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RAID Levels Outlive Their Usefulness
RAID storage basics guide for beginners
Which RAID Manufacturers will Survive?
New Market for RAID - Flash SSD Arrays
RAID - editor mentions on StorageSearch.com
Market Trends in the Rackmount SSD Market
10 Ten Tips for a Successful RAID Implementation
RAID - what it is, why we need it and how it works (pdf)
Using Solid State Disks to Boost Legacy RAID Performance
NAS, DAS or SAN? - Choosing the Right Storage Technology
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Megabyte found that tying lots of barrels
together to cross the data stream worked
well. And if one of them got punctured,
the raft didn't sink.
raid ad
RAID is an acronym for

Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks.
In the mid 1980's when this term first entered public awareness, you could buy 2 types of disk drives, either low cost drives such as used in the average PC, or high speed high performance mainframe drives as used by Quantel in its digital video effects systems.

The huge market for PC disks soon became the leading edge technology drivers for disk storage and overtook the larger minicomputer and mainframe form factor disks in speed, reliability and capacity.

By the late 1990s RAID systems using PC form factor disks had become the most common form of bulk storage in enterprise servers and even some (Unix) mainframes.

Today the original RAID concept remains valid even though hard disks have changed form factors many times in the past 20 years (8", 5.25", 3.5", 2.5", 1.8" and below 1") and the concept may be useful in the near future when the "disks" in the array could actually be flash solid state disks and not traditional hard disks.

You can create a virtual disk array which looks electronically just like a bigger ordinary disk, by attaching a bunch of disks working in parallel and connected to a RAID controller interface.

The combined system can be programmed to provide desirable characteristics such as faster data throughput (for example a 4 disk wide system could have a data throughput capability 4 times faster than a single disk).

RAID can also provide fault tolerance, because redundant disks can be added into the array and the data split up in such a way with redundant error bits that there is no loss of data if any single disk fails (or if 2 disks fail in some RAID configurations) - provided the dead disk(s) is replaced and the data rebuilt before the next failure occurs.

RAID doesn't always result in an application speedup. It can slow down the access time in some types of application in which the data sets are small and randomly located - because the latency of the RAID controller is additional to the disk's own access time. ...from Megabyte's Storage Dictionary
.
Nibbles Re: RAID History
IBM received the first patent for a disk array subsystem in 1978, and co-sponsored the research by the University of California at Berkeley that led to the initial definition of RAID levels in 1987.

IBM launched the first modern style RAID systems in 1990


It wasn't until the late 1990's that RAID technology became a "must-have" building block in commercial Unix servers.

In the future RAID technology will be already integrated in most home PC's and entertainment systems, because home users don't do backups, but they will have large digital entertainment libraries which won't fit neatly onto a single disk.
.

