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| ... | flash SSD Jargon Explained
the Top 10 SSD Companies after AFAs - what's the next box? how fast can your SSD run backwards? capacitor hold up times in 2.5" military SSDs |
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| Coraid Launches
AoE Storage Blade Athens, GA - September 12, 2003 – Coraid, Inc. has developed the EtherDrive storage blade, permitting laptop ATA drives to be accessed using standard Ethernet networking. The EtherDrive blade is 6" x 3.3" and slides into a 2U rackmount chassis capable of holding eighteen blades. The power consumption of the EtherDrive blade is 6.5W. A full shelf of storage blades consumes 120W of power and is capable of a storage density of 1.44TB. Accessing the ATA disk content is achieved with AoE (ATA over Ethernet), an open protocol designed by Coraid for Linux that permits the use of EtherDrive blades as directly attached ATA drives. This approach is beneficial to system administrators who desire storage that seamlessly integrates into their existing environment. EtherDrive blades provide an unlimited store to any host connected to an Ethernet network. Storage may be obtained, freed, shared, and serviced without opening the sheet metal of a host. EtherDrive blade storage is priced at eight-tenths of a cent per Megabyte and is a competitive total cost solution due to its low power consumption, use of commodity networking components, and ease of maintenance. ...Coraid profile Rorke Delivers Low-Cost AIT Back-Up for Mac OSX AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - September 12, 2003 – Today at IBC 2003 Rorke Data together with its sister company Bell Microproducts Europe BV announced a partnership to deliver a low-cost AIT back-up solution for Mac OSX users. The new solutions, which will be available for world wide distribution only through Rorke authorized resellers, combines Sony Electronics' low-profile, rack mount AIT-3 library (model LIB-81 or LIB-162), Dantz Retrospect software, and Rorke Data's highly regarded ImageSAN-OSX SAN solution. The Sony LIB-81 provides up to .8TB of native capacity (2.08 TB with compression) and a 12MB/sec sustained native transfer rate in a 1U high form factor. The LIB-162 easily doubles the capacity of the LIB-81, offering a native capacity of 1.6TB, and a combined transfer rate of up to 173 GB per hour in a 2U configuration. "Sony's AIT-3 libraries provide one of the lowest cost per gigabyte and highest native capacity solutions in the industry," said Joe Rorke, Vice President of Marketing, for Rorke Data. "When paired with ImageSAN, the total solution enables editors, broadcasters, graphic artists or anyone else involved with the inherent large file sizes associated with fixed content and rich media applications, to focus on their work rather than the data storage and network systems. A solution like this is unique in the Mac market, and we are looking forward to offering it to our customers." ...Rorke Data profile EqualLogic Brings iSCSI to Sun Blades Nashua, NH - September 12, 2003 – EqualLogic, Inc. today announced it has successfully completed Sun Blade Server Verification and has also achieved Solaris Ready Certification. EqualLogic's PeerStorage Array 100E is the first iSCSI device to achieve these milestones. The comprehensive self-management and consolidation features delivered in a PeerStorage array combined with its iSCSI connectivity allow Sun customers to extend their technology investments for maximum ROI. "IT managers require solutions that maximize their existing IT investments. Sun Servers improve resource utilization and reduce infrastructure complexity to streamline data center operations. EqualLogic's PeerStorage arrays extend this value-proposition by providing Sun customers a low-cost storage option with enterprise-level management and performance capabilities," said Patric Chang, Director Sun Market Development Engineering, Sun Microsystems. "The certification of PeerStorage arrays on our platforms ensures customers an option that addresses technical and bottom-line implications for networked storage." ...EqualLogic profile, ...Sun Microsystems profile, SPARC Product Directory Raidtec Selects ATTO 2-Gigabit Fibre Channel Host Adapters Amherst, NY & Cork, Ireland - September 12, 2003 - ATTO Technology, Inc. and Raidtec Corporation announced today that the ATTO 2-Gigabit family of FC HBAs is now available with Raidtec's FibreArray2000 2-Gigabit SAN Storage Arrays. The ATTO ExpressPCI 3300, 3305 and 3321 2-Gigabit Fibre Channel HBAs were put through rigorous testing with Raidtec's 2-Gigabit FibreArray. Raidtec selected ATTO ExpressPCI HBAs because they offered customers the best price/performance for 2-Gigabit Fibre Channel configurations. "Without compromising on features or performance, ATTO's aggressively-priced host adapters dramatically reduce some of the previously common price barriers to SAN installations. Given that Fibre Channel storage systems are now similarly priced to more traditional SCSI-based systems, this is a welcome development," states Orla Donohoe, sales director at Raidtec Corporation. "Raidtec has always been committed to providing the best price/performance SAN and NAS solutions and continues to work with industry-leading partners like ATTO to provide customers with best value propositions." ...ATTO Technology profile, ...RAIDTEC profile Gartner Says Flash Card Market Will Grow 38% in 2003 STAMFORD, CONN. - September 11, 2003 - Despite declining NAND flash memory component prices in the first half of the year, the worldwide flash card market is poised for strong revenue growth in 2003, according to Gartner, Inc. The worldwide flash card market is forecast to reach $2.75 billion in 2003, a 38% increase over 2002. In 2002, worldwide flash card revenue totaled $1.99 billion. "Recent NAND component