to traditional servers in many file serving, file sharing and data replication applications."
NovaNET 8 network tape backup software
Simi Valley, Calif. - February 21, 2000 /NovaStor.com/ - NovaStor Corporation announced the release of their powerful new NovaNET 8 network tape backup software with support for Windows 2000/NT, Linux and NetWare networks.
The NovaNET 8 product line offers aggressive pricing and superior performance for a multi-platform network backup product. Each NovaNET 8 server backup product includes free autoloader support and the ability to be managed conveniently from the administrator's desktop. As one of the most diverse network backup products available, NovaNET 8 has broad range of product offerings that start with support for an individual server. The range extends to a mixed network of multiple Windows clients and multiple servers running any combination of Windows 2000/NT, Linux and NetWare. NovaStor's previous version of NovaNET generated huge demand by seamlessly supporting both NT and NetWare in a single product. With the addition of Windows 2000 and Linux support to this new version, customers can now quickly reduce administration costs by implementing a common backup solution across Windows 2000/NT, Linux and NetWare servers with support for Windows clients.
NovaStor's president and CEO, Peter Means, comments, "We have seen an incredible response from the NT and NetWare users over the past 18 months. With the addition of Windows 2000 and Linux support we are expecting to be the clear winner for those networks with multiple operating systems." Means continues, "We are seeing thousands of users converting from ArcServe and BackupExec solutions after evaluating NovaNET. We are confident that NovaNET 8 will become a leader in network backup." ...NovaStor company profile
Pathlight's SAN Router qualified with Windows 2000
ITHACA, N.Y.- Feb. 21, 2000 - Pathlight Technology, today announced it has tested and qualified its entire SAN product family for use with Microsoft Windows 2000.
"Pathlight has completed an extensive evaluation of its entire product line running in Windows 2000 environments," said Said Rahmani, Senior Vice President, Pathlight Technology. "These tests included both Windows-only and heterogeneous operating system configurations. We are confident that the whole family - including SAN Gateway and SAN Router interconnectivity devices, SAN Director management software and VPS-based resource sharing - is ready for OEM implementations involving Windows 2000."
Pathlight's SAN Gateway(TM) and SAN Router(TM) interconnectivity products each deliver the full range of functionality demanded by today's SAN environments, including the sharing of operational and functional resources. These high-speed, high-reliability devices offer connectivity, simultaneous support for heterogeneous systems and storage (including Fibre Channel and SCSI), management of the entire SAN environment, scalability and support for third-party value add functions such as server-free backup. Pathlight also delivers exclusive technologies including Virtual Private SAN - VPS resource sharing -- a superset host-independent and OS-independent LUN Masking product. Pathlight SAN Director is an end-to-end complete SAN management solution.
Ampex stores 150 hours of video on a single cartridge
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.-Feb. 17, 2000 - Ampex Data Systems Corp. will unveil a quad-density DST(R) video server archival storage system at NAB2000 in April that can store 150 hours of MPEG video on a single cartridge.
This next generation, high-performance video storage system more than triples the capacity of the largest known or anticipated competitive offering and enables users to benefit from a 100% capacity increase over the current line of Ampex automated cartridge libraries.
"The debut of our quad-density DST product line coincides with the company's newly instituted Year 2000 strategic initiative which was created to aggressively expand its broadcast market dominance," said John Hennessy, director of video and broadcast marketing at Ampex Data Systems. "As television news and master control operations rely more and more on digital video technology, they will inevitably need to store thousands of hours of file-based digitized video program content. The new video server archival storage system reaffirms our commitment to innovation and to maintaining our market leadership position."
BiTMICRO unveils fast 18GB PATA SSD
SAN JOSE, Calif.-Feb. 15, 2000 - BiTMICRO NETWORKS, Inc. today unveiled the world's first EIDE solid state flash disk, E-Disk ATE35.
It is the newest addition to the fastest and most reliable line of solid state flash disks in the world. Built on BiTMICRO NETWORKS' patented FlashBusTM technology, the drive's 0.20 ms average access time, 11MBytes per second burst read and write transfer rates, and 9.0 MBytes per second sustained read and write transfer rates are faster than any solid state flash disk with ATA/IDE interface. The ATE35 is fully ATA-2, ATA-3, and ATA-4 compatible in standard 3.5" form factor. With up to 18,944 MBytes of capacity, the ATE35 is a quick drop-in replacement for conventional hard disk drives and other flash disks.
