Artecon Introduces LynxArray 500 Family of Storage Area Network Systems; Fully Integrated Storage Area Network Offers Scalable Capacities from 50GB to Multiple Terabytes.SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 1998--Artecon (Nasdaq:ARTE), a global leader in high-availability open systems network- and server-attached storage solutions, today announced the LynxArray(TM) 500 family of Storage Area Network (SAN) systems. The LynxArray 500 offers Windows NT (Windows New Technology) A 32-bit operating system from Microsoft for Intel x86 CPUs. NT is the core technology in Windows 2000 and Windows XP (see Windows). Available in separate client and server versions, it includes built-in networking and preemptive multitasking. and Sun Solaris customers a fully integrated, plug-and-play SAN that supports scalable capacities ranging from 50GB to multiple terabytes. "LynxArray 500 is ideally suited for data center applications such as data warehousing See data warehouse. data warehousing - data warehouse , online transaction processing See transaction processing and OLCP. , Internet and mail servers, geographic information systems geographic information system (GIS) Computerized system that relates and displays data collected from a geographic entity in the form of a map. The ability of GIS to overlay existing data with new information and display it in colour on a computer screen is used primarily to and multimedia communications," said Omar Barraza, Artecon product marketing manager. "LynxArray 500 addresses customer requirements for consolidated, centrally managed enterprise storage resources with support for multiple servers and the heterogeneous OS environment. LynxArray 500 incorporates numerous high-availability features and, with its dual independent Fibre Channel loops, offers data transfer bandwidth of up to 200MB per second per system." A Complete SAN for Sun Solaris and Windows NT LynxArray 500 SANs for Windows NT are integrated with Artecon's proprietary LUN-X(TM) software. LUN-X allows assignment of specific RAID sets (also known as Logical Unit Numbers, or LUNs) to each server, and its filter has the ability to mask non-applicable LUNs to rule out contention problems. This ability to manage multiple RAID sets permits many more than two NT servers to connect to and share a common storage system for successful SAN implementations. Sun Solaris allows user management of LUNs for multiple servers to share storage in a SAN. The LynxArray 500 SAN ships completely integrated within an easily managed rackmount enclosure. The rackmount enclosure contains all the necessary SAN components, including the hubs, RAID system, power and cooling systems cooling systems for housed animals include spraying of roofs with water, evaporative pads with fans, foggers and misters; for pastured animals shelter from the sun by trees or artificial shade devices and cooling ponds are used. , and Fibre Channel cabling. LynxArray 500 SANs also ship with the necessary host bus adapters See host adapter. (HBAs) for either Windows NT 4.0 and later or Sun Solaris 2.4 and later. "We take the headache and complexity out of SAN deployment," said Barraza. "Every LynxArray 500 SAN is designed to the customer's environment, and all the components are fully integrated and tested prior to shipping the unit. Artecon's nationwide support team is available to install and configure the system at the customer's site." LynxArray 500 is especially suitable for SANs due to its abundant high-end features and ability to simultaneously manage and support multiple servers, operating systems Operating systems can be categorized by technology, ownership, licensing, working state, usage, and by many other characteristics. In practice, many of these groupings may overlap. , RAID levels (any combination of 0, 1, 0+1, 3 and 5) and RAID sets. SANs enable multiple servers to connect to a consolidated pool of storage systems, lowering the total cost of ownership. Storage systems can be managed from a central point, and the storage capacity allotted al·lot tr.v. al·lot·ted, al·lot·ting, al·lots 1. To parcel out; distribute or apportion: allotting land to homesteaders; allot blame. 2. to each server can be dynamically adjusted to optimize efficient use of storage. SANs also allow tremendous flexibility when more servers and storage systems are required. Users can add LUNs, storage systems and servers while servers remain online, thus maximizing uptime. LynxArray Demonstrates True Scalability and Investment Protection The LynxArray 500 SAN features active/active RAID controllers A disk controller card that supports one or more RAID configurations. Originally only for SCSI drives, RAID controllers have become very popular for PATA and SATA drives. See RAID. with a very high speed bus dedicated to Artecon's Intelligent Synchronized syn·chro·nize v. syn·chro·nized, syn·chro·niz·ing, syn·chro·niz·es v.intr. 1. To occur at the same time; be simultaneous. 