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DataDirect's
Storage in World's Fastest Computer
Los
Angeles, CA - October 14, 2004 - DataDirect Networks has delivered a
storage networking system to the Department of Energy's Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, enabling the U.S. national lab to build the next-generation
scientific simulation environment for its BlueGene/L massively-parallel
computer.
The BlueGene/L massively-parallel computer has already
supplanted Japan's Earth Simulator machine, the world's former fastest computer,
and has brought the lead in world class computing back to the United States.
BlueGene/L, when fully assembled at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, will
scale to 360 teraFLOP/s peak: nine times larger than the Earth Simulator. More
importantly, the Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration
laboratories will use BlueGene/L for solving a wide range of scientific problems
of interest to the Stockpile Stewardship Program, including: molecular modeling;
quantum molecular dynamics; the dynamics of turbulent fluid flow and material
modeling.
Once BlueGene/L is fully assembled, DataDirect will be delivering a
sustained parallel I/O aggregate Write bandwidth of 112.5 GigaBytes/s to
Livermore's scientific applications!
...DataDirect
Networks profile
Brocade Rated Top Value SAN Switch Vendor
SAN
JOSE, Calif - October 14, 2004 - Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
today announced that TheInfoPro has ranked the company as the top SAN
switch vendor in value and the highest ranked SAN switch vendor in a "Fulfillment
Index," which combines various important product, support and delivery
aspects of SAN infrastructure.
The study, conducted during the
third quarter of 2004, also found that Brocade was the company most often
described by respondents as a strategic supplier of SAN Switch and Director
platforms.
"This was Wave 4 of a multi-year study designed to secure
working intelligence of the investment considerations and in-field thinking of
corporate storage professionals," said Ken Male, CEO and founder of
TheInfoPro. "For this wave, we conducted 152 hour-long interviews at
Fortune 1000 organizations, capturing vendor ratings, budgets and spending data,
along with technology adoption or avoidance related to more than 40 different
types of storage functionality."
The study, which collects, analyses and compares opinions and
intentions of storage professionals at six-month intervals, gives Brocade the
highest rating among switch vendors in value and ease of doing business. The
company also was ranked as excellent in product quality, technical support,
delivery as promised, and overall reputation. In the Fulfillment Index, which is
a composite of value for the money, product quality, delivery as promised, and
technical support, Brocade received the top rating among switch vendors.
...Brocade profile,
Fibre-channel adapters
Swissbit Launches Low Cost bit4flash
Bronschhofen,
Switzerland - October 13, 2004 - Swissbit today launched a family of
low cost USB flash memory products under the trade name bit4flash. |
Weighing only 12 grams and
with dimensions of 77 x 22 x 14 mm the SLIM bit4flash features a USB 2.0
Hi-Speed Controller which reaches up to 7 MB/sec.
No driver is
required for Windows 2000 onwards, MacOS 9.0 and Linux Kernel 2.4.0. Warranty
is 2 years. MSRP is 14 Euro for the 64 MB version and 20 Euro for the 128 MB
version.
...Swissbit profile,
Flash,
USB storage |
 |
|
Atempo OEMs
DCT's DC-Protect
Storage Expo,
London - October 13, 2004 - Datacenter Technologies, Inc. and Atempo
Inc today announced that they have entered into a global OEM relationship.
Atempo will license modules from DCT's DC-Protect software. Atempo PC Protect
will provide unique content-based technology to enable simultaneous backup of
large numbers of desktops and notebooks with minimal network bandwidth and
back-end storage. The product will be available for Windows and Linux operating
systems, providing a low bandwidth protection and long-term storage system for
user data. The core technology licensed by DCT to Atempo is currently used by a
major European telecommunication provider to archive and protect data generated
by its 5.2 million customers....Atempo profile,
...DataCenter Technologies
profile
RIO Xtreme Whizzes at 1,600MB/sec
CARLSBAD,
Calif. - October 13, 2004 - Dot Hill today announced that it has
released its RIO Xtreme storage solutions, which are optimized for very high
sequential bandwidth applications such as streaming audio/video, data
acquisition and high performance computing.
Built with
enterprise-class fault tolerance, RIO Xtreme storage solutions deliver high
availability with redundant, hot-swappable components. The RIO Xtreme storage
solution comprises a very high-performance 1U RAID control head and a 2GB Fibre
Channel 2U JBOD enclosure that expands to 28TB by adding additional 2U
enclosures and drives. Performance has been tested at over 1,600 megabytes
per second from cache. In real-life applications from disk, RIO Xtreme's
performance exceeds 790 MB/sec of sustained throughput.