price declines in 2002 and the first half of 2003 have helped proliferate flash cards in the mainstream because an increasing number of consumers are able to justify the cost and benefit argument," said Joseph Unsworth, industry analyst for Gartner's semiconductor group. "The flash card market is overwhelmingly driven by the consumer retail channel and is considered a price-point driven market, meaning consumers are willing to pay for as many megabytes as their budget will allow." Unfortunately for consumers, the flash card industry continues to offer a variety of formats, most which are incompatible with each other. Adding to the confusion is further fragmentation within some formats, resulting in card derivatives that target applications with particular attributes. "The SD Card and Memory Stick are forecast to be the dominant flash cards, capturing a combined revenue share of 65% by 2007. These formats are expected to prevail because they have strong industry support combined with compelling attributes in a small form factor," Unsworth said. ...Gartner Group profile, Solid State Drives - market research & analysts Remembering 9/11 Editor:- 9/11 is a day which will live in infamy - to paraphrase President Roosevelt's speech after the December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Today, two years after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, and for many years still to come, there are victims who still need your care and support. Please spare a few minutes of your time today looking at the Twin Towers Orphan Fund web site and help in any way you can. Thank you. NTI Unveils New Suite of Backup/Recovery Solutions NEWPORT BEACH, CA - September 10, 2003 - Leveraging the competitive edge of its award-winning Backup NOW! software, NewTech Infosystems, Inc. announced today Backup NOW! 3 Deluxe Suite, a new backup/recovery solution with new features and new packaging. Ideal for network, stand-alone and notebook PCs, Backup NOW! Deluxe 3 Suite provides complete backup flexibility and added value by including two backup/recovery solutions for the price of one-users can make a duplicate of their entire system and restore it to its prior state and they can back up individual files to quickly restore lost or deleted files. NTI Backup NOW! 3 Deluxe Suite is currently the only software package that provides full image backup and individual file/folder backup using virtually all CD or DVD recordable devices, including CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM as well as internal/external hard drives, JAZ, ZIP, MO, USB Pen Drives and more. Also unique to Backup NOW! 3 Deluxe Suite is Dynamic Drive Support and Live Update, two NTI-exclusive technologies. DDS enables the software to confirm support for any CD or DVD burner, even if the device isn't registered in NTI's extensive drive support database. Live Update automatically optimizes the backup and recovery software to complement the device. Using the software's advanced wizard-driven interface and on-the-fly data compression capabilities, users can store up to 1.4GB of vital data on a single CD or up to 9.4GB on a single-sided DVD disc. The software also enables media spanning over multiple CDs or DVDs and drive spanning for a complete, unattended mirroring of the system's hard drive. Available now for Windows 9x/NT/Me/2000/XP, the NTI Backup NOW! 3 Deluxe Suite has a suggested retail price of US$79.99. ...NewTech Infosystems profile Sony and CA Tackle Laptop Backup CHICAGO, IL - September 10, 2003 - Sony Electronics and Computer Associates International, Inc. today extended their storage alliance with the announcement of a new solution designed to address the backup needs of the mobile workforce. The new system, which combines Sony's 720GB StorStation FSV-M5 specialty server with CA's BrightStor Mobile Backup software, eliminates some of the obstacles that typically impede effective data backup practices for Microsoft Windows operating system-based laptop and desktop computers. Dubbed StorStation Laptop Data Protection system, the solution eases data protection tasks by automatically detecting Windows systems and performing backup tasks based on user-defined parameters, such as specific time schedules and data folders. StorStation LDP also automatically detects TCP/IP connectivity whenever workers log in to their company's network. If a backup is scheduled, it retrieves the appropriate data from the connected computer and transmits the updated backup data set to the FSV-M5 specialty server. The entire process is transparent to the end-user. "Mobile professionals are often under too much pressure when they're in the field or in the office to spend time doing file backups," said Gary McGuire, senior vice president of BrightStor solutions at CA. "The new solution is designed to minimize the impact backup jobs typically have on mobile workers by allowing both dormant and active files to be protected while the computer is in use." StorStation LDP comes with a variety of pre-defined backup templates that enable customers to immediately begin backing up critical data right out of the box. The templates include optional backup settings for My Documents, all Office documents, all Outlook files, Internet Explorer Favorites, Pocket PC files and Pocket PC archives. The system also includes CA eTrust Antivirus software to safeguard users against a range of malicious code threats. StorStation LDP can be scaled with additional Sony specialty servers and CA software licenses to support mobile workforces of virtually any size. The Sony Laptop Data Protection is expected to become available in October at an estimated price of $10,000. ...Computer Associates profile, ...Sony profile Arkeia Corp. Announces DB2 Plug-In Carlsbad, Calif. - September 10, 2003 - Arkeia announced today the availability of a hot backup plug-in for IBM DB2 