RAID systems OEMs

3PARdata

A-DATA

Accordance

AC&NC

Accusys

Adaptec

Addonics Technologies

Adtron

Advanced Media Services

AMCC

ANACAPA

AnexTEK

Apple

Archion

Arco Computer Products

Arena MaxTronic

ARIO Data Networks

Aristos Logic

Atrato

ATTO Technology

Axstor

Bridge Technology

ATTO Technology

Broadcom

Caen Engineering

Cambex

Cepoint Networks

Chaparral Network Storage

Ciprico

Concurrent Computer

Condre Storage

Coraid

Corporate Systems Center

Data Direct Networks

Data Domain

Dataman Benelux

Data Protection Solutions

Data Storage Depot

.Dell Computer

Digi-Data

Dot Hill

DSG Storage

DTS

Dynamic Network Factory

EMC

Enhance Technology

European Storage Concept

ExaDrive Networks

Exanet

Excel/Meridian Data

Fantom Drives

Fastora

Fibrenetix

FirewireDirect

Gateway

Globalstor Data

G-Technology

HighPoint Technologies

Hitachi Data Systems

HP

Huge Systems

IBM

I-Bus

Idealstor

Infortrend

Infrant Technologies

Ingrasys Technology

InoStor

Integrix

Intel

iQstor Networks

JMR Electronics

JW Electronics

Kano Technologies

LaCie

LAND-5

Maximum Throughput

MicroNet Technology

MTI Technology

MPC Computers

NEC

NetCom USA

Network Appliance

Network Engines

Nexsan Technologies

Norco Technologies

nStor

N-TEC

Overland Storage

Phoenix International

Pivot3

Plasmon

PrimeArray Systems

Proavio

Promicro Systems

Promise Technology

Proware Technology

QNAP Systems

QSAN Technology

QStar

Quartet Network Storage

RAID

RAIDION Systems

RARE Systems

Rave Computer Association

Robust Digital Solutions

Rorke Data

Sans Digital

SEEK Systems

SGI

Silicon Image

Sonnet Technologies

Storage Computer

Storage Engine

Storageflex

StorageTek

StorCase Technology

Sun Microsystems

Systex

TAC Systems

Tandberg Data

TD Systems

Technology Advancement Group

TechnoMages

Transtec

Trimm Technologies

Triple Stor

Unisys

Voyager

Xtore

Westek Technology

Western Scientific

Winchester Systems

Xtore

Xiotech

Xyratex

Zzyzx

.

Nibble:- RAID and Me

I
first came across the concept of RAID in 1986 when I joined a company called Databasix as their hardware engineering manager.

Databasix, based in Newbury in the UK, was founded by John Golding from the nucleus of an earlier company he had been in called Microconsultants.

Microconsultants had spawned rich sister company Quantel. Peter Michael, who had been the business and technical brains in both these earlier companies, gave Databasix a very generous start in life from what I could see by the pool of talented people and money which had mostly been already spent when I joined the 70 people or so in the new "start-up".

Among the many things on my to-do list was to build a working RAID controller and RAID array demonstration system.

"I don't know much about hard drives" - I said. I could afford to be honest - because these guys had already seen the worst when they first met me. My VC backed networked data acquisition company was going bust and they had been a potential buyer.

"There's not much too it." My boss said. "Just read the manuals that come with the disk drives. We want to see if RAID will give us fast real-time disks at a cost that's significantly less than the video disks from Japan used by our sister company Quantel."

"OK" I said. "I don't know much about RAID either."

"Nobody does. Here's a bunch of articles. They tell you all you need to know. We'd like the demonstration ready in 3 weeks."

"That sounds like a very short time to me."

"We've already ordered the disks to save time. You order whatever chips you need, and use some of the software guys to help on this."

From memory, I think I got the demo deadline pushed out to about 4 to 5 weeks.

We also had an Artificial Intelligence demo being worked on at the same time by about 50 software engineers, and a parallel computing demo, but the RAID functionality was the "must have" thing which could not be easily dropped from the sales plan.

We did build a working 4 drive RAID system. One of our biggest problems had been the high rate of Dead On Arrival disk drives. That caused a lot of problems which we initially blamed on the software. Hard drives were a lot more sensitive in those days and could be killed just by putting them down on your desk.

But by then I knew a lot more about disks and realised that the Inexpensive Disks we used in our demonstrator weren't anywhere near as fast as they could have been, because they were the wrong standard. Then, as now, there were many interface standards for disk drives. If you're going to build a fast system then you might as well use fast building blocks. Dataquest was telling me that we should probably be using SCSI instead.

As my imposed wish lists started to pile up and commercial reality started hitting my new employer, I decided that it would be a heck of lot easier to partner with a disk controller company which was already down this part of the curve, and later we became a beta site for dozens of manufacturers of processor cards, array processors, hardware interfaces, memory and disk drives as we tried to make a business out of selling the technology curve to military buyers almost before it was really there. That was great fun, but a different story.

It was about 10 years after that before RAID systems next appeared in my life - when RAID companies like DEC (acquired by Compaq and now part of HP) and Data General (acquired by EMC) started promoting their RAID systems to readers of my Sun foused SPARC Directory.

Nearly 12 years after my first acquaintance with RAID it became one of the first 4 product categories here on STORAGEsearch.com. And although the interface patterns have changed over the years, from DAS SCSI, then Fibre-channel SAN, then Ethernet NAS, and then iSCSI, the ideas inside the box have remained the same.

When you get to be an old guy like me, it's a lot easier if some of the new stuff which hits your brain, is actually a rehash of old stuff.


...more about Databasix.

