High-performance 2Gbps Raidtec storage device from Square One

To service the exponential growth in demand for data storage, a 2Gbps end-to-end fibre channel, host-independent SAN Storage Array, the FibreArray 2104, has been released by Raidtec Corporation, a leader in NAS and SAN storage networking. The device is available in SA through Raidtec distributor Square One Solutions Group.

Lisa Jackson, storage divisional manager at the Sandton-based JSE-listed Square One Solutions Group Limited, says unprecedented demand has fuelled the requirement for scalable and flexible storage technology and solutions.

"The conversion of legacy applications to e-commerce, the deployment of new applications and the emerging Web-based B2B sectors are dramatically expanding the market for high bandwidth, high capacity storage."

To address this rapid growth, Raidtec has added the 2Gbps FibreArray 2104 to its existing product range. FibreArray 2104 delivers more than four times the performance of 1Gb fibre channel products, while protecting customers' existing SAN investments by maintaining seamless compatibility with current 1Gbps fibre channel devices.

"The 2Gbps fibre channel devices deliver several times the performance with significantly improved return on investment and lower cost of ownership, while protecting existing SAN investments by maintaining seamless compatibility with 1Gb Fibre Channel devices," says Jackson.

The FibreRAID SAN storage controller at the heart of the FibreArray 2104 offers enhanced performance for mid-range to Enterprise SANs with up to 400MBps data transfer. Its four-channel 2Gb architecture achieves higher I/O capability and substantially greater throughput than 1Gb solutions.

This performance level is enhanced by scalability, with the FibreArray 2104 supporting up to 192 of the latest 18-180GB dual loop fibre channel drives at rotational speeds up to 15 000rpm.

"The FibreArray storage system is therefore ideally suited to SANs that need to begin on a relatively small scale but expect high growth and development to large enterprise level. The system scalability will meet the SAN requirements through all of the growth stages," says Jackson. "The fabric switch support is such that it allows scalable configurations from single server SAS to Enterprise SAN."

In terms of capacity, the FibreArray 2104 offers scalability from 300GB to 34TB per controller from a single system. Multiple systems can be stripped together to provide SAN capacity to Petabytes.

Jackson adds that data integrity is ensured by the "RAID Off-Load Engine" (ROLE) architecture of FibreArray 2104, which provides high speed memory caching, hardware assisted RAID 5 parity generation and cache coherency.

"Configuration on disk (COD) is included where a backup of the array configuration is stored on disk for added data integrity - a must for mission-critical environments."

Cross-testing and certification ensures interoperability with the leading storage infrastructure providers, including host bus adapter, disk drive, hub, switch, software and server manufacturers.

"FibreArray 2104 is fully backward compatible and can co-exist with 1Gb storage arrays and components, without performance degradation," says Jackson. "The product achieves high availability, performance and capacity for a range of Enterprise applications including corporate database/data mining, online transaction processing, imaging, graphics, audio/video editing, pre-press, ISP, ASP and Internet applications. The 2Gbps fibre channel is here because the throughput-intensive applications available, such as Web caching and video production, are stretching the limits of today's 1Gb Fibre Channel."