"ATE35 provides industry-leading performance and reliability for mission critical computer systems and network routers," said Roland Portman, BiTMICRO NETWORKS' VP of Operations. "The sustained read and write transfer rates of ATE35 are over 4x faster than the closest competitors' flash disk drives. The capacity of ATE35 is over 5x larger than the closest competitors'."
TrueSAN Networks names new board member
SAN JOSE, Calif. - February 15, 2000 - TrueSAN Networks Appoints Dr. Ed Zschau to the Board of Directors.
TrueSAN Networks, a leader in Fibre Channel disk array and storage-area network solutions for the internetworked enterprise, today announced the election of Dr. Ed Zschau to TrueSAN's Board of Directors. Dr. Zschau brings a wealth of accomplishments to TrueSAN from his longstanding experience within the storage industry and leadership in higher education. With more than 20 years of top management experience with storage system and component companies, Dr. Zschau will help TrueSAN assert itself as a leader within the burgeoning SAN industry.
Commenting on the announcement, TrueSAN's President and CEO Thomas Isakovich said, "We are honored and delighted to have Dr. Zschau join our Board of Directors. His incredible track record, business and technical acumen, and strong enthusiasm are priceless additions to the TrueSAN team." Dr. Zschau has had a distinguished career including 2 full terms being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives representing Silicon Valley. He was also General Manager of the IBM Storage Systems Division from April 1993 until July 1995.
Auspex announces new CEO
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Feb. 15 -Auspex Systems. a leading provider of network data-access solutions for All the Data, All the Time, today announced the appointment of Gary J. Sbona as Chairman of the Board and interim Chief Executive Officer effective immediately.
Mr. Sbona has more than 20 years of experience managing software and high-technology companies and has successfully worked with companies to strengthen competitiveness and increase shareholder value. Mr. Sbona succeeds Bruce N. Moore, who has resigned as Chief Executive Officer and Director to pursue other interests. Auspex also announced that it has entered into a one-year agreement with Regent Pacific Management Corporation. Regent Pacific will provide the services of Gary J. Sbona as President and Chief Executive Officer as well as the services of other principals of Regent Pacific as part of the Auspex management team. Joining R. Stephen Cheheyl and W. Frank King on the Board in addition to Mr. Sbona will be Casey Powell, former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sequent Computer Systems and John McNulty, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Secure Computing Corporation.
Editor's note:- Auspex correctly identified the network storage market as a strategic growth area many years before most people had ever thought about this idea. Their original products were based on SPARC processors. Unfortunately for them, during most of the last decade, Sun Microsystems has taken over the high end server market, with general purpose products which provide most of what most enterprises need. At the low end, more recently, the growth in low cost SAN systems has squeezed the gap which originally existed for an Auspex type product. Auspex has excellent technology but has to decide whether it will extend the product line down-market as well as up-market to remain a leader in this segment.
netdrive.com chooses NetApp for "back-end" storage
LOS GATOS, Calif., Feb. 14 - netdrive.com, today announced it has chosen Network Appliance, Inc. as their strategic partner to furnish its "back-end" storage infrastructure.
Network Appliance, a leading provider of network-attached storage solutions, will serve a key role in providing secure and extremely reliable access to netdrive users who store their documents, photos and music files on the Internet. By utilizing Network Appliance family of data access, management and storage products, netdrive has a robust platform that can be rapidly scaled to meet the explosive growth of this premier service. Both companies also announced plans to launch a co-marketing campaign to build awareness of their mutual offerings.
"The response to our service has been just phenomenal. Since launching in January, our service has exploded to thousands of new users joining daily," said Marc Munford, vice president of Business Development, netdrive. "To deliver the best personal, Internet-based storage service we need the best storage infrastructure, one that is always up and easily expandable. This is why we chose Network Appliance to be the drive behind the drive."
Dantz gets patent for Retrospect Backup
ORINDA, CA, Feb. 10, 2000 - Dantz Development Corporation today announced the award of U.S. patent number 5,966,730 to Richard C. Zulch, Dantz Chief Technical Officer.
The patent protects one of the core technologies in the company's award-winning Retrospect Backup software: its ability to automatically and dynamically prioritize the backup of computers on the network to any available storage destination.
