Quantum Introduces Industry's Highest Capacity Desktop Drives; First desktop devices to combine advanced MR and PRML technologies.MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 30, 1995--Quantum Corporation (NMS See NetWare Management System. :QNTM) today announced the Quantum Sirocco sirocco (sərŏk`ō) [Ital., from Arab. sharq=east], hot, dust-laden, dry, southerly wind originating in the N African desert (most commonly in the spring) and reaching Italy and nearby Mediterranean areas. 1700 and 2550 drives for the desktop, offering users 1700 megabyte (MB) and 2550 MB of storage. These 3.5-inch drives are the industry's first desktop storage devices from a non-captive supplier to combine magnetoresistive See magnetoresistance. (MR) head technology and Partial Response Maximum Likelihood (storage) Partial Response Maximum Likelihood - (PRML) A method for converting the weak analog signal from the head of a magnetic disk drive into a digital signal. PRML attempts to correctly interpret even small changes in the analog signal, whereas peak detection relies on fixed (PRML (Partial Response Maximum Likelihood) A technique used to differentiate a valid signal from noise by measuring the rate of change at various intervals of the rising waveform. ), two advanced technologies that drive areal density and performance improvements. The two technologies work together to give the Sirocco 2550 the highest capacity in the desktop market. The Quantum Sirocco 1700 is designed for mainstream desktop applications, while the Quantum Sirocco 2550 is targeted for storage-intensive consumer applications. As examples, both drives are ideally suited for multimedia authoring ad playback, high-performance interactive video and information downloading applications from the Internet and other sources. Quantum's Sirocco drives are optimized for desktop operation with enhanced interfaces that achieve fast data transfer rates and innovative firmware that improves overall system performance. The products meet the highest standards for quality and reliability and deliver leading data integrity. An advanced custom ASIC and firmware implement a state-of-the-art error-correction code scheme for data protection. "Desktop storage demands continue to accelerate at an astounding a·stound tr.v. a·stound·ed, a·stound·ing, a·stounds To astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise. [From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, pace," said Mark Jackson, president of Quantum's Desktop and Portable Storage Group. "The most advanced technologies, those previously used together only in high-capacity and server disk drives, are becoming a requirement in the desktop marketplace. Quantum is a leader in utilizing these technologies to achieve areal density and performance improvements for mainstream computer users." High Performance Data Transfers Quantum's advanced MR head technology coupled with a third-generation single-chip PRML read channel delivers an exceptionally high internal rate of 9MB per second and increases areal density dramatically over thin film designs using peak detect read channels. The fast ATA-2 interface on the Quantum Sirocco drives support local bus AT programmed input/output (PIO PIO Public Information Office PIO Public Information Officer PIO Port Installed Option (automotive) PIO Programmed Input/Output PIO Person of Indian Origin ) mode 4 and multiword DMA (1) (Digital Media Adapter) See digital media hub. (2) (Document Management Alliance) A specification that provides a common interface for accessing and searching document databases. mode 2 data transfers at speeds up to 16.6 MB/second with rotational speed of 4,500 RPM. The Quantum Sirocco 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. drives support Fast SCSI-3 data transfer rates of up to 10 MB/second. These faster transfer rates meet the requirements of powerful applications running on high performance desktop systems and network servers. Enhanced Quantum AutoTransfer Technology takes advantage of the intelligent processing features of the Quantum Sirocco drives and uses a proprietary 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. design to speed data transfers. Multiple AutoRead and Multiple AutoWrite, industry-first firmware solutions for increasing sequential data transfers, have been improved to allow multiple-sector transfers for a given data request. Multiple AutoRead and AutoWrite also enhance AutoTransfer capabilities. Reliability and Versatility Quantum's leading data integrity feature has been enhanced for double-burst error correct (ECC (1) (Error-Correcting Code) A type of memory that corrects errors on the fly. See ECC memory. (2) (Elliptic Curve Cryptography) A public key cryptography method that provides fast decryption and digital signature processing. ) on-the-fly. This allows for the correction of up to 48 bits of data without interrupting sequential and random data transfers. This ASIC and firmware solution increases data integrity, even with the faster data throughput that characterizes the Sirocco drives. Quantum Sirocco drives support S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring Analysis and Reporting Technology), an advanced drive diagnostics feature developed for ATA (1) (AT Attachment) The specification for IDE drives. See IDE. (2) See analog telephone adapter. ATA - Advanced Technology Attachment and SCSI hard disk drives. S.M.A.R.T. is designed to reduce unscheduled computer downtime due to age, environmental conditions or other parameters. Plug and Play firmware (AT Bus Cable Select for Fast ATA drives and SCSI Plug-and-Play for SCSI drives) simplifies disk drive installation by automatically configuring Quantum Sirocco drives and eliminating the need for any manual jumper settings. Pricing and Availability Evaluation units of the Quantum Sirocco 1700 and 2550 will be available in February 1996. Volume production units will be available in March 1996. The standard list prices for Sirocco drives are as follows: -0- Quantum Sirocco 1700 $265 Quantum Sirocco 2550 $395 -0- About Quantum Founded in 1980, Quantum Corporation designs, manufactures and markets storage products for today's digitized world. The highest volume global supplier of hard disk drives, Quantum is widely recognized as the industry's quality leader. The company sells a broad range of storage products to OEM and distribution customers worldwide. Quantum's sales for the fiscal year ending March 1995 were $3.4 billion. The company's world wide web home page address is http://www.quantum.com. CONTACT: Quantum Corporation, Milpitas Diana Schultz, 408/324-7431 |
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