I didn't want to interrupt the narrative flow above - but the core Directors at Databasix when I joined were:- John Golding, Andrew Bruce, Ray Potter and Dan Boxshall.

.....
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RAID news

Anticipating demise of RAID controller market...

LSI will Compete with Fusion-io


Editor:- January 26, 2010 - LSI and Seagate today announced they have collaborated on designing PCIe SSDs for the enterprise accelerator market which will sample in Q2 2010.

Editor's comments:- LSI approximately the 163rd company to enter the SSD market (not counting SSD SoC makers - which would push the score to about 185).

Partly LSI's move is due to a strong suction effect from the SSD market bubble - and partly an inevitable step given that the high end of the RAID controller market is going to disappear.

There's little point in spending money aggregating IOPS in an array of hard disks - if the result costs more, is slower and is less reliable to operate.

In Q4 2009 - PCIe was the #1 most popular form factor for SSD related searches. (Higher than than for 2.5" SSDs.) In the same quarter the single most popular company profile viewed by readers was PCIe SSD evangelist Fusion-io. Dozens of oems have already entered this market - thereby preparing the educational framework for user acceptance of this technology.


New edition - the Top 10 SSD Companies

Editor:- January 7, 2010 - StorageSearch.com today published the 11 quarterly edition of the top 10 SSD oems - ranked by search volume in the 4th quarter of 2009.

This is always one of the most popular articles on our site. I know that many SSD companies themselves are nervous and eager to see how they've fared in this important list which predicts future winners in the market based on the world's leading SSD focus group. I've tried to be more direct with my own analytical comments too - even if it means repeating some things I've already said in other places - because I know that most of you don't have the time to read hundreds of SSD articles. ...read the article


EMC Casts SSD Divining Rod into Hard Disk Arrays

Editor:- December 8, 2009 - EMC today published a report on its new fully automated storage tiering concept which the company says will simplify user operations needed to optimize storage allocation between hard drives and SSDs within the company's arrays.

The company says some of this functionality is now available on some models.

Editor's comments:- although better than nothing - adding a software manager retrospectively to storage arrays which were never designed for SSDs in the 1st place can never deliver as much performance as a true native ASAP SSD appliance (where some of the support is built into the hardware) - and nowhere near as much performance as the fastest SSDs (EMC has never been in this list) when optimized by human SSD hot shots.

In order to get the full benefits of the SSD acceleration paradigm EMC will need to dump its legacy storage array designs and start offering boxes which have been designed from the outset to support large amounts of PCIe SSD capacity. Without that - its systems will remain moderate performers at immoderate prices.

To put it another way - bolting SSD tiering onto controllers designed for hard drives is like trying to do air traffic control by having a traffic cop standing on the ground and waving his stick. You can make the stick a brighter color and give the pilot stronger glasses - but it's not going to give you the traffic movements you get from integrated avionics.


Error Correction in MLC Flash SSD RAID

Editor:- October 28, 2009 - ECC Technologies has published a new article which examines data reliability issues in RAID systems using MLC flash.

In his survey of RAID and error correction related to SSDs the author Phil White said he thinks that "MLC NAND Flash memories should implement nonbinary error-correcting codes such as a Reed-Solomon (RS) codes so that all of the bits from one cell are in one symbol. The communications industry has been doing that for decades, but the Flash industry has been implementing a scheme that forces the bits from one cell to be in separate records (pages) so that one cell failure can cause multiple binary symbol failures – which seems illogical."

I asked him to expand on this for our readers.

In reply - Phil said he doesn't think that most NAND Flash (SSD) companies have a high level of expertise in the field of error-correcting codes.

"Many of the NAND Flash controllers that are out in the market now have ECC Tek's ECC designs in them. None of the controller companies who have come to us have any idea how to implement binary BCH encoders and decoders in hardware. I doubt if any of the Flash manufacturers have that expertise either."

"For years the Flash manufacturers implemented a simple binary scheme that corrected only 1 bit in a page. I don't have evidence to prove this, but I believe the NAND Flash manufacturers simply decided to extend their original scheme to correct N bits in instead of 1 bit to handle higher error rate devices. I also believe that they implemented a scheme for MLC NAND Flash to "randomize" the errors when a cell fails.

