EMC and NetApp spark a storage surge
A horde follows from announcements.
By Chris Mellor | Techworld | Published: 11:31, 11 May 2006
There have been five more drive array and disk announcements since EMC and NetApp launched their new models earlier this week. The new drive arrays are:-
- Four new Engenio storage system models from LSI Logic, with end-to-end 4 Gbit/s Fibre Channel bandwidth: the 3992, 3992 Turbo, 3994, and 6994 systems, each featuring common management through SANtricity Storage Manager software, support for data replication services and full software compatibility between models. There are data-in-place migration capabilities, enabling upgrades between models. All models support any combination of high-performance 4 Gbit/s Fibre Channel and high-capacity 3Gbit/s SATA II disk drives freely configured within a system or drive enclosure.
- IBM is shipping some of these Engenio arrays under an IBM System Storage DS4700 Express brand. The series is available from 9th June with starting list prices of $19,449 (c£11,500).
- Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) has taken the wraps off three new FibreCAT CX drive arrays for midsized to large companies. These are the EMC Clariion CX3 models.
Dell also has activity on the drive front. It is reselling the Clariion CX3 arrays and has launched a new range of direct-attached storage (DAS). The PowerVault MD1000 is the first array from a top 5 vendor, according to Dell, that uses 3.5-inch SAS (serial-attached SCSI) drives. SAS technology enables customers to combine mainstream and bandwidth-intensive applications. There is a four times greater bandwidth with 3.5-inch SAS drives versus traditional SCSI drives. Also, compared with 2.5-inch SAS drives, 3.5-inch SAS drives provide up to 30 percent more data throughput and twice the storage capacity.
More disk news is that Hitachi GST, following Seagate, is about to launch its first perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) drive, aimed at the notebook market. The 2.5 inch Travelstar 5K160, spins at 5,000rpm and holds 160GB of data. Hitachi GST has a roll-out plan for PMR technology across other models in its drive range as 2006 progresses.
