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| SSD history flash SSD Jargon Explained the Top 10 SSD Companies RAM Cache Ratios in flash SSDs 3 Easy Ways to Enter the SSD Market Overview of the Notebook SSD Market SSD Myths and Legends - "write endurance" How Bad is the Fallout from Choosing the Wrong SSD Supplier? | ||||||
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| Pushing the SSD Envelope in Blade Server Design |
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| Editor:- November 21,
2004 - a new article by BiTMICRO Networks is published today on STORAGEsearch
called - Solid State Disks: Pushing the Envelope in Blade Server Design.
The author, Jun Alejo, points out the many advantages of flash SSDs in blade server farms, not the least of which are 10x lower power consumption than hard drives and around one hundred times faster IOPS performance. ... read the article, ...BiTMICRO profile, Solid state disks see also:- flash wars in the enterprise - the history of nice vs naughty flash Hard Drives - the Movie SAN JOSE, Calif. - November 17, 2004 - Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is today premiering its short film, "Unsung Heroes," which depicts a family whose struggles are ameliorated by their interactions with hard disk drives. The six-minute movie features an all-star hard-drive cast, including the Hitachi Travelstar, Deskstar, Ultrastar, Endurastar and Microdrive. "Hitachi believes there will be 10-20 hard drives in the average digital home within the next 5-7 years, which will propel us into the 4th and most exciting era of hard-drive adoption – the Consumer Era," said Bill Healy, senior vice president, strategy and marketing, Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. "We introduced hard disk drive technology nearly 50 years ago to provide storage for room-sized mainframe computers, and we're now doing the same for palm-sized devices. In effect, we've taken hard drives from the the board room, to the living room and on the road." The Consumer Era is preceeded by the PC Era of the 1980's and 1990's, the Mini Computer Era of the 1960's and 1970's, and the Mainframe Era of the 1950's. Each subsequent era saw the reduction of the physical size of the hard drive, an increase in storage capacity, greater affordability and practical usage, and an ever-growing demand. ...Hitachi profile, hard disk drives Editor's comments:- a colleague of mine was writing an article recently in which I fortunately spotted the typo "hard dik drives". I haven't seen Hitachi's promotional movie - but I hope it doesn't include any faux pas. Engenio and AppIQ Forge SAN Alliance MILPITAS, CA and BURLINGTON, MA - November 17, 2004 - Engenio Information Technologies, Inc. and AppIQ, Inc. today announced that the two companies will co-develop Storage Area Network management solutions that optimize the performance of the entire SAN, from host server to storage system. The SAN performance management solution co-developed by AppIQ and Engenio will give IT professionals real-time and historical information on both physical and logical SAN components. The software will provide a consolidated view of multi-vendor SAN infrastructure, including host servers, host bus adapters, fabric switches, and Engenio storage systems, and will monitor and measure the status and performance of all resources to ensure the continuous availability of data. ...AppIQ profile, ...Engenio profile, SAN Agilent ships 4 millionth Fibre Channel IC PALO ALTO, Calif. - November 17, 2004 - Agilent Technologies Inc. today announced it has shipped more than 4 million Tachyon Fibre Channel controller ICs since production began in 1995. Agilent's Tachyon protocol controller ICs, the most widely used in the industry, are available in single-, dual-, and four-port configurations at speeds of up to 4 Gb/s. They offer storage OEMs both high levels of performance and reduced board space and costs. This milestone demonstrates the value of both Tachyon and Fibre Channel as leading storage technologies. While there are many storage options, the rate of Fibre Channel SAN solutions is accelerating in both enterprise and small and midsize business market segments. "The Tachyon brand has become an industry standard with more than 5.3 million ports in operation and more than 50% market share among disk array manufacturers," said Erik Ottem, marketing director of the Input/Output Solutions Division in Agilent's Semiconductor Products Group. ...Agilent profile, storage chips Consumer Hard Drive Forecast to Rise 20% San Jose, CA - November 17, 2004 - Driven