"This patent recognizes Retrospect's unique capability to back up computers in order of need, not according to a fixed schedule," said Zulch. "A notebook computer that has been unavailable to the backup for a couple of weeks will be prioritized higher than one that was backed up the previous day." Backup software typically follows rigid schedules with clearly defined backup sources and destinations. Retrospect's patented technology, called Backup Server(TM), is different. Administrators establish guidelines for the backup system, and Retrospect dynamically adjusts priorities based on need and availability (e.g., when a notebook connects to the network). "Organizations all over the world are already taking advantage of Retrospect's Backup Server. Companies like Oracle Corporation have recognized the unique abilities of Retrospect to protect their valuable data," said Craig Isaacs, Dantz vice president of sales and marketing.
MetaStor Reseller of the Year
YARDLEY, Pa., Feb. 10, 2000 - Open Systems Solutions. a leading Systems Integrator in storage solutions, has, for the 5th consecutive year, been named The MetaStor 1999 Reseller of the Year.
The award was presented at the MetaStor Partners Conference 2000 in Kauai, Hawaii by Tom Georgens, President of LSI Logic Storage Solutions, Inc. OSSI's long-term partnership with LSI Logic Storage Systems, Inc., has resulted in nearly 2,000 MetaStor RAID installations greatly expanding OSSI's global customer base. OSSI's SAN (Storage Area Network) integration labs located at their headquarters in Yardley, PA and their newly expanded Virginia facility have recently been selected by LSI Logic Storage Systems to be used as testing sites for new products.
Sun aims at exploding storage market
PALO ALTO, CA, - February 9, 2000 - Sun Microsystems today announced plans to dramatically increase its sales and marketing activities to attack the exploding storage market.
As part of its expanded focus on network storage, Sun has created a new storage sales Line of Business, promoted two executives to positions of increased responsibility, and outlined initial details of a comprehensive network storage strategy. "We are living in a world where digital information is the lifeblood of commerce and community," said Ed Zander, president of Sun Microsystems. "As every person and digital device connects to the Internet, it will create enormous demand for our storage products and services. As a premiere platform provider for the Internet economy, we continue to invest heavily in our storage business. We've assembled the necessary people, products and technology to capture an increased share of this fast growing network storage market."
see also:- Will Sun Succeed in the storage market?
Brocade joins HP Open SAN Initiative
SAN JOSE, Calif.-February 8, 2000 - Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. announced today that Hewlett-Packard Company has selected the BROCADE SilkWorm® 2800 Fibre Channel fabric switch as the first connectivity framework for the HP Open SAN Initiative, which was announced today by HP.
HP will offer the BROCADE high-availability SilkWorm 2800 16-port switch to HP SAN customers to provide an open, networked environment for storage. "With the selection of the BROCADE SilkWorm 16-port fabric switch, HP strengthens its position to provide investment protection for SAN customers with a full migration path to full fabric-based SANs. The BROCADE SilkWorm will provide HP customers with the flexibility to choose among best of class storage platforms and servers, creating an open networked storage environment," said John McArthur, vice president of Storage Research at IDC.
Seagate invests in TV recorder company - Metabyte Networks
SCOTTS VALLEY, CA - 07 February 2000 - Seagate Technology Inc., the world's #1 disc drive supplier for the consumer and personal video recorder (PVR) market, announced today a minority investment in Metabyte Networks, a leading developer of personalized television products, and a licensing agreement to utilize its MbTV™ software suite.
MbTV software is used in consumer electronics devices, enabling these devices to learn viewers' television viewing tastes, create viewer profiles, and deliver television content tailored to the preferences of the viewer. SeaStream™ the open standard created by Seagate, is integrated into MbTV in order to control the disc drive recording device, optimizing the delivery of video streams and managing acoustic and power levels. Seagate's investment in Metabyte Networks and licensing of its MbTV software suite is a result of the two companies' co-development relationship over the past year and their mutual goals in the consumer electronics market.
Hard disc drives in home electronics can deliver entirely new levels of ease-of-use to the consumer. Much of the difficult configuration and management required by such home electronics as VCRs is automated through products using SeaStream-enabled hard drives to record programming. Viewers also benefit when using home electronics with SeaStream technology by being able to simultaneously manage multiple streams of audio, video, and Internet content as well as adapt the operating characteristics of the home entertainment device to its environment. A single SeaStream-enabled home entertainment device could simultaneously record several channels of television programming, play a movie, download CD-quality music from the Internet, and host a game of "Star Wars™ Episode I Racer" on a video game console.