...Dot Hill Systems
profile
AMCC Continues SATA RAID Leadership
Storage Expo, London -
October 13, 2004 - AMCC has announced the availability of StorSave for
its line of SATA RAID controllers.
The AMCC StorSave Platform
combines firmware and a Battery Backup Unit that maximizes data protection
without sacrificing performance. The AMCC StorSave Platform supplies power to
the cache memory module in the event of a system power loss and includes
exclusive features that utilize a write journaling technique. AMCC is the first
company to deliver this ability for SATA RAID. When fully charged, the battery
preserves the contents of the controller cache memory for up to 72 hours. When
power is restored, cached data is then written to the disk array providing
uninterrupted data storage.
Traditionally in RAID 5 environments without BBU, manufacturers
recommend setting controller cache to "write-through" and disabling "disk
cache." This practice mitigates system and drive resets and/or power
failures that may put the data in disk cache and controller cache at risk.
However, with "cache off," system performance suffers during standard
I/O operations. Disk "cache off" also contributes to lower system
performance during RAID 5 degraded mode operations and rebuilds. StorSave
enhances performance by enabling "disk cache" to remain on during all
RAID operations and also maintains the controller cache setting to "write-back."
...AMCC profile,
Events,
Serial ATA (SATA),
RAID controller HBAs
Iomega Announces Disk-to-Disk Autoloader
SAN
DIEGO, - October 12, 2004 - Iomega Corporation today announced the
Iomega REV Autoloader 1000 a disk-to-disk backup system designed to replace
SCSI-based tape autoloaders in small- and medium-sized business networks.
The new Iomega REV Autoloader 1000, expected to begin shipping during
the fourth quarter, debuts this week at Storage
Expo in London where it will be displayed at the Iomega booth and the
booth of Computer Associates. The Iomega REV Autoloader 1000 debuts in the U.S.
at Storage Networking World
in Orlando, Oct. 25-28.
The Iomega REV Autoloader 1000 is a 2U
single-drive desktop device featuring 10-slots for a native capacity of 350GB
(700GB with 2:1 software compression), all managed with the bundled
enterprise-strength BrightStor ARCserve Backup Standard Edition r11.1 plus
Disaster Recovery Option software from CA. It can transfer data at rates of up
to 25MB/sec, outperforming more expensive tape alternatives like DDS-4, DAT-72,
VXA, AIT-1, and DLT VS80. MSRP is $2,199. ...Iomega profile,
SCSI cards,
Tape drives
Nexsan Claims World's Fastest SATA Storage
WOODLAND HILLS,
Calif. - October 12, 2004 - Nexsan Technologies announced the release
of its SATAblade storage system based on 10,000 RPM SATA drives in 1U modules.
Nexsan is offering a bundled SATAblade solution consisting of three
SATAblades with 24 high-capacity drives to deliver 9.6 terabytes in a 3U
footprint. This SATAblade configuration delivers sustained throughput speeds of
1,048 MB/sec and 125,000 IOPS, making the Nexsan product the world's fastest
Serial ATA solution.
According to Steve Duplessie, Founder and Senior Analyst, Enterprise
Strategy Group, "SATA has proven beyond a shadow of doubt to be mainstream
IT-ready, and now it's even fast! Any objections people have to this technology
are being dismissed one after another, and with performance a non-issue, there
just aren't any reasons not to jump on this bandwagon. Nexsan has always made
cool, big stuff, but now it's fast to boot. These guys are shaking up the
industry."
...Nexsan profile,
Disk to disk backup,
Serial ATA (SATA),
Record Breaking
Storage
Breece Hill Packs 15TB D2D2T into 4U
Louisville, Colorado -
October 12, 2004 - Breece Hill is answering its customers' data
protection and ILM needs with the latest edition to its iStoRA D2D2T family of
data management appliances.
By leveraging the latest functionality
of SATA disk, and SAIT tape with the powerful and intuitive Integrity data
management engine, the iStoRA 4000 provides end users with enterprise
functionality at an affordable price point. The iStoRA 4000 integrates a 2.4 TB
SATA disk array and a tape autoloader with a choice of tape formats yielding
capacities up to 15 TB in a 4U rack mountable, combined-media data protection
system.