databases. Utilizing a combination of Arkeia backup with IBM DB2 servers, database managers can protect mission critical data and avoid expensive downtim for users. The Arkeia plug-in for DB2 manages backup and recovery operations across complex heterogeneous business networks. IBM's DB2 relational database, used worldwide, is the industry's leading multimedia, Web-ready relational database management software. Arkeia's plug-in for DB2 is easy to install and configure via the convenient Arkeia GUI navigator. The plug-in is currently available for Linux. The Beta Linux version of the plug-in is available for download. Unix and Windows versions will be added at afterward. Price per protected DB2 server: $990 for Linux and Windows systems and $1,990 for Unix. ...Arkeia profile LSI Storage Automates Backup MILPITAS, Calif. – September 10, 2003 – LSI Logic Storage Systems today announced the latest backup and recovery solution in its LogicStor Solutions Program. This new solution integrates the SANtricity Storage Manager Snapshot feature from LSI Logic Storage Systems with NetWorker 7.1 PowerSnap Modules from LEGATO Systems, Inc. With this LogicStor solution, NetWorker customers have a seamless, automated method to nearly eliminate the backup window, expedite data restoration, and reduce storage management costs. ...LSI Logic Storage Systems profile, Disk to disk backup / virtual tape EqualLogic and CommVault Shadow Data Using iSCSI Chicago - September 10, 2003 – EqualLogic, Inc. and CommVault Systems today announced joint certification of the EqualLogic PeerStorage array and CommVault Galaxy backup and recovery software. Certification ensures seamless interoperability of the two solutions and offers customers an affordable solution for the management, backup and quick recovery of mission critical Windows data and applications in a SAN storage architecture. The companies will demonstrate how Volume Shadow Copy Service snapshots can provide high performance, low impact protection of Microsoft Exchange 2003 running on Microsoft Server 2003 using CommVault Galaxy software and EqualLogic's PeerStorage array. Continuous demonstrations will be given in the Microsoft Partner Pavilion at Storage Decisions 2003 . "Solutions that manage and protect data with minimal impact on 24x7 applications are an essential requirement for customers deploying storage area networks," said Larry Cormier, vice president, marketing at CommVault. "Using iSCSI connectivity, our Galaxy software seamlessly communicates with PeerStorage arrays to support Microsoft operating system and application environments. iSCSI connectivity provides a cost-effective solution that makes this networked storage architecture proportionate to that of the server and application costs for Windows 2003." ...EqualLogic profile, ...CommVaultSystems profile NSI Software Teams with Iomega CHICAGO, IL -September 10, 2003 - At Storage Decisions 2003, today, NSI Software announced support for Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 and a relationship with Iomega Corporation. NSI's relationship with Iomega allows the companies to deliver affordable and easy-to-manage NAS devices, based on Windows Storage Server 2003, with disaster recovery, high-availability and centralized backup capabilities. NSI's Double-Take is fully scalable asynchronous data replication software that provides protection for data and virtually any application, including Exchange, SQL Server and Oracle. Iomega's Windows-based NAS storage server appliances are easy-to-manage network storage solutions for file-level data consolidation that enable sharing and backup across all Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, NetWare, UNIX and Linux clients on a LAN or WAN. NSI Software's Double-Take replication and failover software allows businesses to exploit new advanced features offered in Windows Storage Server 2003 for more intelligent handling and protection of data. Businesses, for example, can use Double-Take with the new Volume Shadow Copy Service to create point-in-time copies of information so that if it becomes corrupt, an organization can restore the information from a previous point-in-time when it was in a good-known state. "Demand for highly available data protection and storage systems is at an all time high, as more and more businesses realize just how vulnerable their critical information is to system outages and disasters. Through our strategic technology teams, including Microsoft and Iomega, we are helping businesses implement tailor-made, cost-effective solutions to keep their businesses running 24x7," said Bob Guilbert, vice president of marketing and business development for NSI Software. ...Iomega profile, ...NSI Software profile Decru Integrates with Sun for Trusted Apps REDWOOD CITY, CA - September 10, 2003 - Decru, Inc. today announced a joint initiative with Sun Microsystems, Inc. to build secure application environments, and has joined the Sun iForce partner program. The Trusted Application Platform (TAP) integrates security capabilities from Sun and Decru that span servers, networks and storage, delivering unprecedented protection for sensitive data and applications. The TAP solution combines capabilities including role-based access controls, labeling, hardware-based encryption and key management, and secure logging to create the industry's most secure open systems platform for applications. Enterprises and government agencies have grown increasingly concerned about the security of their critical applications and data. Key drivers for security investment include regulatory compliance, intellectual property protection, homeland security, customer privacy and internal controls. Historically, security solutions such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems have been deployed at the network perimeter, but these systems fail to