Compaq launches Open SAN
HOUSTON, February 7, 2000 - Compaq Computer Corporation strengthened its position today as the world's top ranking storage systems supplier and leading SAN provider by committing significant resources to deliver the ultimate Storage Area Network - the Open SAN.
An Open SAN supports both heterogeneous storage systems and heterogeneous server platforms, allowing customers to network and securely manage all of their storage systems - wherever the systems are located and whichever vendor they may be from. It is a key component of Compaq's NonStopTM eBusiness solutions strategy to deliver the best Internet infrastructure for 24x7 computing. Compaq unveiled three initiatives directed toward establishing an Open SAN world:
- Formation of its Enterprise Storage Software (ESS) business unit;
- Announcement of the Compaq SANworks product line of Enterprise Storage Management Solutions; and
- Construction of the Storage Networking Technology Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado
"Compaq's SANworks software and infrastructure will allow customers to manage any vendors' storage and servers in the same storage area network," said Howard Elias, Vice President and General Manager of Compaq's Storage Products Division.
Tandberg acquires BreeceHill
Oslo, Norway, 4. February 2000 - Tandberg Data ASA have today signed the final purchase agreement in respect of the purchase of BreeceHill Technologies (Boulder, Colorado, USA). See also:- tape backup
ZDNet launches web storage service
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 3,2000 - ZDNet, today announced that it recently made an equity investment in i-drive, a leader in personal online space, and has launched "ZDNet i-drive," an innovative service providing visitors free, easy-access space on the Web for their software, gaming and personal files.
ZDNet i-drive is integrated throughout the ZDNetDownloads and ZDNet GameSpot channels, letting visitors conveniently andsecurely store large software, games and Web pages that they can then share with friends, family, and colleagues. The ZDNet i-drive service will be available on other parts of the ZDNet site in the near future. ZDNet joined top venture capital firms including Global Retail Partners, Information Technology Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurveston, and Partners Groupin i-drive's second round of financing. "i-drive is the clear leader in Web-based personal storage technology, a cutting-edge capability that taps into the Web's potential to create better communications systems and centralized technology resources," said DanRosensweig, president and CEO of ZDNet.
StorageTek looks for a buyer
Associated Press, 2/3/2000 - Storage Technology reorganizes; searches for new CEO
Shares of Storage Technology Corp., the nation's leading computer tape storage drive manufacturer, plunged more than 17 percent Thursday after its chief executive resigned and the company announced it would eliminate 600 jobs. Officials with StorageTek, which also has been looking for a buyer, said David Weiss, president, chief executive officer and chairman, will leave as soon as a successor can be found.
- Vixel and 5 Leading Storage Vendors Demonstrate Compatible NAS and SAN Solution
San Francisco, CA, February 2, 2000 - In a successful display of multivendor cooperation, Vixel Corporation along with five premier storage solution providers, today unveiled the first heterogeneous Storage Area Network (SAN) and Network Attached Storage (NAS) system optimized for data protection.
The 6 participating vendors — Vixel , Legato Systems, Network Appliance, Quantum ATL Products, Spectra Logic, VERITAS Software - have joined forces to collectively respond to the industry's need for seamless storage integration between NAS and SAN. "At the end of the day, customers typically care most about resolving their IT issues and enhancing their competitiveness, and will deploy the appropriate technology to achieve that. Both SANs and NAS have demonstrated their usefulness in different areas," said Arun Taneja, vice president, marketing, Vixel Corporation. "The leaders spearheading this solution have demonstrated how the integration of the best from both SAN and NAS can ideally address a real problem for the storage-centric IT customer."
Benchmark DLT1 tape drive works with Linux
Boulder, Colo. and Phoenix, Az. - February 2, 2000 - Benchmark Tape Systems Corp., developer of the value line of DLT storage solutions, and Enhanced Software Technologies, Inc. (EST) today announced official Linux operating system certification of the Benchmark DLT1 tape drive.
EST is the sponsor and administrator of the Linux Tape Device Certification. Tape drive certification through the program entails the use of a static, open set of test procedures that are Linux distribution and application independent. This process ensures that the testing is not biased, and that all devices are appraised on a level playing field.
"EST is providing a valuable service to the Linux community by creating the tape certification program," said Jon "maddog" Hall, Executive Director of Linux International. "Their position as Linux backup experts gives them great insight in answering the question: What tape drives work with Linux? This is the program's benefit to Linux users."