"At Breece Hill we recognize that every organization can benefit
from the sophisticated data protection and storage management capabilities found
in high-end products that utilize disk and tape, which in the past, only the
largest companies could afford," said Breece Hill¹s Director of
Business Development Christopher Stone. "The iStoRA 4000 delivers these
high-level features with disk-to-disk-to-tape storage capabilities in an
integrated, easy to manage, turn-key appliance that is affordable to small and
medium sized organizations as well as departments and remote offices of
enterprise companies."
...Breece Hill profile,
Tape Libraries,
Rackmount Storage
NSI Improves Data Protection for Exchange
Hoboken,
N.J. - October 12, 2004 - NSI Software, Inc. today announced an
improved set of capabilities for advanced protection of Microsoft Exchange.
The new version of Double-Take 4.4 provides fully automatic failover
and failback of Exchange mailboxes and services so users experience minimal
disruption during a failure of an Exchange server.
Microsoft Exchange has become a critical business application for
thousands of businesses, but due to its dispersed and complex nature, protecting
Exchange data and maintaining high availability of its services has often been
difficult. NSI Software makes it easy for businesses, with the broadest set of
Exchange data protection solutions. NSI solutions range from basic off-site
replication, to fully automated failover and failback of multiple Exchange
servers, to the creation of geographically dispersed Exchange clusters with its
GeoCluster solution for Microsoft Cluster Service enabled environments.
Double-Take 4.4 works fast. It can transfer as many as 7,000 user mailboxes to
a secondary Exchange server in as little as five minutes.
Double-Take 4.4 is more tightly integrated with Microsoft Active
Directory, and its Exchange capabilities follow the Microsoft-preferred method
for failover of mailboxes and services through Active Directory. To ensure this
seamless coupling of Double-Take with Exchange, NSI worked closely with
Microsoft engineers in a testing laboratory to verify integration and
performance of the two products together....NSI profile,
Backup Software
Sony's DVDirect Burns from VHS Tape
SAN
JOSE, Calif. - October 12, 2004 - Sony is unlocking new levels of home
video enjoyment with the world's first DVD burner capable of stand-alone,
real-time DVD recording, as well as computer-attached burning.
Sony's new DVDirect can connect directly to a camcorder or VCR for transferring
tape-based video footage to DVD for playback on most home DVD players and PC
DVD-ROM drives. Unlike computer-attached burners currently on the market that
require a separate capture card and a computer to perform the same functions,
Sony's DVDirect burner features built-in real-time video capturing and hardware
MPEG-2 encoding to quickly deliver high-quality DVDs.
"Users can
simply connect their camcorder to the recorder, hit the record button, and out
comes a DVD disc that they can pop into their home DVD player. Meanwhile,
computer-savvy users can attach the DVDirect device to a PC to perform all of
the common tasks characteristic of computer-attached burners."
When attached to a PC with a USB 2.0 connection, the DVDirect burner
also supports dual-format, double-layer burning. With 16X maximum recording
speeds for DVD+R, users can burn a full write-once disc in about six minutes.
Sony's DVDirect device comes bundled with video authoring software and DVD/CD
burning software. The DVDirect burner is expected to ship in November for an
estimated selling price of around $300.
...Sony profile,
USB storage,
DVD drives
IBM's DS6000 Targets EMC's "Fridges"
NEW
YORK - October 12, 2004 - today, IBM introduced data storage systems
that bridge the gap between once incompatible high-end and midrange storage
classes.
Combining high-end function with the ease-of-use
characteristics of a PC, the new IBM systems include a massively scalable
storage system and a compatible ultra-dense storage system that provide
capabilities found in
EMC systems that can be up
to 20 times larger and twice as expensive. Packing a multitude of enterprise
storage features into a tiny form factor, the DS6000 series can achieve nearly
twice the scalability of a refrigerator size EMC DMX800.
Starting at
just 580GB and scaling up to 67.2 terabytes, the new IBM TotalStorage DS6000
series helps complete IBM's continuum of enterprise storage products by
providing many technologies previously only available in high-end systems and
making those capabilities available in a very small form factor. The storage
server changes the game and sets a new standard in the industry to help clients
more easily manage information over its lifecycle. The DS6000 series can connect
to zSeries, iSeries, UNIX, Linux and Intel environments.