by the consumer electronics market's seeming unquenchable thirst for storage, disk drive sales will soar from the existing 10% of the total market share for digital devices to 30% in the next two years - thanks to devices such as multimedia PDAs and mobile gaming devices, as well as rapid technological growth in hard disk drives. That's the likely scenario according to John Best, Chief Technologist, Hitachi Global Storage Systems, who will be speaking at the upcoming Storage Visions 2005 scheduled for January 4&5 in Las Vegas. Best who will speak on "The Coming Explosion in HDD-Enabled Devices," will discuss the factors that enabled the development of high-capacity, smaller-sized, hard disk drives and will examine future storage trends such as the introduction of antiferromagnetically coupled media which can increase the data capacity of hard drives to up to four times that available in hard disk drives today. "The hard disk drive will become the storage medium of choice for the next generation of applications and devices," said Best, who is responsible for the overall technical strategy for Hitachi. "There is an historic move in the hard disk storage industry from traditional hard drives - made mostly for PCs - to smaller hard drives designed primarily for consumer electronics devices." ...Storage Visions Conference, Storage Events, War of the Disks: Hard Disk Drives vs. Flash SSDs Network Appliance Sustains Revenue Growth SUNNYVALE, Calif. - November 16, 2004 - Network Appliance, Inc. today reported results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2005. Revenues for the second fiscal quarter were $375.2 million; an increase of 36% compared to the same period a year ago and a 5% increase compared to the prior quarter. For the second fiscal quarter, GAAP net income increased 14% to $55.3 million. For the full fiscal year 2005, Network Appliance estimates that revenues will finish 35% to 37% higher than fiscal year 2004. ...Network Appliance profile, NAS, the Fastest Growing Storage Companies Tabernus Releases DOD Certified Disk Purge Austin, TX - November 16, 2004 - Tabernus LLC today announced the release of their Disk Purge product. Tabernus' new Disk Purge product allows any storage device owner to completely erase all data from any SCSI or Fibre Channel disk drive. Tabernus' Disk Purge product is Department of Defense certified and HIPAA compliant. It has been used commercially by such key clients as Boeing, Hewlett Packard, Lockheed Martin, NASA, Motorola, the United States Navy, United States Air Force, United States Army, and more. Tabernus has modified the high-tech interface, to make the disk declassification process very consumer friendly and is now offering this technology to anyone who is motivated to be compliant with the following Acts:- HIPAA, GLBA, Sarbanes-Oxley Act, The Patriot Actand the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act The disk purge product completely erases all data from one or more disk drives. This allows disks with sensitive or classified information to be sanitized and re-used. The declassification and purging process is multithreaded and will operate on multiple drives simultaneously. The Disk Purge software is available for only $995 and may be used on an unlimited number of drives. "We heard from our customers that a product with this robust capability would be useful to them," stated Khalid Elibiary, President and CEO of Tabernus. "Previously our world class software declassification technology was offered only to the military and a few large enterprises. Now we are excited to be able to offer our declassification technology to the small medium business sector and the health care sector who are seeking a high compliance to privacy legislation." ...Tabernus profile, Fast Purge flash SSDs StorCase Launches Drive Integration Program Fountain Valley, CA - November 16, 2004 - StorCase Technology today announced that its popular InfoStation and other RAID and JBOD enclosures are now available with an option for pre-integrated hard drives. With a long held reputation for being a customer-oriented company, StorCase recognizes the business impacts of requiring additional personnel and assuming the responsibility for drive integration and testing. Today, resellers, VARs, VADs and even system integrators are seeking out turnkey hardware solutions in order to streamline their operations. To support this search for simplification, StorCase now offers drive integration as an included service, allowing customers to select either partially or fully populated enclosures. The