Plextor Announces the MegaPleX, 200 Disc Eight Speed SCSI CD-ROM Jukebox.SANTA CLARA Santa Clara, city, Cuba Santa Clara (sän`tä klä`rä), city (1994 est. pop. 217,000), capital of Villa Clara prov., central Cuba. , Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 2, 1996--Plextor Corp., a pioneer in the manufacture of advanced equipment for the CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). solutions' marketplace, today announced introduction of the MegaPleX, a 200 disc capacity eight speed 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. CD-ROM jukebox See CD-ROM server. . The MegaPleX provides near line access to over 135 gigabytes of data on CD-ROM for just pennies a megabyte. Once a CD disc is taken from any location then loaded on either of the two Plextor 8PleX eight speed CD-ROM drives CD-ROM drives, which today typically means a CD-RW drive that is a combo CD-ROM, CD-R and CD-RW drive, come in a variety of speeds. The original drive (1x) transferred data at 150KB per second. , the MegaPleX can access data at 115 and transfer it to milliseconds the user at 1.2 megabytes/second. According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Felix Nemirovsky, Plextor's General Manager of Engineering, "Both 8PleX readers maintain their rated performance even when multitasking multitasking Mode of computer operation in which the computer works on multiple tasks at the same time. A task is a computer program (or part of a program) that can be run as a separate entity. , sharing the SCSI bus and transferring data simultaneously." Plextor will begin shipping the MegaPleX in December of 1996. List price for the entry level desktop kit is $5,499.00. This kit is intended for use attached to a client workstation, although the two drives may be shared across Microsoft networks. The kit contains jukebox management utilities and drivers for the MegaPleX. Using the supplied software, discs are easily mounted on platters and organized by a single desktop user. Server-based solutions for the MegaPleX contain sophisticated CD sharing and management software as well as a bus mastering A bus design that allows the peripheral controllers (plug-in boards) to access the computer's memory independently of the CPU. It allows data transfers to take place between the peripheral device and memory while the CPU is performing other tasks. bus mastering - bus master SCSI host adapter The controlling electronics for SCSI contained on a printed circuit board that plugs into the computer's motherboard. A SCSI host adapter is often called a "SCSI controller." See SCSI. . These solutions, for either NetWare or 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. environments, automate the process of swapping CDs when any networked client requests data from the device in an average of nine seconds or less. The list price for the entry level server kit for NetWare is $7,699.00. A unique and exciting feature of the MegaPleX is its ability to transfer CD-Audio information to the host computer at 8x transfer rates. In addition, because the MegaPleX supports Fast SCSI A SCSI interface that transfers at 10 Mbytes/sec rather than 5 Mbytes/sec. The maximum cable length is 9.8 feet. See SCSI. (hardware) Fast SCSI - A variant on the SCSI-2 bus. It uses the same 8-bit bus as the original SCSI-1 but runs at up to 10MB/s - double the speed of SCSI-1. , other peripherals sharing the SCSI bus can maintain peak performance; the computer system will not need to slow down when communicating with the MegaPleX. In order to simplify use of the product, the MegaPleX also automatically replaces discs left on a drive after reset or a power off condition. An error display also provides information for analysis. Up to five error codes can be stored by the MegaPleX for later review. According to Paul Lowrey, Plextor's Director of Marketing, "Plextor is very pleased to now be able to provide a CD storage solution for nearly any application. The MegaPlex fills an important need for CD storage. Not all CD applications require the support of immediate on-line access afforded by our CD-ROM towers and servers. The MegaPleX offers an affordable alternative with near-line storage less than a nickel per megabyte." The MegaPleX, can be used as a component of a complete solution from Plextor which includes a CD-ROM server A CD-ROM reader designed for network use. It can be configured as a tower or jukebox. Towers contain several drives, and each drive holds one CD-ROM. Jukeboxes hold from a couple dozen to hundreds of discs, but have only a small number of drives. with seven on-line CD-ROM drives installed and the MegaPleX attached even a PlexWriter CD-R (CD-Recordable) A writable CD technology using a type of compact disc that can be recorded, but not erased (CD-Rs are "write once" discs). CD-R discs are used to master CD-ROMs, to back up data and to make copies of data for distribution. could be added on an available SCSI ID. Once loaded with jukebox management software, Plextor's PlexServer line of CD-ROM servers simplify the operation of the MegaPleX. In this configuration, immediate access is provided to the most frequently used data and the MegaPleX provides inexpensive near-line access to a massive amount of less frequently used data. Up to fourteen MegaPleX jukeboxes can be controlled by one PlexServer II, putting nearly two terabytes of data near-line behind one network connection. These solutions are also available for either Windows NT or Novell NetWare environments. Plextor Background Information Plextor is a leading developer and manufacturer of high- performance CD related equipment for professional use in business and networked environments. Since opening its Silicon Valley headquarters in 1990, Plextor has introduced ten generations of CD-ROM drives, a CD-R drive and a complete line of CD-ROM networking products. Among Plextor's many firsts were the first hot-swap CD-ROM towers, the first internal quad-speed drive - the 4PleX, the first six speed drive - the 6PleX, the first SCSI eight speed drive - the 8PleX, and now the first twelve speed SCSI drive - the 12PleX. In 1994, to meet the needs of a growing market for shared access to networked CD-ROM drives, Plextor began selling modular CD-ROM towers of its own design. In 1995, Plextor introduced its first fault-tolerant dedicated CD-ROM server, the PlexServer, and, in 1996, a 200 disc CD-ROM jukebox - the MegaPleX. These products are compatible with the most popular network operating systems. Plextor also supports its entire product line by developing customized software utilities, device drivers, and using the best networking software in its towers, servers and jukeboxes. The company is privately owned by its parent corporation, Shinano Kenshi of Japan, a developer and manufacturer of advanced technology hardware and precision electronic equipment. Shinano Kenshi is best known for its expertise in motor manufacturing. CONTACT: Plextor Marketing Communications Susan Sherman, 408/980-1838 x111 Internet: ssherman@plextor.com |
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