address the 50-80 percent of attacks that originate behind the firewall. To make matters worse, the rapidly increasing storage demands of recent years have led many organizations to consolidate their data in networked storage, where a single breach can expose terabytes of sensitive information. The Trusted Application Platform integrates Sun's Solaris OS security features, with the Decru DataFort storage security appliance to create a secure, integrated application environment. Capabilities such as strong authentication, compartmentalization, auditing and fine-grain access controls are implemented across the TAP solution, and can be integrated for seamless end-to-end protection. ...Decru profile, ...Sun Microsystems profile MaXXan Unveils New NAS Gateways SAN JOSE, Calif. – September 10, 2003 – MaXXan Systems, Inc. today announced its enterprise-class NAS gateway solutions built on Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 Enterprise Edition. The new Storage Gateway systems offer a high-performance, high-availability platform for NAS/SAN consolidation. The SG210m integrated in the MXV Intelligent Application Switch is best suited for data center environments such as telecommunications, financial services, oil and gas, healthcare, energy and other industries that require enterprise-class availability and performance to support thousands of users. The SG110m is a standalone NAS gateway for deployment in departments or remote offices. MaXXan's NAS gateways provide a cost-effective way for end-users to leverage their investments in block-oriented storage systems for their file-oriented requirements. The MaXXan SG110m and SG210m achieve unparalleled price/performance and scalability with dual Intel Xeon processors, up to 4 GB of memory, eight 2 Gb Fibre Channel ports, eight 1 Gb Ethernet ports and additional Ethernet and serial ports for heartbeat, management and application-specific requirements. The Windows Storage Server 2003 NAS application is embedded and pre-configured in the SG110m and SG210m systems to facilitate quick and easy installation. Both systems are designed and tested for compatibility with third-party SAN products and are interoperable with the existing storage devices and networks. Pricing and Availability MaXXan's Storage Gateway systems are available directly from MaXXan and through selected resellers in North America, Europe and Asia. The MSRP starts at US$19,250 for the SG210m and at US$23,000 for the SG110m. ...MaXXan Systems profile FalconStor and Network Engines Deliver VTL CHICAGO - September 10, 2003 - FalconStor Software, Inc. and Network Engines, Inc. today announced general availability of the Virtual Tape Library Appliance powered by IPStor, at the Storage Decisions 2003 conference. The VTL Appliance is the first standalone, turnkey solution of its kind for FalconStor, leveraging the development, manufacturing and distribution capabilities of Network Engines with the network storage expertise of FalconStor. Utilizing industry standard disk and IP SAN or Fibre Channel, the VTL Appliance is designed to accelerate the backup and restoration of data with minimal operating cost while consolidating the management and provisioning of backup resources. The VTL Appliance's ability to leverage storage devices from leading industry players to perform I/O load balancing, and transparent storage controller failover/failback, enables the VTL appliance to offer the highest degree of performance, reliability and availability. ...FalconStor Software profile, ...Network Engines Microsoft Storage Server 2003 is Now Available CHICAGO - September 10, 2003 - Today at the Storage Decisions 2003 conference, Microsoft Corp. announced the general availability of Windows Storage Server 2003. A dedicated file and print server solution, Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 will be available through OEMs. "IT professionals continue to tell us they need cost-effective storage solutions to help ensure data availability, realize the savings of file server consolidation and maintain business continuity," said Bob Muglia, senior vice president of the Enterprise Storage Division at Microsoft. "With enterprise-ready features like Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS), Virtual Disk Service (VDS) and failover clustering, Windows Storage Server 2003 meets those critical storage needs, all at a low total cost of ownership." Windows Storage Server 2003 is the newest version of what was previously known as Windows Powered NAS. Windows Powered NAS currently holds 41% of the NAS appliance unit share, more than any other operating system, according to IDC. Because it integrates seamlessly with existing IT infrastructure, provides high data availability and is priced at a low cost per gigabyte, Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 provides a low TCO. Easy to install and manage, Windows Storage Server 2003 simplifies data storage, file serving and backup of mission-critical data. Windows Storage Server 2003 offers a highly scalable solution ranging from 160 GB to 40-plus TB. The product incorporates advanced capabilities from Windows Server 2003 such as VSS, which provide an intelligent infrastructure for "shadow," or point-in-time, copies of a single volume or multiple volumes. Other key availability features include Distributed File System (DFS), eight-node server clustering and multipath input/output (MPIO) technology. Windows Storage Server 2003 will also support the Windows iSCSI initiator, which provides an easy way to manage and incorporate an NAS device into an IP-based SAN. ...Microsoft profile SGI and AppIQ Form Strategic Alliance MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. and BURLINGTON, Mass. - September 9, 2003 - SGI and AppIQ today announced a strategic alliance whereby the companies will provide storage utility management