Winchester Systems Announces Complete Line of ''SAN-In-A-Box'' Storage Products; Provides affordable alternative to expensive SANs.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers BURLINGTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 12, 2003 Winchester Systems Inc., an innovative storage solutions company, has introduced a new family of FlashDisk storage solutions. This new line of "SAN-In-A-Box" products provide the benefits of "shared storage pools" at very low cost. These products are designed to meet the budget requirements of small to mid-sized storage environments as well as the flexibility to grow into a major enterprise-level storage area network. Simple and Affordable SAN Functionality "SAN-In-A-Box" products drastically reduce the entry price for implementing a SAN without compromising performance, reliability or scalability. Each model in the FlashDisk family provides an ultra high performance disk array that meets the storage consolidation challenge for most organizations by providing an easy to manage shared storage pool. FlashDisk is completely open and no software drivers are required. Up to twelve servers of any mix of brand or 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. can be connected providing full SAN capabilities, without the elaborate SAN infrastructure and high price tag needed with most SAN products. For example, no switches, additional HBAs or software are necessary. This is a perfect solution for small to medium-sized businesses and departments in larger organizations needing full SAN capability. "Storage Without the Complexity" "SAN-In-A-Box" products are a simple, affordable way to get full SAN capabilities without the cost and lengthy deployment time of ordinary SAN solutions. The products typically install in under one hour and are completely plug-and-play right out of the box. This greatly reduces administrative overhead and saves valuable system administrator time. The storage is then easily managed using FlashConsole, a centralized cen·tral·ize v. cen·tral·ized, cen·tral·iz·ing, cen·tral·iz·es v.tr. 1. To draw into or toward a center; consolidate. 2. storage management appliance included with the entire line of products. Storage can be allocated in any amount by partitioning To divide a resource or application into smaller pieces. See partition, application partitioning and PDQ. the storage into multiple logical volumes. Each volume can then be assigned to a specific host server or multiple servers and be connected via point-to-point 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. or Fibre Channel connections. Multiple servers can also be clustered using industry-standard software from sources including Veritas, Microsoft, Red Hat and SteelEye. Increased Reliability "SAN-In-A-Box" products provide IT managers with the ability to replace or augment aug·ment v. aug·ment·ed, aug·ment·ing, aug·ments v.tr. 1. To make (something already developed or well under way) greater, as in size, extent, or quantity: limited internal storage arrays with reliable external storage, that continue to operate if the server fails. With external storage, the servers can easily be replaced or upgraded without disrupting critical data. "SAN-In-A-Box" storage solutions are available in multiple models and configurations. All products are easily upgraded and reconfigured in the field with minimal disruption disruption /dis·rup·tion/ (dis-rup´shun) a morphologic defect resulting from the extrinsic breakdown of, or interference with, a developmental process. to end users. Supports SCSI and Fibre Channel Over 19 different "SAN-In-A-Box" models provide shared storage pools for all open servers: SCSI Models 2 to 12 hosts, single, redundant or dual independent controllers, scalable to 12 TB 2 SCSI hosts and 2 FC hosts, single controller, running simultaneously, scalable to 5.75 TB Fibre Channel Models Up to 4 hosts, single or redundant controllers, scalable to 16 TB, without a FC switch Up to 8 hosts, single or redundant controllers, scalable to 32 TB, without a FC switch "Pay-As-You-Grow" Scalability The modular design In the context of systems engineering, modular design — or "modularity in design" — is an approach aiming to subdivide a system into smaller parts (modules) that can be independently created and then used in different systems to drive multiple functionalities. of the SAN-In-A-Box products allows you to scale server connectivity or storage capacity affordably. Adding more drives or additional host connections provides for a cost-effective system based on your current needs while providing for the future growth of your storage environment. SAN-In-A-Box products are compatible with industry-standard Fibre Channel switches Major manufacturers of Fibre Channel switches are: Brocade, Cisco, McData and Qlogic.
There are various replication methods. software to further expand your networked attached storage environment. Price and Delivery Pricing for the SCSI "SAN-In-A-Box" models start at $14,995 and Fibre Channel models start at $19,995. Delivery is two to three weeks. About Winchester Systems Winchester Systems provides SAN, 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 and DAS capable enterprise storage solutions including high performance SCSI and Fibre Channel RAID disk arrays, tape backup Using magnetic tape for storing duplicate copies of hard disk files. Users can add an internal or external tape drive to their desktop computers for backup purposes, and files are typically copied to the tapes using a backup utility that updates on a periodic schedule. devices and other high performance commercial and military grade storage for mid-range servers including Linux, UNIX UNIX Operating system for digital computers, developed by Ken Thompson of Bell Laboratories in 1969. It was initially designed for a single user (the name was a pun on the earlier operating system Multics). , and NT. For more information visit on the web at www.winsys.com. |
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