"Consider 4-bits/cell. When a cell fails, 0-4 bits may be in error. In order to keep using binary error-correcting codes that only correct bits, they designed the chips so that all of the bits from that cell are in different pages.

"To the best of my knowledge, they never considered using RS codes so that all of the bits from one cell are in one RS symbol. For example, assume a RS code with 12-bit symbols. Each RS symbol can hold the data from three 4-bit cells, and if those three cells happen to fail, it will only corrupt one RS symbol. RS codes can correct t "symbol" errors and s "symbol" erasures as long as 2t+s is less than or equal to R where R is the number of "symbols" of redundancy. The most natural and powerful thing to do is to put all of the bits from one cell in one RS symbol." ...read the article

See also:-
Data Integrity Challenges in flash SSD Design - a recently published article by SandForce.


Fusion-io Ousts SAS HDD RAID at MySpace

Editor:- October 13, 2009 - Fusion-io published a case study showing how their ioDrive SSDs helped MySpace reduce servers, claim back 50% rack space while increasing application performance and massively decreasing electrical power.

The ioDrives performed much better than the legacy SAS disk arrays, but more importantly for MySpace, they did it with much less hardware. A single ioDrive allowed MySpace to replace a 2U HP DL380 server with 1U HP DL160 server.

In the initial phase of this deployment MySpace replaced 150 of their standard load servers, recovering 150U of rack space. Additionally, the ioDrives' phenomenal performance reduced its need for heavy load servers, allowing it to permanently end-of-life 50 of 80 heavy load servers. This allowed it to recover another 65U of rack space. Reliability also increased and the Fusion-io solution is greener. Estimates suggest that the power savings alone could easily pay for the ioDrives over their lifetime.

MySpace says it plans to replace another 1,770 2U servers with Fusion-io enabled servers as they reach their end-of-life. ...read the article (pdf)

Editor's comments:-
If you ever wondered why there are so few companies making SAS SSDs - this is one of the reasons. And it's also why search volume for PCIe SSDs is now higher than that for 2.5" SSDs.


Accusys Announces New iSCSI RAID

Editor:- October 12, 2009 - Accusys today announced a new range of rackmount IP SAN products.

Accusys iSCSI ExaRAID family includes 2U-12 bay, 3U-16 bay and 4U-24 bay RAID systems designed with active-active redundant controller support for high reliability and availability, link aggregation and jumbo frame support for maximizing bandwidth and performance over the Ethernet.


RAID Systems Get 2TB WD Drives

Editor:- September 1, 2009 - Dot Hill and Pillar Data Systems are in the 1st wave of companies who have recently started volume shipments of RAID systems using 3.5" 2TB 7,200 RPM hard drives from Western Digital.

The new drives were announced in April 2009.


PhotoFast RAIDs CFast SSDs

Editor:- August 5, 2009 - PhotoFast disclosed details of its G-Monster Quad Drive SSD which includes 4x RAIDed CFast SSDs in a SATA compatible 100mm x 70mm x 9.5mm module.


Adaptec Ships Flash Cache Backup for RAID Controllers

Editor:- June 24, 2009 - Adaptec today announced the availability of flash backup options for its SATA/SAS RAID controllers.

Adaptec's Zero-Maintenance Cache Protection protects data stored in controller cache for up to 10 years with no installation, monitoring, maintenance, disposal or replacement costs unlike lithium batteries.

Editor's comments:- the industry's 1st flash cache backup module for RAID controllers was announced in February 2009 by Viking Modular Solutions.


RAISE Joins RAID lexicon

Editor:- April 15, 2009 - this week SandForce has added a new word to the rich RAID lexicon with their new word - RAISE (which stands for - Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements).

RAISE is the label for the RAID-like protection scheme which their SSD controller uses inside 1.8" and 2.5" flash SSDs.

Although the word is new, the concept is not.

Manufacturers such as Texas Memory Systems, Violin Memory and Fusion-io have used similar schemes inside their rackmount SSDs and PCIe SSDs for some time.


LSI Acquires 3ware RAID Adapter Line

Editor:- April 6, 2009 - LSI today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire the assets and certain associated intellectual property of the 3ware RAID adapter business of AMCC for approximately $20 million in cash.