software to maximize the performance, availability and utilization of high-performance, technical and creative applications hosted on heterogeneous SAN environments. The alliance includes an OEM distribution agreement of AppIQ technology and a co-development agreement that brings open, standards-based SAN management and storage resource management to the high-performance computing market. SGI will also market and resell AppIQ's enterprise SAN and storage resource management solutions to customers who need to manage heterogeneous storage environments and the complex interdependencies between storage resources and business-critical applications such as Oracle and Microsoft Exchange. "An open, standards-based software solution that manages both the compute-intensive SGI installed base as well as heterogeneous environments is very attractive to us and our customers," said Andy Pratt, president, Unique Digital, Inc., a value-added reseller and integrator of both SGI and AppIQ solutions. "We see a lot of demand for SGI storage solutions in the oil and gas exploration markets. AppIQ's technology will ease the management of these customers' complex, growing Storage Area Networks." ...AppIQ profile, ...SGI profile iStor Networks Names CTO IRVINE, Calif. - September 9, 2003 – iStor Networks, Inc. has appointed Jeff Blaalid to the newly created position of chief technology officer, President and CEO Simon Huang announced today. Blaalid, who reports directly to Huang, brings to iStor nearly 20 years of technical experience, specializing in Serial ATA and Fibre Channel RAID controllers, intelligent multi-port SATA and SCSI ASICs, Ethernet and FDDI NAS storage servers, VAX clusters and storage controllers. Most recently he was CTO of CMD Technology, while also serving on iStor's technical board of advisors. In his twelve years at CMD, Blaalid developed strong OEM relationships with such companies as EMC, Network Appliance, HP, Digital Equipment, Maxtor and Xyratex. "Jeff Blaalid's coming on board as CTO greatly strengthens our organization, not only in technology but also from a strategic business standpoint," said Huang. "Based on his successful track record and established relationships, Jeff will play an important role in bringing iStor's advanced IP storage technology and products to the OEM marketplace." ...iStor Networks profile Overland's iSCSI Disk to Disk backup SAN DIEGO - September 9, 2003 – Overland Storage, Inc. today announced the availability of the REO SERIES product family, the first iSCSI-based appliances designed specifically to accelerate data backup and recovery over high-speed Ethernet networks. The REO SERIES includes the R2000 application backup acceleration appliance, RA2000 backup server acceleration appliance, and RX2000 expansion module. The RA2000 is a dynamic disk-to-disk appliance that accelerates the backup and recovery performance of existing backup servers. A sharable storage device, the RA2000 uses iSCSI and Ethernet technology to consolidate data from multiple backup servers whether local or remote. IT professionals can use the RA2000 to "assign" or "reassign" backup data storage among servers with varying capacity requirements, deferring new storage purchases and improving operational efficiency. The RA2000 is available now for a suggested retail price of $17,500. The R2000 is a powerful iSCSI appliance that resides on the network between application servers and backup servers. The R2000 backs up both onsite and remote application servers simplifying the protection of remote computers. Simultaneous multi-server backups can run at speeds of up to 300 GB/hour or 90-100 MB/second, and recovery takes place at disk speed reducing the impact of data loss. The R2000 is available for a suggested retail price of $24,995 for 2 TB of Serial ATA RAID storage. It is fully interoperable with Microsoft iSCSI drivers for Window platforms. ...Overland Storage profile Ramtron's Ferroelectric Memory Web Seminars COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - September 9, 2003 - Ramtron announced today that it will host a series of three live web seminars featuring FRAM technology, products, and application information. The first in the series, titled FRAM Technology and Market Trends, will be held Wednesday, September 17th 9:00am Mountain Time. "This webcast series has been tailored for semiconductor industry analysts and electronics trade industry editors," said Craig Taylor, director of marketing and host of the first seminar. "However, anyone interested in the state of FRAM memory technology and emerging FRAM application trends will find value in attending the seminar series." Ramtron's innovative nonvolatile FRAM memory products are gaining acceptance in a growing number of system applications. To-date, Ramtron has shipped more than 50 million FRAM products for use in applications such as advanced utility meters, automotive instruments, multi-function copiers, and RAID disk controllers among others. Recent FRAM technology innovations are setting the stage for higher density memory configurations and highly integrated mixed signal devices. The seminars will last approximately 30 minutes and will be followed by an online question and answer session. ...Ramtron profile GlassHouse Performs Storage Assessment for CCBN Framingham, MA - September 9, 2003 – GlassHouse Technologies, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded contracts by CCBN to perform a variety of storage and backup consulting engagements. GlassHouse storage and backup experts assessed CCBN's IT environment and validated the company's highly scalable, manageable backup and storage solution. GlassHouse reviewed industry trends and best practices while working with the client to architect a world-class replication and DR environment which accommodates CCBN's rapid growth and increases storage management