Seagate disk drives monitor, manage and simplify
SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. – Seagate Technology has rolled out a line of disk drives that provide bulk storage for nearline RAID enterprise applications.
With 500GBs of capacity, the NL35 Series SATA disk drives are designed for nearline RAID applications such as disk-to-disk backup, archive and tiered storage. Features include workload management, error recovery control, one-step microcode download and write-same technology. They perform a range of tasks, from monitoring and managing each drive for error recovery to simplifying multi-drive field upgrades.
The NL35 Series Fibre Channel drive is designed for use within networked Fibre Channel enterprise systems, while the NL35 Series SATA drive is designed for integration within direct-attached environments using SATA or SAS. Hundreds or thousands of NL35 Series SATA drives can be deployed and managed within a single SAS domain.
Contact: www.seagate.com
PERFORMANCE BOOST FOR IP storage networks
HOPKINTON, Mass. – EMC Corp. is now offering network-attached storage (NAS) software for IP storage networks.
EMC’s MPFSi, or Multi-Path File System for iSCSI file sharing software, uses standard NAS with the iSCSI protocol to send large blocks of data over the IP network.
This works in conjunction with EMC’s storage platform to improve performance over traditional file system deployments, according to the company.
MPFSi is designed for users in data-intensive application environments such as software development, engineering design and grid environments.
EMC has also rolled out its Celerra virtual provisioning software to help reduce over-allocated storage capacity. It allows both file systems and iSCSI LUNs (logical unit numbers) to be sized to required capacities while physically provisioned with less capacity.
Contact: www.emc.com
Cisco teams with NetApp for simplE storage
SUNNYVALE, Calif. – Cisco’s MDS 9020 Series Fabric Switch is now available for NetApp storage area networking (SAN) appliances from Network Appliance Inc.
The MDS 9020, in combination with NetApp, is designed for small to mid-size businesses that require simplified deployment and administration for storage consolidation and data management.
It’s compatible with Microsoft Windows, Sun Solaris, HP/UX, IBM AIX, Novell NetWare and Linux computing platforms.
The MDS 9020, a 20-port auto-sensing Fibre Channel SAN switch, is also compatible with Cisco’s line of MDS 9000 switches.
Contact: www.netapp.com
IBM’s TotalStorage is one-stop shop for storage
MARKHAM, Ont. – IBM is now offering its TotalStorage Productivity Center (TPC), an open storage infrastructure management solution designed to help reduce the effort of managing complex, heterogeneous storage infrastructures.
The TPC provides reporting capabilities to identify data usage and location. It also provides a central point of control to move data to more appropriate online or offline storage, and centralizes the management of storage infrastructure capacity, performance and availability.
It can be used to help plan storage and database growth, view end-to-end storage infrastructure, pinpoint performance and availability issues, configure heterogeneous storage infrastructure, determine problems within SANs and storage systems, and report on business storage capacity, backup and archive operations.
Contact: www.ibm.com
Automatic backup with Maxtor’s OneTouch
MILPITAS, Calif. – Maxtor Corp. is rolling out a line of external storage and backup solutions, the OneTouch III, for PC and Mac users.
With capacities ranging from 100GB to 1TB, the Maxtor OneTouch III storage solutions offer automated backup and restore capabilities for PCs and Macs. New software tools include the ability to synchronize data between two or more computers and a system rollback feature that helps return PC systems to a healthier state after a damaging spyware attack.
A new user interface helps set up and manage data backup, file archiving and system settings.
An inner disk drive casing and shock mounts provide additional drive protection, while Maxtor DriveLock provides a password protection option to safeguard contents if the drive is ever lost or stolen.
Contact: www.maxtor.com
Sun’s HandBots for tape libraries
MARKHAM, Ont. – The Sun StorageTek L8500 enterprise tape library is now available with eight HandBot robots that work in parallel for business continuity. The company claims users can reduce unscheduled downtime by up to 90 per cent.
During normal operations all eight HandBots work in parallel to minimize queuing. If a robot malfunctions, it moves into the service bay and its redundant robot takes over the workload. The failed robot can be replaced while the library continues to operate normally, and maintenance can be done without any system shutdown.
Contact: www.sun.com
ComplianceVault archives e-mail continuously
OAKDALE, Minn. – Imation Corp., along with partners Intradyn and Exabyte, has introduced the ComplianceVault for e-mail archiving.
The ComplianceVault is an all-in-one integrated hardware and software appliance that archives e-mail messages on a continuous basis.
When the ComplianceVault is connected to a company’s network, all e-mail messages are saved and indexed to disk, in addition to being archived and indexed to tape at intervals specified by the company.
The ComplianceVault is compatible with Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes and most IMAP or POP3 e-mail systems.
It’s designed to help companies meet e-mail archiving needs, whether for regulatory compliance, legal requirements or electronic records management. It’s available in capacities ranging from 320GB to 1TB of disk storage in two tape backup formats: VXA and LTO Ultrium.
Prices start at US$10,000 for the ComplianceVault (a 1U Intel server platform with embedded ComplianceVault software from Intradyn and a choice of internal disk capacity), a choice of either VXA or LTO tape automation from Exabyte, as well as rackmount rails, cables and other
accessories.
Contact: www.imation.com
HP’s next-generation management software
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – HP is shipping the next generation of its storage management software for heterogeneous IT environments.
HP Storage Essentials 5.0 incorporates technology from AppIQ, which HP acquired on Oct. 24, 2005.
Storage Essentials is built on open standards, including DMTF-CIM, SMI-S and J2EE, and integrates with HP Systems Insight Manager (SIM) software, the foundation for HP’s unified infrastructure management strategy. Base HP SIM server features can be extended, by adding one or more HP ProLiant Essentials, HP Integrity or HP Storage Essentials plug-ins.
Contact: www.hp.com