StorCase advantage of enclosures with pre-integrated drives is the assurance of drive compatibility. All integrated hard drives are pre-tested for reliability and performance within the StorCase enclosure. "The convenience of purchasing a pre-integrated and fully tested storage enclosure, accompanied by very competitive pricing, is an option that many StorCase customers have been requesting," said Deborah Hartson, director of sales and marketing at StorCase. "It also ensures that our customers receive a reliable product while minimizing possible project delays." ...StorCase profile, JBODs, RAID systems, Hard drives, SCSI cards, Storage Services New Memory Manufacturing Plant in China Geneva and Seoul - November 16, 2004 - STMicroelectronics and Hynix Semiconductor announced today the signing of a joint-venture agreement to build a front-end memory-manufacturing facility in Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, China. Dedicated to DRAM and NAND Flash production, the new fab will be especially beneficial for Hynix's DRAM production growth and for ST to build up its NAND Flash capacity. The joint venture is also a logical extension of the successful product development and manufacturing relationship between the companies. Selected for its convenience and proximity to Shanghai, Wuxi City offers a skilled labor pool and a robust infrastructure. Construction of the leading-edge fab, with a clean-room space of more than 18,000 square meters, is slated to begin early in 2005. When complete, the fab will employ approximately 1,500 people and will initially feature two manufacturing lines offering state-of-the-art technology: an 8-in. wafer line is scheduled to begin volume production in 2006 while a 12-in. wafer line will begin volume production in 2007. Each line will produce, at capacity, 20,000 wafers per month. This new fab will supplement the leading-edge capabilities of both companies while providing both with highly cost-competitive manufacturing capacity and better access to the rapidly growing Chinese market. The Chinese market is currently 14% of the worldwide semiconductor market and is expected to achieve a compound annual growth rate of more than 20% between 2003 and 2008; already, China accounts for approximately $1.5 billion of ST's sales. ...Hynix profile, ...STMicroelectronics profile, RAM manufacturers Conduant Partners with Mountain Optech LONGMONT, Colorado - November 16, 2004 - Conduant Corporation today announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with Mountain Optech, Inc. Through the partnership, both companies will combine their technology strengths to pursue market opportunities with U.S. government, military and contract organizations. "By joining forces with Mountain Optech, we are offering our customers the highest performance, error-free recording and playback technology with the best in "rugged" storage systems," said Ken Owens, CEO of Conduant. "Conduant, together with Mountain Optech, has raised the bar for the new standard in rugged disk recorders offering performance, reliability and extremely competitive pricing as compared to solid state alternatives. Whether it's high above the earth or in the depths of an ocean, our StreamStor and Big River data recorders perform reliably at the highest data rates available in the industry today." Military Storage, Test systems Seagate Shipping 400GB SATA Drives SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. - November 16, 2004 - Seagate Technology today announced it is shipping its 400GB Barracuda 7200.8 hard drive to retail stores, resellers and system builders worldwide. The Barracuda 7200.8 has a single-chip native Serial ATA (SATA) interface with native command queuing for a significant performance boost. NCQ provides a new advantage in today's systems with Hyper-Threading Technology, which allows multiple applications to send I/O requests at the same time. NCQ boosts performance still more when applications take advantage of Asynchronous I/O. In addition, NCQ increases drive reliability in heavy workloads by eliminating much of the mechanical wear and tear that a non-NCQ drive must endure to transfer the same amount of data. ...Seagate profile, hard disk drives, SATA Atempo Becomes Sun iForce Partner PALO ALTO, Calif. - November 16, 2004 - Atempo, Inc. today announced that it has joined Sun Microsystems' iForce Partner Program. Sun's iForce Program brings together Sun and its best of breed partners worldwide to deliver proven solutions that reduce cost and time to market. ...Atempo profile, Sun VARs - USA I-TECH's