efficiency. "GlassHouse validated our storage and DR architecture, and made recommendations that allow CCBN to prioritize IT infrastructure decisions to support rapid growth," said Andy Augustine, Chief Technology Officer of CCBN. "GlassHouse was extremely helpful in assessing our current environment. Their third-party perspective was invaluable, as we are constantly evaluating technologies. Given the challenges of managing a rapidly growing IT environment, it is reassuring to know that we can utilize best-of-breed partners to help scale our organization." ...CCBN, ...GlassHouse Technologies profile Double-Take 4.3 at Storage Expo Worcester, UK - September 9, 2003 - Sunbelt System Software today announced that it will be showcasing NSI Software's Windows replication product, Double-Take, on Stand #416 at next month's Storage Expo. As the sole European distributor of NSI Software's products, Sunbelt will be exhibiting the recently-released Double-Take 4.3 version. "Double-Take's core replication and failover technologies deliver a proven and cost-effective data protection solution for organisations of any size and we see Storage Expo 2003 as the ideal venue to demonstrate its capabilities," commented Ian Masters, UK and Ireland Country Manager at Sunbelt System Software. "Double-Take was our best-selling product in 2002 and the latest version further endorses its unparalleled quality and usability. With the provision of 99.99% system availability, you can see why." ...NSI Software profile, ...Storage Expo, ...Sunbelt System Software profile Paralan Announces Hand-Held SCSI Cable Tester San Diego, CA - September 8, 2003 - Paralan Corporation announces the Model ST1000 Hand-Held SCSI Cable Tester, the second in a series of SCSI test instruments. With the dramatic increases in SCSI data throughput that are occurring, correct SCSI cables become ever more important in installing SCSI systems that are reliable and run at maximum data rates. At these speeds, incorrect cables cause problems that are very difficult to trouble shoot, especially in the field. There are hand-held SCSI cable testers available that perform a continuity test, but continuity testing alone is insufficient to make a determination of the suitability of a cable for reliable SCSI operation. Also, these continuity testers require that both ends of the cable be plugged into the tester. That means that a cable must be removed from its installed location, tested and then re-installed. With long cables, this can be difficult and time consuming. In addition to a continuity test, it is very important to perform a cable "integrity" test to determine that SCSI signal pairs are connected to twisted pairs in the cable. Not matching signal pairs and twisted pairs results in increased crosstalk and resultant SCSI re-sends and even bus shutdown. These cable caused problems may appear to be random and are often attributed to software bugs or hardware failures. A cable pair placement test to be sure that the REQ and ACK signal pairs are not in the outside layer of the cable is especially important in noisy environments. The REQ and ACK signals determine SCSI bus timing and are quite susceptible to noise. Placing these signals in the core or middle layer of the cable provides the greatest amount of shielding. If the ST1000 SCSI Cable Tester is connected to a powered SCSI bus, it will display the presence or absence of TERMPWR, tell you whether the bus is SE, HVD or LVD and display the value of DIFFSENSE. The Paralan Model ST1000 Hand-Held SCSI Cable Tester performs all the above tests and requires that only one end of the cable is connected to the tester. As the Model ST1000 is small, light, battery operated and can easily be stowed in a tool box it is ideally suited for Field Service Technicians but is equally serviceable on the plant floor. The single piece price of the ST1000 SCSI Cable Tester is $399 and is shipping from stock. ...Paralan profile, Storage Testers & Analyzers Vixel's InSpeed Achieves Record Performance Bothell, WA - September 8, 2003 - Vixel Corporation announced today that the InSpeed Technology-equipped Fujitsu ETERNUS3000 Model 600M storage solution had achieved record performance results in a recent SPC-1 Benchmark test. The Fujitsu ETERNUS3000 Model 600M employs Vixel's InSpeed Switch-On-a-Chip in an SBOD (Switched Bunch Of Disks) application, providing high performance switched connectivity within the drive drawers to each individual drive. Creating a switched back-end architecture using InSpeed in an SBOD configuration provides drive isolation and enhances the performance and RAS (Reliability, Availability and Serviceability) characteristics of storage solutions. "The record performance results that Fujitsu attained are yet another point of substantiation for our award-winning InSpeed embedded storage switching technology," said Beth White, vice president of Marketing for Vixel Corporation. "Beyond all the reliability, availability and serviceability benefits associated with InSpeed, its performance benefits are helping to address the latency issues that occur as solutions providers scale their storage systems and introduce higher drive counts. InSpeed is now a field-proven technology, and the value proposition of both the technology and our customer engineering teams' work with OEMs to deploy switched back-end architectures is becoming evident through successful field deployments and independent benchmark test results such as the SPC-1 Benchmark." ...Fujitsu profile, ...Vixel profile Editor's comments:- this is the first time I recall seeing the term SBOD, which is related to JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks). I suppose that unreliable cranky storage should be called SOBS - for reasons I'll let you work out for yourself. See also:- the storage glossary for lots more. Advanced MicroSensors joins