Editor's comments:- There are nearly 500 storage acquisitions and mergers listed on StorageSearch.com. Here are some others, previously acquired by LSI.
  • Agere Systems (merger) - storage controllers / adapters
  • AMI's RAID business
  • Infineon's HDD Chip Business
  • Mylex - RAID adapters
  • IntraServer Technology - SCSI & Ethernet HBAs
  • SiliconStor - SATA chips
  • StoreAge - SAN systems



IDC Calculates the Cost of Owning Storage

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - March 16, 2009 - IDC estimates the total annual cost to "manage" the world's installed base of external storage is about 60% of all enterprise storage-related spending, including software, power, cooling, administration personnel, and services.

"As the industry attempts to control IT costs, specifically related to storage, IDC realizes that power and cooling costs are not the only costs associated with external storage," said David Reinsel, group vp for IDC Storage and Semiconductors research. "In fact, in the grand scheme of things, the cost to power and cool external storage pales in comparison with the cost to acquire and manage storage, including the costs for storage software and storage administrators."

While interest around storage efficiency technologies (e.g., deduplication, compression, and thin provisioning) has intensified, impacting power and cooling costs in the longer term, penetration of these technologies is very low. ...IDC profile, storage analysts

Editor's comments:-
in the past 10 years - the relative cost of owning data (compared to buying it) has only improved by 20% - as you can see by comparing IDC's ratios for 2009 - with those published in 1999 - in an article written by Overland Data.


Seanodes Seeks Beta Sites for Clustered iSCSI SAN Software

Boston, Mass. - March 10, 2009 - Seanodes today announced a Beta version of its Exanodes software for Microsoft Windows Server 2008, enabling these users to repurpose commoditized or existing hardware as an iSCSI SAN.

Exanodes allows fast rebuilds thanks to an intelligent, innovative approach that distributes the RAID set across multiple network nodes and minimizes the risk of a second disk failure during the rebuild window. ...Seanodes profile, SAN software ISVs, iSCSI


Winchester Systems Unveils Rugged Rackmount SSD RAID

Editor:- March 5, 2009 - Winchester Systems says its will launch a range of rugged rackmount SSDs next week at FOSE .

Among the new products is a 1U RAID 5 / 6 protected rugged SSD array - the RX-1300 FlashDisk - which houses 12x 2.5" SSDs. Interface options for the array include SAS, FC and PCIe.

"Customers find that they need field deployable storage and servers that exceed standard commercial capabilities but not full military rugged specifications or prices," explained Mr. Joel Leider, the company's CEO. "Our rugged storage and servers provide extra security and protection against dust, rain, shock and vibration at COTS prices which are about half of full military standard costs."

The US Army has approved these units for field use. They are deployed in harsh environments worldwide in HUMVEEs and stationary shelters. FlashDisk RX disk arrays feature RAID 6 dual parity so even if 2 disk drives fail or become unreadable, the data will remain intact. See also:- rackmount SSDs, Military & Rugged Storage.


Accordance Launches 1U Compact RAID

Des Moines, IA - February 24, 2009 - Accordance Systems today announced availability of its new ARAID M200 RAID 1 Controller.

The 1U high M200 behaves just like a single high reliability 7,200 RPM SATA hard disk which constantly mirrors data onto 2 internal hard drives assuring that your system is protected in the event a drive should fail. Replacing the failed drive is easy with the ARAID sliding drive trays and can be done while the system is running. All BIOS and operating systems view the ARAID 2200 as a simple drive and treat it accordingly. There is no need for drivers or any other applications.

All ARAID processing is handled on the ARAID device controller independent of the computer's main processor. Most onboard RAID and PCI RAID tax cycles from the motherboard CPU. ARAID creates a RAID 1 array on the fly from an existing drive, with no danger of losing data. Contrast this with typical RAID controllers that require the user to destroy, and then create an array from scratch. Typical RAID 1 solutions are not considered to be a backup solution. While data is replicated, it is not safe from viruses, spyware, etc. An ARAID is different because you can remove a drive from the unit and replace it with another drive within seconds.

