Alacritech Poised to Lead the Convergence of Networking and Storage; New IS-NIC to Optimize the Performance of Servers, NAS and iSCSI Storage Devices.Business Editors Storage Networking World Storage Networking World (commonly called SNW) is a for data storage professionals in the United States. Sponsored by Computerworld and the Storage Networking Industry Association, SNW is held twice each year. Conference & Expo ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 22, 2001 Storage Networking World Conference & Expo, Booth PP26 -- Alacritech(R), Inc., the innovator of network accelerator solutions that enable fast and efficient servers and storage systems, today announced its vision for the future of IP storage and its new Gigabit Integrated Storage Network Interface Card (IS-NIC), positioning the company at the forefront of the converging storage and networking markets. Based on the company's patented, standards-compliant SLIC SLIC Subscriber Line Interface Circuit SLIC Scottish Library and Information Council SLIC System Licensed Internal Code SLIC Subscriber Line Interface Card SLIC Session Layer Interface Card (Alacritech, Inc. Technology(R), Alacritech's new Gigabit Ethernet An Ethernet standard that transmits at 1 Gbps. Used mostly to connect high-end workstations and servers as well as for network backbones, Gigabit Ethernet transmits full duplex from point to point using switches and half duplex in a shared environment (CSMA/CD) using a hub. Server and Storage Accelerator will be the first IS-NIC proven to optimize the performance of servers, NAS (1) See network access server. (2) (Network Attached Storage) A specialized file server that connects to the network. A NAS device contains a slimmed-down operating system and a file system and processes only I/O requests by supporting the popular (network-attached storage See NAS. ) and iSCSI (Internet SCSI SCSI in full Small Computer System Interface Once common standard for connecting peripheral devices (disks, modems, printers, etc.) to small and medium-sized computers. SCSI has given way to faster standards, such as Firewire and USB. ) storage devices. Alacritech believes that to truly deliver high performance, IP storage solutions require that TCP/IP TCP/IP in full Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol Standard Internet communications protocols that allow digital computers to communicate over long distances. and SCSI (small computer system interface) processing be done in silicon, exactly as Alacritech's SLIC Technology does today. IP storage solutions based on Alacritech technology will effectively provide enterprise customers with cost-effective and easy-to-manage solutions that are compatible with existing Ethernet networks. "As the creator of SCSI over 20 years ago, I'm personally pleased to see the SCSI interface SCSI interface - SCSI adaptor extended to enable the merging of storage and networking," said Larry Boucher, founder and chief executive officer, Alacritech, Inc. "Our vision to optimize network communications through innovative network and server acceleration solutions led us to create SLIC Technology, an ideal architecture for iSCSI implementations. SLIC Technology makes Alacritech's new IS-NICs an extremely strong value proposition for NAS OEMs and iSCSI implementers today, and as we move toward 10 Gigabit Ethernet." Alacritech IS-NIC Enables the Convergence of Networking and Storage Alacritech's new Gigabit Integrated Storage Network Interface Card is based on SLIC Technology and will be the first product to act as a single accelerator for both IP storage and standard Ethernet traffic. Unlike other TCP acceleration solutions, Alacritech's Gigabit Ethernet Server and Storage Accelerator uniquely provides a single adapter type and driver for both iSCSI and general network traffic and has the ability to scale seamlessly to multiple adapters. By offloading TCP/IP and SCSI onto the adapter, Alacritech is the only company that can enable competitively-priced IP storage solutions that use standard components and existing IP fabric, and deliver the highest system performance, making Alacritech's SLIC Technology a critical component for all networked storage solutions. "Alacritech is the grandfather of TCP acceleration, and continues to be the frontrunner by enabling simultaneous iSCSI and standard networking to occur over the same accelerated port," said Steve Duplessie, senior analyst, The Enterprise Storage Group. "The company's upcoming Integrated Storage Network Interface Card or IS-NIC will be the first universal accelerator to offer users the ability to share a single interface for both IP storage traffic and standard networking functions. And anything that saves enterprise customers money is a winner. We applaud their efforts." Alacritech will ship its Gigabit IS-NIC or Gigabit Ethernet Server and Storage Accelerator in the fourth quarter of 2001. Alacritech products will be sold primarily to OEMs and then through other channels. Alacritech SLIC Technology All Alacritech accelerators employ SLIC (session-layer interface card) Technology, a new, standards-compliant architecture that uses an innovative application-specific integrated circuit (hardware) Application-Specific Integrated Circuit - (ASIC) An integrated circuit designed to perform a particular function by defining the interconnection of a set of basic circuit building blocks drawn from a library provided by the circuit manufacturer. (ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) Pronounced "a-sick." A chip that is custom designed for a specific application rather than a general-purpose chip such as a microprocessor. ) for protocol processing. This ASIC, the Alacritech Internet Protocol Processor (IPP (Internet Printing Protocol) A protocol for printing and managing print jobs over the Internet using HTTP. Initially conceived by Novell, Xerox and others, the IETF made it a standard in 2000 that includes authentication and encryption. See printing protocol and LPD. ) offloads network protocol processing, primarily TCP/IP and iSCSI, from software on the system processor to dedicated hardware on the adapter. Alacritech accelerators significantly improve host processor efficiency, increase data throughput and reduce latency in systems. About Alacritech, Inc. Alacritech was founded by Larry Boucher, creator of the SCSI interface, to deliver upon his vision of eliminating the server bottleneck. Today, Alacritech, Inc. is the innovator of network accelerator solutions that enable fast and efficient servers and storage systems. Alacritech's complete line of high-performance server and storage accelerators and programmable ASICs are based on the company's patented SLIC (session-layer interface card) Technology to optimize the performance of servers, network-attached storage and iSCSI storage devices. SLIC Technology is the first fully compatible and scalable technology to offload network protocol processing, primarily TCP/IP, from software on the host system to silicon on the adapter. Based in San Jose, California San Jose (IPA: /ˌsænhoʊˈzeɪ/) is the third-largest city in California, and the tenth-largest in the United States. It is the county seat of Santa Clara County. , Alacritech is privately held. Alacritech is a voting member of the Storage Networking Association (SNIA (Storage Networking Industry Association, San Francisco, CA, www.snia.org) An organization devoted to the advancement of mission critical storage systems. Founded in 1997, its goal is to determine the standards that must be developed to allow hosts and storage systems to interact via ) and a founding member of the SNIA IP Storage Forum. For more information about Alacritech and its products, please visit the company's Web site at www.alacritech.com. Alacritech, the Alacritech logo, SLIC Technology, and the SLIC Technology logo are registered trademarks of Alacritech, Inc. in the United States. Other marks belong to their respective owners. |
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