Satellite Data Networks (SDN), a value-added network service provider in the communications industry, has installed three Auspex data servers from Computer Configurations in a deal worth more R1,3 million. The three systems, running at centres in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, are used as high-speed data servers for its satellite-driven internet service to corporate users. In total, the machines are equipped with 450 Gigabytes of data storage capacity.
The Auspex systems are delivering data throughput at speeds of more than 100MB per second, a speed which was attained despite the data being passed through two firewalls. They are configured with data mirroring, Raid 0, 0+1 and 5, and hot standby facilities.
The Auspex is designed to provide high-speed data throughput with maximum data reliability and security by separating file management and applications. In this way data access speeds and data reliability across a network can be greatly increased.
Up to five network processors accommodate up to three boards each, giving each server a maximum capacity of 15 network connections. These can be FDDI, ATM, various Ethernet flavours, or a combination of all. The Auspex range has many levels of fault tolerance and data redundancy.
Storage processor board backup systems can be attached, achieving 100 MB/hour fully configured. Disk mirroring is available for very high uptime data. Disks can be partitioned for Raid 5 (slightly lower availability) and straightforward disk backup for historical data.
At the high end for 100% guaranteed uptime, Auspex will allow two complete systems to be mirrored, although their locations may be kilometres apart. 30% to 35% of disruptions come from problems in Unix, such as kernel panics and human input error. Auspex prevents the disks becoming unaccessible due to Unix problems by rerouting the request from the network processor directly to the storage processor. In effect the operating system is disabled, so even if the system hangs a user on the network can access the data.
"Auspex is ideal for a network communications environment where fast throughput, high reliability and built-in redundancy contribute to providing a 100% reliable service," says Computer Configurations sales director Ann Tissiman. "The Auspex is a perfect fit in any non-mainframe network environment. To put it in a nutshell, any computer that runs a Unix file system (and that includes Silicon Graphics, Sun, HP/9000, IBM RS/6000 and Tandem), can be used with Auspex."
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