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storage history - 2004, December 14 - 30 |
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| Editor:- December
23, 2004 - I wish you all a Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year.
I've written a longer seasonal scribble / nibble in the sidebar article lower
down this page under my end of year review - but didn't want to blot out the
real storage news stories for readers who are still working. Top 10 Storage Software Companies - 2004/2005 Editor:- December 22, 2004 - the STORAGEsearch Top 10 Storage Software Companies - 2004/2005 is published today. This is the 4th annual edition of this popular report in which companies are ranked according to reader pageviews during 2004. The article includes a summary of key milestones in the year for each vendor and a commentary on storage software market trends. The top 10 companies were chosen from 155 currently active storage software ISVs listed on STORAGEsearch. ...read the article EqualLogic's iSCSI Storage Helps Check Checks Nashua, N.H. - December 21, 2004 - EqualLogic, Inc. today announced the company has entered into an OEM agreement with Advanced Financial Solutions which provides image-enabled payment processing solutions for the financial services industry. AFS will integrate EqualLogic's PS Series of storage arrays within its ImageVision check-imaging platform which is is used by 57% of U.S. financial institutions. AFS selected EqualLogic's PS Series storage arrays because of their modular flexibility, excellent performance and ease of management that lets customers grow their storage as needed for managing AFS check processing solutions. "EqualLogic allows us to deliver an enterprise-quality, high-performance storage environment with unprecedented ease of use and automation that can be completely set up in less than an hour," said Jeff Vetterick, vice president of marketing for AFS. "In addition to simplifying storage installation and management, PS arrays allow us to offer a more cost-effective alternative to more price-sensitive customers, expanding the market for our check-imaging solutions." ...AFS, ...EqualLogic profile Next IT OEMs FalconStor's iSCSI Storage Server TOKYO - December 21, 2004 - FalconStor Software, Inc. today announced that its iSCSI Storage Server for Windows Storage Server 2003 is being incorporated into Next IT's new Z-BYS STEALTH line of storage appliances. In addition to centralized disk capacity provisioning, the Z-BYS STEALTH server enables Windows Storage Server 2003 to offer SAN-based snapshot, delta replication and zero-impact backup and restore services to application hosts attached to an IP/iSCSI network. To optimize system availability and business productivity, the solution also offers mirroring and cluster services, which enable continuous operation during a planned or unplanned outage. The Z-BYS STEALTH server also offers high-speed real time backup and quick recovery of data, automatic compression and movement of data according to policy for information life cycle management, and the substantial minimizing of TCO for storage management of departments in an enterprise, as well as the small and medium market. Next IT also provides professional services and 24 hour support for its Z-BYS STEALTH system. "Our Z-BYS solutions powered by IPStor have been quite successful throughout Japan, since it continually addresses our customer's storage issues efficiently and cost effectively," said Toshio Nakanishi, CEO and president of Next IT. "We're confident that our new line of Z-BYS STEALTH appliances, powered by FalconStor's iSCSI Storage Server solution, will thrive just as well in the small and medium business market, since it delivers optimal price and performance for NAS and iSCSI storage environments." ...FalconStor Software profile, ...Next IT RAID Card Casts Light on Failed SATA Drives FREMONT, Calif. - December 20, 2004 - HighPoint Technologies, Inc. today announced its RocketRAID 1820A, an 8-channel PCI-X to SATA RAID5 HBA with Present/Active/Failed LED support. The RocketRAID 1820A is the industry's first SATA controller to provide Failed LED functions for hard disk drives. Failed LED support allows the system administrator to easily identify and replace a failed or faulty hard disk. This feature is ideal for rackmount server chassis. If a disk should fail, the RR1820A will activate the failure LED on the corresponding drive-bay. ...HighPoint Technologies profile Datalink Cuts HQ Cost by Subleasing MINNEAPOLIS - December 20, 2004 - Datalink Corporation has reached agreement to sublease approximately 55% of its corporate headquarters facility located in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The new tenant is expected to occupy approximately 55,000 square feet of office space beginning around March 31, 2005. The sublease agreement concludes in 2012. Datalink expects that the agreement will generate a reduction in annual rent and associated costs of approximately $950,000 beginning in the quarter ended March 31, 2005. Datalink expects to take a one time non-cash charge of approximately $3 million in the quarter ended March 31, 2005. The accrual primarily represents the difference between the company's original lease