IBM's new
storage offerings with enterprise class functions reset the bar with minimum
configurations starting at half a terabyte and list prices starting as low as
$97,000. The DS6000 series and the DS8000 series come standard with a four-year
warranty on hardware and software. Systems will be available beginning on
December 3. ...IBM profile,
SAN
Low Cost IDE RAID Fits in 3.5" Bay
DES MOINES,
Iowa - October 12, 2004 - Accordance Systems today announced the
availability of the Accordance M100, a low cost EIDE RAID controller supporting
2.5" laptop drives.
Perfect for data back-up and automatic
disk copying, the M100 plugs into a standard PC storage bay and uses two 2-1/2"
disk drives instead of a single 3-1/2" hard disk. The unit requires no
additional software or hardware to run and works with any operating system
including Windows, Linux and Macintosh. |
| The RAID controller maintains
two identical copies of data on each drive to provide an immediate back up in
the event that one of the hard drives fails. The M100 can automatically copy
data when a failed drive is replaced, allowing the user to work while, in the
background, data is being transferred to the new disk. Its hot swap capability
assures zero down time to replace and duplicate hard drives. In addition, the
M100 allows 2.5" disks to be copied on demand, enabling further data
security when combined with off site physical disk rotation. The M100 is also
perfect for copying of laptop drives for data security and investigative digital
forensics. |
 |
"The M100 is
the simplest and most affordable way to add RAID storage backup technology to
any personal computer or system," says Steve Johnson, president and CEO of
Accordance Systems. "Remove your standard single drive unit and replace it
with the M100 and now you have two drives keeping two identical images
guaranteeing your data."
The device fits into a single 1U bay in a
space the size of a CD-ROM drive. Drives are installed in separate locking
front-loading trays of the M100 that can be removed for off site data security
or virus protection. List price for the Accordance M100 is $399.
...Accordance
profile
EMC Acquires Dantz
Hopkinton,
Mass. - October 12, 2004 -
EMC Corporation today announced the acquisition of Dantz
Development Corporation.
The addition of Dantz will help EMC
further extend its reach and offer customers products that span the entire
backup and recovery market, including the fast-growing SMB segment.
Dave DeWalt, Executive Vice President, EMC Software Group, said, "Dantz
is a strategic acquisition in line with EMC's strategy to extend our reach and
focus on the fast-growing SMB market of next-generation high-growth customers.
While the majority of EMC's offerings to date have been targeted at the
enterprise and commercial markets, Dantz represents EMC's first major SMB
software entry with purpose-built products targeted specifically to the needs of
SMB customers."
...Dantz profile,
...EMC profile,
Acquired, dead &
merged companies
Sun Microsystems to Resell Solid State Disks
London, UK - October
11, 2004 - Texas Memory Systems today announced a relationship that
allows Sun Microsystems UK to sell the TMS' RamSan solid state disk.
Texas Memory Systems' RamSan solid state storage products, paired with Sun's
servers, can accelerate enterprise applications like databases and data
warehouses up to 2,500%. Typical RamSan users include corporations in the
financial, telecom, and e-commerce sectors as well as government, military, and
research organizations.
...Texas Memory
Systems profile, Solid
state disks
Editor's comments:- I predicted that Sun would start
selling SSDs as a special supported solution in my August 2003 article
could SSDs become a $10
billion market?
Adaptec's Snap Enterprise Data Replicator
MILPITAS,
Calif. - October 11, 2004 - Adaptec, Inc's storage systems division,
Snap Appliance, today announced the availability of Snap Enterprise Data
Replicator, a high-performance, network-optimized data replication and
management software suite that allows customers to easily and cost-effectively
move, protect and report on their data throughout a distributed enterprise.
Snap EDR allows the
replication of data
across heterogeneous platforms - Snap Servers, UNIX, Windows and Linux -
maintaining all platform-specific security settings and preferences and
virtually eliminating vendor lock-in. Snap EDR will be available on October
25th. The Snap EDR software suite also offers additional capabilities including
remote office backup and recovery, data asset management and reporting which
will be available later this year. Snap EDR pricing starts at $2,699 per server
and includes one year of software maintenance support.
...Adaptec profile
NexFlash Ships Densest Serial Flash
SAN
JOSE, Calif. - October 11, 2004 - NexFlash Technologies, Inc. today
announced availability of the newest members of its spiFlash line of Serial
Flash memories.