2. To operate in unison. v.tr. 1. Cache for communication between the redundant controllers. The system starts with seven drive bays, providing a lower entry point for users wanting the performance and flexibility of Fibre Channel storage. LynxArray 500 supports 4GB, 9GB and 18GB as well as high-speed 10,000-RPM drives. Users can start with the seven-drive system and add disk shelves and systems to create an extremely massive high-performance SAN, with data transfer via dual independent Fibre Channel loops and scalable capacities up to multiple terabytes. LynxArray 500 incorporates redundant, hot-swap removable RAID controllers, each offering five drive channels and two active Fibre Channel loops to ensure the greatest performance and availability. By contrast, Fibre Channel RAID systems from DG Clariion and Compaq StorageWorks start at a minimum of a 20-drive system. Because LynxArray 500 utilizes the same architecture as other LynxArray systems and the LynxNSS network storage server, system administrators can share FRUs (field replaceable units A Field Replaceable Unit or FRU is a circuit board, part, or assembly that can be quickly and easily removed from a personal computer or other piece of electronic equipment, and replaced by the user or a technician without having to send the entire product or system to a ) between the product lines to lessen the cost and complexity of keeping separate inventories of spare components. Embedded Inserted into. See embedded system. Intelligence in RAID Controllers Delivers Maximum Performance and Flexibility LynxArray 500's RAID controllers employ a driver-less architecture to provide operating system/platform-independent RAID storage that is immune to server changes and upgrades. Driver-dependent RAID systems require software drivers to be written for each host operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. specific to their exact revision and patches. Software drivers also impact performance by requiring the server processor to perform numerous RAID functions. LynxArray 500 RAID controllers utilize the embedded intelligence and thus do not have to depend on software drivers for installation and configuration, or to perform functions such as failover, to gain tremendous performance and flexibility advantages. LynxArray 500 RAID controllers store RAID group information on each drive to support drive roaming. This facilitates the process of relocating or transporting the RAID system since drives do not need to be reinstalled in the exact order as in the original installation for the controller to recognize its location. Drive roaming also has particular application to secure-site situations where drives need to be removed and locked up. LynxArray Easily Serviceable ser·vice·a·ble adj. 1. Ready for service; usable: serviceable equipment. 2. Able to give long service; durable: a heavy, serviceable fabric. and Upgradeable The LynxArray 500 offers dynamic capacity expansion so administrators can easily add storage capacity without taking the system offline. The system also supports hot-swap removal of RAID controllers, disk drives, fans and power supplies so the components can be serviced while the system is online. The system's enclosure is easily serviceable from front and rear access panels. Availability and Pricing LynxArray 500 SANs are now shipping. Typical end-user pricing for a fully integrated LynxArray 500 SAN including the rackmount, RAID controllers, hubs, power and cooling systems, Fibre Channel cabling and HBAs starts at under $30,000. Pricing includes pre-sales consultation and post-sales on-site configuration and installation. About Artecon Founded in 1984, Artecon designs, manufactures, markets and supports a broad range of enterprise storage solutions to satisfy the high availability Also called "RAS" (reliability, availability, serviceability) or "fault resilient," it refers to a multiprocessing system that can quickly recover from a failure. There may be a minute or two of downtime while one system switches over to another, but processing will continue. , performance and capacity requirements of the open systems market. On March 31, 1998, Artecon completed a merger with independent RAID storage vendor Storage Dimensions, creating one of the world's largest open systems, independent storage companies serving the PC-LAN PC-LAN Personal Computer Local Area Network and Unix markets. The combined company's products consist of server-attached as well as network-attached storage See NAS. systems. In addition, the company's EXTREME product line includes disaster-tolerant RAID systems for telco Central Office and Internet applications. Artecon has a Japan-based subsidiary and a Europe-based subsidiary with offices in France, England and the Netherlands. The company also operates through reseller An organization that sells hardware and software to the general public. Resellers purchase products from software publishers and hardware manufacturers. and distributor channels worldwide. Additional information on Artecon can be found on the Internet at http://www.artecon.com. |
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