payment, and the amount it will receive from the sub lessee over the remaining lease term. ...Datalink profile Storage Product Category of the Year 2004 Editor:- December 20, 2004 - It was revealed today that Solid State Disks are the Product Category of the Year 2004 on STORAGEsearch.com based on reader pageviews. The Solid State Disk page was the #1 category (out of more than 70 vertical storage subjects) viewed by readers for 44 of the first 50 weeks in 2004. In previous years - the product category of the year in 2002 and 2003 (2 years running) was SATA. SSDs which have been around for over 20 years - have the potential to become a disruptive technology in the server market as they can replace faster processors and even whole servers by providing application speedups of x2 to x3 for many common business and scientific applications. The high entry level price of SSDs means that this has mainly been happening at the enterprise server level - but as the technology becomes more familiar outsideof its government market roots this will turn into a $10 Billion Market by 2007. SSDs are a fast growing market segment. In fact 3 of the world's fastest growing storage companies in 2004:- (M-Systems, SimpleTech and Texas Memory Systems) make solid state disks. STORAGEsearch has been analysing the factors which will help to disinhibit growth in the SSD market by surveying SSD users during the 4th quarter of 2004 and we'll be revealing important primary data about buyer needs and experiences in a new article in January. One preview from our survey results? Users like the technology. When asked the question:- "If you already use solid state disks - how do you rate your experience of the benefits delivered compared to expectations?" - 65% said it greatly exceeded expectations (and they would advocate others to try). Solid State Disks Emulex Supports Latest Windows Service Pack COSTA MESA, Calif. - December 20, 2004 - Emulex Corporation today announced its latest HBA drivers fully support Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Release Candidate. Emulex customers can use the HBA drivers immediately to see the benefits, including first-time support for AMD and Intel's EM64T technology. "Emulex has worked closely with Microsoft, AMD and Intel to develop and test drivers that ensure our HBAs work smoothly for Windows customers installing Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 and transitioning to hardware server platforms," said Mike Smith, executive vice president of worldwide marketing at Emulex Corp. Included in the Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 Release Candidate is a 64-bit version of the Emulex Storport driver. Emulex recognized the high value associated with the Microsoft Storport driver inherently part of the Windows Server 2003 platform and therefore took the approach of pursuing a full "from the ground up" design implementation with its new Storport miniport HBA driver. ...Emulex profile, Fibre Channel Cisco to Acquire Protego Networks SAN JOSE, Calif. - December 20, 2004 - Cisco Systems, Inc., today announced a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held Protego Networks, Inc., a provider of security monitoring and threat management appliances used in enterprise and small-to-medium business networks. The ability of Protego's products to detect, correlate and mitigate threats in the network extends Cisco's Self-Defending Network initiative. Under the terms of the agreement, Cisco will pay approximately $65 million in cash for Protego. The acquisition is subject to various standard closing conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of Cisco's fiscal year 2005, which ends on January 29, 2005. ...Cisco Systems profile, Security, Ethernet NICs, NAS, Acquired, dead & merged companies VERITAS Merges with Symantec CUPERTINO, Calif. & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - December 16, 2004 - Symantec Corp. and VERITAS Software Corp. today announced that the companies have entered into a definitive agreement to merge in an all-stock transaction. The combined company, which will operate under the Symantec name, will be uniquely positioned to deliver information security and availability solutions across all platforms, from the desktop to the data center, from consumers and small businesses to large organizations and service providers. ...Symantec profile, ...VERITAS profile Editor's comments:- during the last year or so we've reported that many backup appliance manufacturers have started to bundle anti-virus protection into their NAS storage systems. As disk to disk backup will eventually become the primary method used to protect data - and as the appliance model becomes more common - there will be a growing trend for a significant amount of data protection functionality to occur at the embedded level. The only factor which has prevented Microsoft from making more headway in the storage protection space so far has been the negative reputation which the company has acquired due to its vulnerability to security threats. But next year Microsoft will ship the Microsoft Data Protection Server, a low-cost, continuous, disk-based backup and recovery solution. That poses a threat to many backup software companies. The newly merged