The NexFlash spiFlash NX25P16 16Mb and 8Mb
NX25P80 devices feature the popular Serial Peripheral Interface, the industry's
fastest clock speed of 50MHz, and an efficient new Parameter Page feature that
can eliminate the need for a separate Serial EEPROM. With the addition of the
NX25P16 to the spiFlash line, NexFlash now offers the highest-density Serial
Flash memory devices to be housed in an 8-pin SOIC package (less than one-half
the space of other 16Mb SOIC packages). ...NexFlash profile,
Flash Memory
Finisar & Infineon Adjust Acquisition Value
Munich/Germany
and Sunnyvale, Calif./USA - October 11, 2004 - Infineon Technologies AG
and Finisar Corporation announced today that they have agreed to modify
the terms of a previously announced acquisition agreement.
The
terms were modified in part due to the operating results for this business unit
during the past six months. The companies have already received the required
antitrust clearances in the U.S. and Europe. The acquisition involves the
transfer of Infineon's fiber optic development, manufacturing, and certain
marketing activities and approximately 1,200 employees. ...Finisar profile,
...Infineon profile
This Week's Storage Events
Editor:- October 11, 2004 -
there are 3 main storage events this week.
At StorageTek's
FORUM 2004 in San Antonio, Texas on Monday and Tuesday - more than 1,000
StorageTek customers, partners, news media and analysts will have access to more
than 40 technology track sessions led by customers, partners and technology
experts.
The International Symposium on Optical Memory taking
place Monday to Friday on Jeju Island, Korea. On Wednesday and Thursday Storage
Expo takes place in London, UK. It's the 4th year of this free to attend UK
event. ...Storage
Events
Dantz Tips for Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act
WALNUT CREEK, CA -
October 8, 2004 - Recent industry alerts underscore the need for companies of
all sizes, including small and midsize businesses to actively protect customer
data in accordance with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, report executives
from Dantz Development Corp.
The act, which aims to
protect private information, affects not just large enterprises but any business
that may collect personal or financial information, for example, a retailer who
accepts credit cards or a service business that maintains a record of customer
names, addresses, and account numbers. Other forms of private information
include credit applications, credit reports, fund transfers for automatic
payments, social security numbers, and legal matters such as bankruptcies, court
summons, or divorces. Dantz offers the following tips for small and midsized
businesses ready to undertake a data protection plan.
Back up often Daily is usually best, depending on how heavily
computers are used; Murphy's Law generally dictates that disaster will strike
just when the most recent backup is days old.
Back up more than just documents Backing up documents is
essential, but it's just a starting point. Restoring data can be complex and
time-consuming unless all installed software and updates, plus operating system
and application settings, are also captured.
Protect all computers Backing up servers is only half the
battle. Approximately 40-70% of critical data is located on desktop and notebook
computers, and users rarely know where these important files reside, or they
forget – or don't bother – to copy them to the server.
Encrypt data Any sensitive information will be doubly
protected if backups are done according to the Data Encryption Standard (DES),
an advanced form of data encryption that achieves bank-level security. An
additional level of protection is provided by instituting password protection
for restore processes.
Forget incremental or differential backups These techniques
result in flawed restores that return files and folders that were previously
deleted, renamed, or moved. Flawed restores jeopardize business operations by
returning obsolete information to the system.
Make multiple copies for disaster recovery Guard against a
catastrophic loss of your computers and onsite backup media by storing at least
one set of backup media offsite. This can be one or more portable hard drives or
removable media, as long as the off-site copy is kept up to date.
Don't procrastinate Far too many organizations wait until
disaster strikes before implementing a data protection strategy.
...Dantz profile
Editor's
comments:- the above handy tips were published just 4 days before Dantz got
acquired by EMC. I'm sure that many owners of storage software companies would
also like a handy set of tips for how to get acquired by EMC or Sun or Veritas
etc.
Seeking Sponsors for iSCSI Market Survey
Editor:- October 8, 2004 -
ACSL, publisher of STORAGEsearch, has started talking to
vendors about running a major iSCSI Buyer Market Survey in Q1 2005.
The small size of this market in 2003/4 has disappointed many
vendors and confounded many analysts' optimistic predictions. Some specific
technical and marketing problems in the iSCSI market were cited in
an article we published
June 2004.
The iSCSI survey will look buyers' perceptions, inhibitors
and disinhibitors, brand awareness, needs, applications, budgets and other
issues. Vendors interested in sponsoring the survey, helping compose questions
or just advertising should contact the publisher by email. ...ACSL profile,
...iSCSI,
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