Multi-Terabyte Tape Storage ATP SHREWSBURY, MA – September 8, 2003 -Advanced MicroSensors, Inc. (AMS) today announced that it has joined the Multi-terabyte Tape Storage consortium. The MTS/ATP program was selected by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) through its Advanced Technology Program competition. The current partners Imation Corporation, Accutronics, Advanced Research and Peregrine Recording Technology have selected AMS to supply advanced recording heads. NIST has awarded a grant of $11.9 million over a period of four years to develop recording technologies enabling much higher area densities than current tape products. "The NIST grant, matched by the partners, will be used by AMS to develop advanced recording head designs and materials that will support the ambitious storage capacity goal of this ATP. We expect that these new technologies will ultimately benefit our customers with higher storage capacity per cartridge and faster data transfer rates, " said Dr. Gunther Baubock, VP Storage Business and Engineering at Advanced MicroSensors. ...Advanced MicroSensors profile, ...Multi-Terabyte Tape Storage Storability Software Secures $7M in Funding Southborough, Massachusetts, - September 8, 2003 - Storability Software today announced that it has secured $7M in financing, bringing the company's total funding to date to $66M. Existing investors Battery Ventures, Technology Partners, Sprout Group, and Lee Munder Venture Partners participated in the round, signaling their satisfaction with Storability's continued performance and growth over the past year as well as their confidence in the company's future direction. "Over the past year, we have watched Storability Software develop into the dominant player in the enterprise storage resource management market," said Todd Dagres, Partner, Battery Ventures. "Their impressive customer base of Fortune 500 companies, technically advanced product, and ability to execute in a market that has undergone tremendous changes over the past 18 months, makes them a unique success story in the overall storage market. With a clear vision for how businesses will need to manage their storage resources that are more closely aligned with critical business processes, and the pre-requisite elements in place for executing on that vision, we're confident that they will continue to lead other vendors in meeting the storage management needs of large enterprises." Storability's Global Storage Management solution, which consistently earns top ranking in independent industry assessments, enables companies to efficiently manage multi-vendor, multi-site storage infrastructures at every level, from discovery through "just-in-time" provisioning. It provides a centralized, end-to-end view into the entire environment, from applications to DAS, NAS, SAN-attached storage, secondary storage, and archive backup systems. ...Storability profile Solid State Disks and InfiniBand combine Oracle World, San Francisco, California - September 8, 2003 - Texas Memory Systems and Topspin Communications announced a technology partnership to provide database users with a high performance solution that leverages their investment in critical applications. Topspin's Switched Computing System is a high speed, low latency interconnect, based on InfiniBand technology. It enables high performance clustering between Oracle RAC database servers for server-to-server communication and provides fast connections to RamSan solid state disks through an Infiniband-to-Fibre Channel gateway. Lower latency on the server-to-server interconnect results in lower overall CPU utilization and improved performance. By attaching a RamSan-320 solid state disk, the low latency of the interconnect can be complemented by low latency, high bandwidth storage. "Topspin's industry leading InfiniBand hardware and gateway technology fits perfectly with our high performance storage systems," said Woody Hutsell, Executive Vice President for Texas Memory Systems. "Together, our products work to systematically eliminate the performance bottlenecks in the application data chain." "The combination of a high speed, low latency server interconnect, and high bandwidth storage is ideal for getting the most out of performance-sensitive applications like Oracle." Said Stu Aaron, Vice President of Marketing for Topspin. "Together, Texas Memory Systems and Topspin have assembled a solution of great value to both our channel partners and end users." ...Texas Memory Systems profile, ...Topspin Communications profile Editor's comments:- adding fast connections and fast storage to your existing server means you don't have to wait for 5GHz processors from Intel to speed up your applications today. InfiniBand and solid state disk acceleration are a natural fit. ...Later:- in November 2009 - Fusion-io unveiled details of a very fast PCIe form factor, InfiniBand compatible, flash SSD designed for 2 undisclosed government customers. Each ioDrive Octal card, occupies 2 slots and delivers 800,000 IOPS (4k packet size), 6GB/s bandwidth and has upto 5TB maximum capacity (implemented by 8x ioMemory modules. Nexsan Drives Record Performance Benchmarks with Hitachi WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. - September 8, 2003 - Nexsan Technologies today announced new performance benchmark records for the Nexsan ATAboy2 RAID storage system when paired with high-performance Deskstar 7K250 drives from Hitachi. The new configuration allows Nexsan to deliver the speed and data availability necessary for storage-intensive applications such as graphic design, animation, special effects, video security, document imaging, database support and data backup. Using the high-performance Hitachi Deskstar 7K250, Nexsan's new ATAboy2 with dual 2 Gbit Fibre Channel controllers achieves more than twice the data storage density of traditional