Symantec - with an annual revenue run rate of $3.9 billion - will be able to offer a credible alternative to storage oems and users who want an integrated embedded NAS data protection solution. Cypress Ships USB Host Mass Storage Design Kit SAN JOSE, Calif. - December 16, 2004 - Cypress Semiconductor Corp. - today announced general availability of its USB host mass storage reference design kit for embedded applications. The CY4640 hardware/software solution enables mass storage devices to seamlessly exchange data from one point to another without the aid of a PC. Designed for use with Cypress's EZ-Host family of USB embedded host controllers, the CY4640 supports several types of USB mass storage class peripherals including USB hard drives, NAND flash drives, mass storage class-compliant MP3 players and digital still cameras. The kit also supports internal storage devices, such as hard drives, via the EZ-Host controller's on-chip IDE interface. "With the proliferation of MP3 players, photo printers and DVD recorders, there is an increasing demand for host-enabled storage devices," said Bassil El-Kadi, USB Host and OTG product manager in Cypress's Personal Communications Division. "This kit simplifies the integration of USB technology into PC peripherals and many other consumer appliances-even designers with little knowledge of USB or mass storage class can now easily develop products that host USB storage devices." The CY4640 includes the USB host software stack, a mass storage class driver, a file system and associated supporting software modules, as well as a sample application layer and hardware that enable customers to evaluate a design at various stages of development. The USB Host Mass Storage Reference Design Kit is available now and priced starting at $199 (MSRP). ...Cypress Semi profile, ICs, USB storage 4GB RAM Targets Sub-1U Servers FREMONT, Calif. - December 15, 2004 - SMART Modular Technologies announced today its expanded lineup of 4GB PC3200 registered DIMMs. The new versions are offered in two low-profile heights of 0.72" and 1.2" for sub-1U and standard 1U high-performance computing applications. SMART's high-density, high-speed DDR DIMMs are configured as 512Mx72 using cost-effective 512Mb memory components. The new low-profile DIMMs feature four-rank, +2.6-VDC operation at a 400MHz data rate. "Customer demand for very high-density, high-speed PC3200 registered DIMMs continues to proliferate across multiple types of AMD Opteron blade servers and workstations," observed Al Gulachenski, SMART's Director of Advanced Memory Solutions. SMART's 4GB DIMMs allow OEMs to configure their systems with extensive memory while using less board space. In fact, the 0.72" 4GB DIMMs can help achieve a 38% board-space savings in sub-1U blades by utilizing vertical connectors rather than standard angled connectors. This space savings allows improved system airflow and improved timing margins by having closer DIMM-to-processor spacing. ...SMART Modular Technologies profile, Rackmount Storage, Rackmount SPARC servers ONStor Joins StorageTek's TekAlliance LOS GATOS, CA. - December 15, 2004 - ONStor, Inc. and StorageTek have jointly announced certification of the ONStor SF4400 Series SAN filer as interoperable with StorageTek FlexLine systems. This interoperability qualifies ONStor as a new member of the TekAlliance Partner Program at StorageTek. Like NAS, the ONStor SF4400 serves data to Windows, Linux, and UNIX clients and servers on a LAN. However, the SF4400 SAN filer goes beyond conventional NAS by allowing customers to choose the storage that's right for them. It's compatible with storage from a wide range of vendors, including StorageTek, IBM, EMC, Hitachi, Engenio, HP, and 3PAR. With the ability to scale to 40 petabytes, performance of up to 140,000 IOPS, multiple levels of redundancy, and data protection features such as SAN-based disk-to-disk data replication, the ONStor SF4400 SAN filer has enterprise-class capabilities. ...ONStor profile, ...StorageTek profile Renesas Develops High-Speed MRAM Technology Tokyo - December 15, 2004 - Renesas Technology Corp. today announced the development of a high-speed, high-reliability MRAM (Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory) technology for system-on-a-chip use. Using this technology, Renesas Technology fabricated a prototype 1-Mbit MRAM employing a 130 nm CMOS process. Investigation showed the prospect of high-speed operation with an operating frequency of 143 MHz or above at a 1.2 V operating voltage, and measurements in a one-trillion-rewrites experiment in a high-temperature environment of 150ºC confirmed that there was no degradation. MRAM, is nonvolatile memory that enables data to be retained when power is cut while also providing high-speed operation capability. This has led to high expectations of MRAM as next-generation memory. ...Renesas Technology profile RocketVault Online Backup Service Gets New Partners St. Paul, MN - December 14, 2004 - Intradyn announced today the launch of a network of service partners offering a new online data backup service using its award-winning RocketVault backup and archiving appliance. The appliance/service solution offered through Intradyn's Certified Managed Service Provider Program enables