New 4Gbps Fibre Channel Tester Eden Prairie, MN - November 16, 2004 - I-TECH introduced today the IFC-5 Fibre Channel Tester. The IFC-5 generates Fibre Channel traffic at 1G, 2G, and 4G rates and is capable of low-level testing at the frame and primitive level. A powerful SDK is provided with the IFC-5 for automating the testing process. A suite of prebuilt tests as well as the source code and an extensive function library are included for performing basic and advanced testing. Tests can be created for sending Fibre Channel frames and loop primitives to the device, manipulating buffers, and issuing FCP commands. The SDK, combined with the EAGLE software menu, an intuitive interactive menu providing a shortcut for issuing functions, macros, and commands, makes the IFC-5 a versatile testing solution. Tests created on earlier I-TECH Fibre Channel testers can be easily ported to the IFC-5. The IFC-5 is available in three configurations: development, interactive, and manufacturing test configurations. ...I-TECH profile, Fibre-channel adapters, GBICs, SFPs and XFPs Kingston Detects Infant RAM Failures Fountain Valley, CA - November 15, 2004 - Kingston Technology Company, Inc. today announced a technology advancement with the development of the KT2400 tester: a patent-pending, proprietary testing platform designed to detect early-life failure in server memory modules, taking quality assurance for server memory to a new level of excellence. Memory plays a critical role in server performance and if a server goes down it can cost a company millions. The most common type of memory failure is early-life failure (ELF) which happens when a module's electronic components cease to function during the first three months of normal operation. Failures outside the ELF window are rare. In their relentless pursuit for memory quality, Kingston engineers devised a burn-in testing process that simulates the ELF period, thus screening out unreliable modules before they leave the facility. Using specially designed testing boards called Advanced Pattern Testing Controllers each KT2400 tester can test up to 500 modules simultaneously. During the testing process server modules are subjected to high-heat, high-stress and high-voltage environments and all memory cells are continuously exercised, in effect simulating aging the modules by at least three months. Once Kingston engineers developed the KT2400 testing platform, the testers were placed in a six-month trial testing 100% of Kingston's server memory. Data was compiled and closely analyzed. Using the KT2400 tester reduced ELF failures by 90%, far exceeding expectations - representing significant improvement to a product line already considered at the top of its class. "The KT2400 Burn-In testers represent a significant leap in achieving the ultimate in server reliability: zero downtime," said Dr. Ramon Co, vice president, worldwide test engineering, Kingston. ...Kingston Technology profile, RAM, Test systems Freecom's Waterproof USB Flash Card Berkeley, CA - November 15, 2004 - Freecom Technologies announced today the second generation of its popular USB Credit Card Sized mobile storage device the USBCard Pro. Due to the success of the first generation of this card to the corporate, promotional and general marketplace, Freecom is now launching a new enhanced version of the card. The USBCard PRO, which fits snugly into the credit card compartment of any wallet, stands above the crowded USB drive marketplace with its timeless and particularly robust design. Waterproof down to 20 meters, and featuring completely scratch-proof magnesium housing - integrating a clever mobile "click"-fitting USB connection - is an essential addition to anyone's digital arsenal. Recent research reports indicate that the worldwide market for USB flash drives is rapidly increasing and will reach $4.5 billion in 2006. The small card is shipping now and offers a host of internal features such as a variety of memory capacities of 256 MB, 512 MB und 1 GB. It also arrives with a comprehensive, pre-installed software package to meet even the toughest data storage demands including: password protection, which makes the data inaccessible if the card is lost, convenient, worldwide e-mail access (via Outlook Pop3) on any computer with a USB interface, and Auto Run for Windows are just some of the features provided. With an average data transfer rate of 15 MB/s (reading) and 11 MB/s (writing), the USB card is also a tough competitor when it comes to speed. The USBCard PRO operates with MS Windows, Mac OS 9.1/10.x and Linux 2.4. platforms. MSRP