enterprise configurations at about one-third the price. The ATAboy2 now reaches 344 megabytes per second sustained data throughput rates with Hitachi Deskstar drives - a significant performance advantage for users working with data-streaming applications such as audio/video recording and editing, or accessing data from a remote server. "Nexsan's ATAboy2 shattered previous benchmarks for performance with the introduction of Hitachi's Deskstar products," said Brendan Kinkade, Nexsan vice president of marketing. "With the increased speed built into our storage system incorporating dual controllers and these new drives, we continue to raise the bar on providing to our customers the high performance, high reliability and high capacity solutions they have come to expect from Nexsan. We expect that our volume of sales will continue to grow exponentially with each new product improvement." "The Deskstar 7K250's high capacity and fast data access are ideally suited to meet the needs of ATA RAID and other data-intensive applications, said Bob Holleran, general manager, Desktop Business Unit, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "We are pleased that Nexsan is using award-winning Hitachi Deskstar drives to help boost the performance of its ATAboy2 RAID systems and set new benchmark records." ...Hitachi profile , ...Nexsan Technologies profile Spectra Logic Announces Spectra T950 Library BOULDER, Colo. - September 8, 2003 - Spectra Logic today announced details of its new Spectra T950 Library. Data center operators are challenged with managing ever-increasing volumes of data with flat or declining personnel resources. More than ever IT staffs are tasked with lowering total TCO. Spectra Logic has found a way to deliver immediate TCO in a tape library that substantially lowers maintenance, floor space, storage management, labor and acquisition costs. The Spectra T950 library, with the Python architecture, raises the bar in technology features and end-user value in the half-inch tape market. Spectra Logic's revolutionary TeraPack delivers time savings in media handling, the industry's highest storage density, reduced robotic wear, lowering labor costs and increased library uptime, thus lowering TCO. The Spectra T950 library will start shipping to customers at the end of September. Spectra Logic's efficient and revolutionary media management system is based on the TeraPack, which improves media management inside and outside the library, and offsite. TeraPacks provide bulk loading and unloading of media, which saves time. Moving groups of media at once decreases the amount of movements and therefore reduces robotic wear. "Too often, enterprise library users consume hours loading and unloading scores of media to meet off-site data security requirements. With the Spectra T950 library, customers will only invest about 12 minutes to exchange 100 tapes, which is up to 10 times faster than traditional libraries," said Nathan Thompson, Spectra Logic's CEO. The Spectra T950 library today supports the following drive types: LTO-2, SAIT-1, SDLT, and AIT-4. With LTO-2, a single Spectra T950 library can store up to 380 TB compressed of data in one rack-sized frame, occupying only 9.7 square feet of datacenter floor space. The library is compatible with independent software vendors including BakBone, Computer Associates, CommVault, Legato, SyncSort, Tivoli and VERITAS. Pricing for a 150 media, Fibre Channel Spectra T950 library with 2 LTO-2 drives begins at $90,000. ...Spectra Logic profile EMC Announces Support for Oracle Database 10g OracleWorld, San Francisco - September 8, 2003 - EMC Corporation today announced support for Oracle Database 10g with EMC Automated Networked Storage systems and software. EMC and Oracle engineers are creating best-practices procedures to help thousands of mutual customers leverage the combined benefits of new Oracle Database 10g features with EMC networked storage systems and software. The two companies are demonstrating these capabilities at the annual OracleWorld conference. EMC systems were utilized in the development and testing of Oracle Database 10g and Oracle has deployed over 500 terabytes of EMC storage in support of its business. Oracle 10g software is the first infrastructure designed for enterprise grid computing. ...EMC profile, ...Oracle profile Spinnaker Networks Named Top 10 Most Influential September 8, 2003 - Spinnaker Networks was named to Computer Business Review's list of the 10 Most Influential companies in the storage sector in its "CBR 10th Anniversary Yearbook: David against Goliath" article. The list, first published in its subscriber newsletter in June and printed in the publication's August issue, was compiled by Rik Turner, who chose companies for inclusion based on qualitative assessment, analysts' comments and market influence, among other criteria. Spinnaker ranked eighth, behind the "Goliaths" of EMC, IBM and Veritas, and ahead of Cisco and Microsoft, and is the only emerging storage system company to make the list. In addition to what the article referred to as "the big Unix vendors and EMC," the list included only two companies, one being Spinnaker, that may "manage to punch above their weight, [and] change the status quo in the industry." "Our inclusion on the Computer Business Review list of 10 Most Influential companies in the storage sector is a testament to our industry leading performance, scalable clustering and open storage," said Ron Bianchini, Spinnaker President and CEO. "We expect that as more enterprises discover the benefits of implementing global distributed file systems in place of the slow, stodgy legacy 'NAS island' systems of the past, that Spinnaker will move ahead of a few more of the 'Goliaths' on the list." ...Computer Business Review, ...Spinnaker Networks profile |
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