both secure onsite and secure off-site backup and removes the need for the customer to staff and operate its own remote disaster-recovery site. Onsite backup resides at the customer site on their own RocketVault disk-based appliance. Offsite backup is achieved via the RocketVault sending the customer's encrypted data to the service provider's remote site for disaster recovery purposes - as protection against fire, flood, or other damage at the customer's own site. The data can be stored both locally and remotely in AES 256-bit encrypted form, the highest level of protection available. Pricing for the appliance begins at $1,495 MSRP. Christopher Furey, CEO of New York based Savvy Networks one of Intradyn's new partners said. "Over the years, we have tracked and tested most of the data protection solutions in the marketplace... RocketVault obsoletes tape in one neat little box." ...IntraDyn profile, Web backup COPAN OEMs FalconStor's VirtualTape Library MELVILLE, N.Y. - December 14, 2004 - FalconStor Software, Inc. today announced a strategic OEM partnership with COPAN Systems. COPAN is integrating a version of FalconStor's VirtualTape Library software in its Revolution 200T disk to disk backup system. Revolution 200T is the first storage solution to be based on COPAN's whimsically named MAID architecture (Massive Array of Idle Disks). The Revolution 200T is purpose-built for write once, read occasionally applications, delivering 2-3 times the density of tape, and 10 times faster data access than tape. The Revolution 200T includes patent-pending innovations, such as Power-Managed RAID and Disk Aerobics, to provide enterprise-class performance and reliability, allowing customers to minimize, if not eliminate, the use of tape at an affordable cost. ...FalconStor Software profile, ...COPAN Systems profile Infineon Reports Advances in the DRAM Trenches Munich, Germany - December 14, 2004 - this week at the 2004 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting in San Francisco, Infineon Technologies AG presented a highly manufacturable 70nm process technology for future DRAM generations that is based on deep trench cells on 300mm wafers. Around 25% of worldwide DRAM production today is based on trench technology. Infineon expects to translate the technological breakthrough into an increase of the productivity of DRAM manufacturing and its DRAM output. Smaller process structures allow a reduction in the chip size by about 30% and thus increase chip output per wafer. ...Infineon Technologies profile, RAM, ICs Globalstor Delivers Affordable Stored Video at 700MB/S CHATSWORTH, CA - December 14, 2004 - Globalstor Data today introduced the new FibreStor-DI. Designed specifically for the high performance digital video storage and playback requirements of HD, Digital Intermediate, Color Correction, and other eCinema and video applications, this new Fibre to Fibre Channel RAID storage solution provides sustained raw performance levels well above 700MB/sec under RAID 5, making the FibreStor-DI perfectly suited for Spirit 2K, DaVinci 2K, and other applications requiring real time 2K Playback/Record. FibreStor-DI includes a dual RAID controller on a separate 1U rack, two 16 bay chassis, 32 Fibre channel drives (73, 147 and 300GB) and supports RAID levels 0, 1, (0+1), 3, 5, 10, 30, 50, NRAID, and JBOD. To virtually insure zero downtime, FibreStor-DI consists of several hot-swapable components including dual power supplies, dual RAID controller canisters, dual cooling modules, IO node modules, battery units and management interface modules. Prices start at $40,000 for 2.1TB using (30) 73GB 15K hdd's or $44,000 for 4.41TB using (30) 146GB 10K hdd's or $62,000 for 9.0 TB using (30) 300GB 10 Hdd's. ...Globalstor Data profile, RAID systems TimeData's New Channel in Financial Services Market NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. and Barrington, NJ - December 14, 2004 - TimeSpring Software Corp. and E. A. Pifer Financial Systems announced an agreement under which Pifer will offer TimeSpring's TimeData software to the banking, credit union and financial services community. TimeData automatically captures all changes to application data in real-time. With the TimeData software financial institutions can recover from data loss, corruption or security breaches within minutes. They can also analyze, report or test data anytime without impacting operations. "Until now only the bigger financial institutions could afford real-time data protection so smaller organizations were vulnerable to data loss or corruption," said Jim Read, Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer of Pifer Financial Systems. "Banks, thrifts and credit unions all need solid, reliable data protection solutions to keep their data safe and available in order to service their customers and maintain compliance. If there is a problem with an application or system, retrieving data is very fast and simple with the TimeData software. Transactions are protected and the integrity of the audit trail is maintained." ...TimeSpring profile, ...Pifer Financial Systems |
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| storage history (1949 till last week) | STORAGEsearch | SPARC Product Directory | ACSL - the publisher |