is $149.99 for the 256 MB-version). ...Freecom profile, Flash Memory, USB storage MTI Reports 54% Revenue Growth TUSTIN, Calif. - November 15, 2004 - MTI Technology Corporation today announced financial results for its fiscal 2005 second quarter ended October 2, 2004. For the second quarter of fiscal 2005, the Company reported total revenues of $31.5 million, an increase of 54% compared to $20.5 million in the same quarter of the prior year, and an increase of 21% compared to $26.0 million in the prior quarter. Product revenue for the second quarter 2005 was $22.3 million, an increase of 99% compared to $11.2 million in the same quarter of the prior year, and an increase of 30% compared to $17.2 million in the prior quarter. Service revenues for the second quarter 2005 were $9.2 million compared to $9.3 million in the same quarter of the prior year, and compared to $8.8 million in the prior quarter. ...MTI Technology profile SimpleShare NAS from $399 SANTA ANA, Calif. - November 15, 2004 - SimpleTech, Inc. today announced SimpleShare, an easy-to-use, affordable NAS device which provides central storage and network file sharing over a LAN for small office/home office (SOHO) users for less than $500. Ideal for small offices and home offices, SimpleShare allows multiple users to instantly store and access large amounts of data, such as business documents, digital photos, video and MP3 collections from any system on the local network. SimpleShare's innovative auto-discovery feature provides quick, plug-and-play installation. SimpleShare is easy to set up and requires no device drivers or network experience to install or use. Users can utilize any web browser to access files and folders. SimpleShare includes two USB 2.0 ports, providing the option for further storage expansion and back-up by allowing additional external hard drives to be added. This feature provides users the ability to scale to capacities greater than one terabyte. SimpleShare provides advanced printer sharing functionality with its built-in print server, offering the performance of an expensive file and print server at a fraction of the cost. Scheduled to ship in January 2005, SimpleShare is available in capacities of 160GB and 250GB with a manufacturers suggested price of $399 and $499. ...SimpleTech profile PMC-Sierra Demos SAS Interoperability SANTA CLARA, Calif. - November 15, 2004 - PMC-Sierra, Inc. today announced successful system interoperability between its maxSAS product family and multiple SAS server, storage enclosure and controller vendors at the recent SAS Plugfest, held at the University of New Hampshire. At the SAS Plugfest, the PMC-Sierra maxSAS expander devices operated successfully in several large system topologies with multiple controllers and cascaded storage enclosures. "PMC-Sierra's maxSAS product family of SAS expanders and multiplexers provides the industry with a broad selection of semiconductor solutions to enable next-generation SAS systems," said Javier Izquierdo, director of Server Storage at Hewlett-Packard. "Working with interoperability forums like the SAS Plugfest will help ensure that OEMs have a complete ecosystem of SAS solutions available." "Adaptec has validated its SAS controllers for compatibility with PMC-Sierra's maxSAS expander product family," said Paul Vogt, director of Internal Storage Business Line at Adaptec. "As one of the leading vendors developing SAS products, Adaptec is committed to offering its customers interoperability as they look to deploy SAS-based storage solutions." ...PMC-Sierra profile, Serial Attached SCSI ONStor Enhances Virtual NAS Intelligence LOS GATOS, CA. - November 15, 2004 - ONStor, Inc. announced the expansion of intelligent features included on the SF4400 family of scalable NAS solutions, to deliver an enhanced virtual server feature set for businesses seeking to deploy highly scalable and simple-to-manage NAS infrastructures. Building on its datacenter-proven virtualization architecture, ONStor has expanded the functionality of embedded intelligence included on each SF4400 solution, specifically enhancing the product's EverON software platform and AutoGrow virtualization feature, a key element of the onboard storage virtualization suite. With the new upgrades, administrators can easily create powerful storage solutions that deliver connectivity, performance, and scalability benefits that are unmatched by the competition. ...ONStor profile | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| storage history | STORAGEsearch | SPARC Product Directory | ACSL - the publisher |