The removed drive can be treated as a backup and taken off-site for secure storage. The ARAID recognizes the new drive and immediately begins to mirror all data to it. Most ARAID users buy 1 to 7 spare trays and rotate backups offsite in a similar manner as tape. ...Accordance profile


Viking Launches SSD Backup Module for RAID Cache

Foothill Ranch. Calif. - February 18, 2009 - Viking Modular Solutions announced ArxCis-NV - a flash SSD based backup for cache memory in RAID controllers.

"Current technology of backing DRAM modules with batteries provides protection for approximately 72 hours and also brings a host of battery related issues to IT managers. ArxCis-NV products help eliminate these issues..." said Adrian Proctor, VP of Marketing for Viking Modular Solutions.

The ArxCis-NV is a JEDEC edge compatible registered DRAM module with ECC which can write to its associated embedded SSD at 80MB/s triggered by a drop in rail power. The module hold-up power (typically 10 to 15 seconds, depending upon DRAM density) is supplied by Supercapacitors, which only require 10 seconds to fully charge. ...Viking profile, RAID controllers

RAID Inc Launches 1U Rackmount SSD

Methuen, MA - January 27, 2009 - RAID Inc. announced the availability of its new 1U SSD RAID.

The Razor SSD is a 12 bay 4 port fibre-channel system using COTS 2.5" SAS SSDs in a RAID protected array. The Razor comes with RAID's patent pending StorageWatch service - which proactively monitors storage conditions in real-time. ...RAID Inc profile, rackmount SSDs


RAED Demo at CES Aims at Gamers

Editor:- January 6, 2009 - Advanced Media, Inc. demonstrated a RAED configuration of its flash SSDs today at CES.

This shows the kind of performance that gamers can get from upgrading their PCs. Using 4x Ultra-S Plus MLC SSDs in RAID 0 the demo delivered throughput as follows:- 450MB/s read and 330MB/s write.

The performance is unremarkable for a flash SSD array. All rackmount SSD systems are already much faster. So you may be wondering - why did I mention this at all? And is the appearance of the word "RAED" above a typo?

Well consider this. When the term RAID was coined in the 1980s - the letter "I" stood for "inexpensive". At that time the idea was that you could use a bunch of inexpensive PC hard disks (which were then 5.25") to deliver the same throughput as physically larger server drives (which were 8.5" and even much bigger). The media whizzed past the heads at a higher linear speed on those big diameter disks - even at the same RPM - and there was plenty of space to pack in a crowd of heads.

That was 20 years ago and things change. Now all hard drives are "inexpensive" - and at the same spin speed there's no performance difference between a server drive and a fast PC drive. If you want faster throughput you have to use COTS flash SSDs in the array - instead of HDDs - because the rotational roadmap long ago hit its limit. Many vendors have been doing this for a year or more now, examples include EasyCo, EMC and Superior Data Solutions .

This is where the "E" comes in. "E" for "Expensive" - because it's mostly true that for the same capacity an SSD costs more than an HDD. Hence we get RAID = Redundant Array of Expensive (solid state) Drives. And thus another useless acronym is born. Will my RAED term be adopted by vendors to usefully differentiate their SSD based arrays? Or will it join the pantheon of lost RAID jargon such as RAIN, RAIGE, SAID... ...Advanced Media profile


G-Tech Launches Desktop SSD RAID for Macs

Macworld, San Francisco - January 5, 2009 - G-Technology today announced a new family of external drives based on 2.5" SSD technology.

The G-DRIVE mini SSD has a FireWire and USB interface and costs $599 for 120GB and $1,299 for 250GB.

The G-RAID mini SSD has eSATA, FireWire and USB interfaces and upto 195MB/sec data transfer rates. Price is $2,199 for 500GB. ...G-Tech profile


A-DATA Announces 3.5" SSD RAID Enclosure

Taipei, Taiwan - December 30, 2008 - A-DATA Technology Co., Ltd siad it will ship a 3.5" SSD RAID enclosure in Q1 2009.

The A-DATA XPG Dual SSD 3.5" RAID Enclosure is a complete RAID solution through the use of 2x 2.5" SATA SSDs mounted on one standard 3.5" form factor drive cage. This multifunctional RAID enclosure can be used as 2 separate drives, as a redundant drive to protect against drive failure, combined to become one high-performance drive or combined to become one large drive. All these different RAID configurations and more can be set by using a hardware DIP switch on the back of the unit or software. Connection via SATA or USB enables easy direct access. ...A-DATA profile


Infortrend Reduces RAID Performance Hit from Failed Data Links

SAN JOSE, Calif. - December 2, 2008 - Infortrend today announced a new technology - "Dynamic Logical Drive Assignment" which boosts R/W performance in dual-controller RAID subsystems when a data path has failed.

