NEWS

SLI-Consulting launches next generation storage technology

SBOD set to become new storage paradigm

11 December, 2003 - Sydney - SLI-Consulting Pty. Limited, a wholly Australian-owned data storage specialist has announced the release of a 2 Gb Fibre quad Channel SBOD (Switch Bunch Of Disks) solution.

The SN-1600/1602-FC-SBD, is designed to replace traditional Fibre Channel drive loops with an integrated advanced switching hub and uses embedded technology to create a high-performance, point-to-point switched connection between the storage controller and the individual drives, offering substantially improved read/write performance levels (up to 1.6 GB/sec per enclosure).

The enclosure supports advanced system diagnostic features that provide users with detailed information on every event, simplifying troubleshooting and enabling direct indication of failing components in any environment. This allows bottlenecks to be identified quickly and eliminated, thus protecting the integrity of the system.

According to José Goldmann, Principal IT Consultant, SLI-Consulting, as the demand for storage grows so do concerns about the reliability, availability and serviceability of data. “Standard FC–AL architecture has remained static despite exponential storage growth and the need for new data management technologies that offer performance improvements in key areas of system functionality has never been greater. SBOD technology is the answer,” Mr. Goldmann said.

“Any Open System SAN array can deploy SBODs as basic building blocks replacing JBODs (Just a Bunch of Disks) which are expensive, unable to trouble-shoot a defective hard disk drive, errors on ports or performance degradation when more the 60 hard disk drives are used.

“SBOD will deliver double the bandwidth and more than double I/O improvements over standard storage devices. Indeed overall improvement will improve by four times when SBOD technology is deployed,” Mr. Goldmann said.

“The new unit will remove the single points of failure that frequently affect larger drive loops and daisy chained configurations so that failures will no longer impact other devices in the system. It will supercharge back-end performance and will achieve a new benchmark in system operation and design.

“This release represents a collaboration of technologies from Xyratex, Vitesse and Vixel and will enable point-to-point switched connectivity between the controller and individual disk drives in the storage array, creating an SBOD which dramatically enhances storage system Reliability, Availability and Serviceability (RAS) characteristics,” Mr. Goldmann said.

About Vitesse

Vitesse is a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative silicon solutions and optical devices used in the networking, communications and storage industries worldwide. Vitesse works to specifically address the requirements of system designers and OEMs by providing high-performance, integrated products that are ideally suited for use in Enterprise, Access, Metro and Core applications. Additional company and product information is available at www.vitesse.com.

About Vixel Corporation

Vixel Corporation is the leading provider and innovator of embedded storage connectivity technologies for storage solution providers. Its award-winning technology, InSpeed™, cost-effectively enables new levels of reliability, scalability and performance in storage systems. Through continuous innovation and partnership with its customers, Vixel advances leading edge embedded storage connectivity technologies that enable the architectural evolution of next-generation storage systems. Vixel's embedded storage switching and storage networking products have been deployed by leading solution providers such as HP, Network Appliance, NEC, Sun Microsystems, Fujitsu, Avid Technologies and BlueArc. To find out more about Vixel and its unique technology offerings, visit www.vixel.com.

Other brand and product names are trademarks of their respective companies.

About SLI-Consulting Pty. Limited

Founded in 1996, SLI-Consulting is a dedicated data storage consultancy that addresses all Open System platform, service and management issues. The company is a private, 100% Australian owned company, with OEM relationships in Europe, Asia and North America.

SLI-Consulting’s growing client base, which spans Japan and Germany, is focused on the Asia Pacific, with a subsidiary office in Korea.

For more information:

Cathryn van der Walt, PR Manager
cathryn@sli-consulting.com
www.sli-consulting.com

Partners
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