LSI launches SANtricity
Milpitas, California, February 2, 2000 - LSI Logic Storage Systems, Inc. today introduced SANtricity™ storage manager and SANshare™ storage partitioning software for use with its MetaStor® family of scalable storage products.
Specifically designed for today's storage area network (SAN) environments, the new products provide storage systems administrators with a powerful solution for simplifying the management and sharing of SAN attached storage. SANtricity storage manager software simplifies the management of rapidly growing SANs which incorporate MetaStor scalable storage solutions by allowing storage administrators to centrally manage multiple MetaStor storage arrays from any location in the enterprise. Additionally, when enabled by array-based SANshare storage partitioning software, each MetaStor storage array may be configured into multiple virtual storage systems, allowing administrators the flexibility to safely share an array among multiple heterogeneous servers or clusters.
Ecrix launches OpenTape.org
Boulder, CO - February 1, 2000 - Ecrix Corporation and the Linux Fund today announced OpenTape.org a new nonprofit web site supporting the open source software movement.
OpenTape.org offers users access to technical information about data backup hardware and software for the Linux operating system. All advertising and vendor participation revenues generated by the site go to the Linux Fund, a non-profit organization that supports Linux programmers with development grants and university scholarships. See also:- storage ORGs
Brocade and Optical Networks Partner to Connect Storage Area Networks
SAN JOSE, Calif.-February 1, 2000 - Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. and Optical Networks, Inc. announced today a strategic relationship focused on interconnecting enterprise storage area networks (SANs) over Metropolitan area optical networks. The companies will enable connectivity from SANs, based on BROCADE's scalable storage networking platform, through Metropolitan optical networks using Optical Networks' Dynamic Transport System (DTS). The two companies plan to integrate their respective management software platforms, ensure interoperability between the BROCADE SilkWorm® family of Fibre Channel fabric switches and Optical Networks' DTS, and promote their respective offerings to enterprise customers and Metro carriers
BiTMICRO launches 4GB 2.5" SCSI SSD
SAN JOSE, Calif. -Feb. 1, 2000 - BiTMICRO NETWORKS. today introduced the E-Disk SNX25, the world's highest capacity and fastest 2.5" solid state SCSI flash disk.
The new E-Disk SNX25 line offers rugged, compact design, and outstanding performance making it ideally suited for applications requiring reliable storage with a compact footprint. The E-Disk SNX25, BiTMICRO NETWORKS' first offering in a 2.5" form factor, establishes new standards for capacity and performance of 2.5" solid state flash disks. The E-Disk SNX25 offers more than twice the capacity and more than double the sustained read and write performance than its closest competitor.
Built on BiTMICRO NETWORKS patented FlashBus technology, the E-Disk SNX25 is available in capacities as small as 128 MBytes for applications with minimal data requirements. It is also available in capacities as large as 4,352 MBytes for more demanding applications.
The SNX25 delivers excellent performance with sustained read and write transfer rates exceeding 4.5 Bytes per second and lightning fast average access times of less than 0.25 ms. The E-Disk SNX25 is fully SCSI compatible and supports all standard mounting orientations for 2.5" disk drives making it a convenient replacement for conventional hard disk drives in systems requiring reliable storage.
ADIC announces serverless SAN backup
Redmond, Washington, February 1, 2000 - Advanced Digital Information Corporation announced today that it has added new Fibre Channel routers to its suite of Open SAN Backup Solution products, making that package the first in the industry to build in support for direct disk-to-tape, serverless backup within Storage Area Networks (SANs).
ADIC's new FCR 250 Fibre Channel router incorporates active agents with embedded Extended Copy commands, which will allow it to manage the transfer of data directly between disk and tape without having to move data through servers. By separating backup from server operations, the new capability is expected to increase usable network bandwidth by removing CPU bottlenecks and to free server and network resources for other critical IT tasks. SANs incorporating the new FCR 250 will be able to implement serverless backup as soon as software applications support the utility, an advance expected early this year.
"Serverless backup is the next great SAN application," explains Jonathan Otis, ADIC vice president of Product Management. "It will be one more step toward making networks storage-centric and data-centric rather than server-centric, and it will provide vastly more efficient use of storage resources throughout the enterprise. We expect that backup applications will be the first to take advantage of this new SAN capability, but the same agents will also be able to support serverless data transfer operations under other storage management applications as well. Serverless data transfer will allow high-volume data traffic to use the full SAN bandwidth while servers continue their support of normal client and network functions."