Typically, failed data links lead to performance degradation because the storage controller has to re-direct the I/Os targeting the logical drive whose primary data path is broken. Infortrend now supplies all its EonStor dual-controller arrays with the "Dynamic LD Assignment" technology to improve performance by eliminating the re-rerouting overhead. Once the failure is identified and corrected, optimal system performance can be immediately restored. The "Dynamic LD Assignment" now comes with all EonStor Fibre-, SAS-, and iSCSI-host redundant-controller models using Firmware ver.3.64J or later. ...Infortrend profile, RAID systems


Condre Markets APPLE Video Optimized RAID

Minneapolis, MN - November 5 , 2008 - Condre Storage, Inc. is selling a new APPLE optimized AV RAID - the Bullet.

Built on proven technology with a 4Gb Fibre Channel front end and SAS/SATA drives. The Bullet AV RAID scales up to 64TB capacity and is capable of up to 3 streams of (10 bit), 1080, Uncompressed HD video. MSRP is $11,999 for 12TB of Fibre Channel to SATA storage which includes 1 year next business day on site support.

"Condre Storage is excited by this unique offering for the APPLE video market. The Bullet is an incredibly fast RAID, and with 2 boxes striped together we've done over 8 streams of 10 bit, 1080/HD video", according to Condre Storage President Denny Maetzold. ...Condre Storage profile, Storage VARs, Video - editor mentions on StorageSearch.com
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RAID, XAID, RAIX etc - RAID's Many Aliases
The long established word "RAID" has been stretched by marketers into many other disguises to make their products sound better.

The RAID system concept itself is simple, being a box of disk drives with self healing properties which can be run in parallel for faster data throughput. But that's not sexy enough for most storage product marketers. So we now have the following refinements.
  • RAID connected by SCSI, Firewire or IDE can be called a DAS (Directly Attached Storage). The RAID has to be connected by something, but "DAS" sounds more modern, and indicates that you chose this method of connection in preference to all the others.
  • RAID connected by Fibre-channel can be called a SAN (Storage Area Network). That sounds better already.
  • RAID connected by Ethernet can be called a NAS (Network Attached Storage). Latterly the term IP-SAN has been used to add new freshness to this word-washing.
  • RAID connected by both Fibre-channel and Ethernet can be called a NUS (Network Unified Storage).
  • Even better than plain old vanilla NUS,apparently, is SUS, or Scalable Unified Storage, coined by the short lived startup Broadband Storage
  • More likely to endure than either NUS or SUS, is market research company Gartner's term FAS for Fabric Attached Storage which also lumps NAS and SAN together.
  • RAIN (Redundant Array of Independent Nodes) is an Adaptec creation
  • MAID (Massive Array of Idle Disks) is a whimsical term from COPAN Systems used for disk to disk backup systems.
  • RAIGE - (RAID Across Independent Gigabit Ethernet) is a creation of Pivot3 although some of concepts sound similar to how Google implements its internal storage infrastructure.
  • RAISE - (Redundant Array of Independent Silicon Elements) is a term invented by SandForce. Their SSD controller uses this protection scheme inside 1.8" and 2.5" SSDs.
  • DVRAID - is a proprietary RAID technology from ATTO Technology that is "optimized for digital content creation environments that require protection in the event of a disk failure without the performance penalty traditionally seen with parity RAID."
  • SAID - Self-maintaining Array of Identical Disks - a possibly overambitious term from Atrato
  • RAIDn - is an algorithm launched in 2003 by InoStor. It never achieved wide currency.
  • Finally, a RAID not connected to anything at all can be called a LUS (Lonely Unloved Storage)...

    No, I just made this one up. But you can see the basic principle at work here. And no doubt there will be other terms later for RAID connected by the Internet or Infiniband.
See also:- Megabyte's Storage Glossary which includes definitions of the many other strange terms which appear from time to time in these pages.
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