Industry Leaders Unveil Ultra160/m SCSI: Based On New Ultra3 SCSI
Technology; Data manageability enhancements and 160 MB/second
performance will extend SCSI into 21st century
08:02 a.m. Sep 14, 1998 Eastern
MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 14,
1998--Vendors representing a broad cross-section of the
computer system and storage industry today announced
Ultra160/m SCSI, a next-generation SCSI interface based on
Ultra3 SCSI.
The new interface provides significant improvements in
manageability, performance and cost of ownership. Supporting
vendors include Adaptec, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard Company,
LSI Logic, Mylex, QLogic, and Quantum. The announcement
follows the July 31st ratification of the Ultra3 SCSI technology
by the SCSI Trade Association.
Ultra160/m SCSI will incorporate the core features of Ultra3
SCSI -- double transition clocking, cyclical redundancy
checking, and domain validation. Systems based on the new
interface will begin to appear in 1999.
"Ultra160/m SCSI's ability to validate the integrity of the entire
SCSI infrastructure will help HP meet customer demands for
high availability solutions," said Eileen O'Brien, worldwide
marketing manager for Hewlett-Packard's Network Server
Division. "We support continual improvement to the SCSI
interface, as demonstrated with our early introduction of Ultra2
SCSI functionality."
Like Ultra3 SCSI, Ultra160/m SCSI will be fully compatible
with Ultra2 SCSI, providing a smooth transition from previous
SCSI generations while preserving investments for most existing
equipment. This backward compatibility will speed adoption of
the new interface by both OEMs and end users.
Analysts expect Ultra160/m SCSI to extend parallel SCSI
technology for use with Windows NT and UNIX system
workstations, video and web servers, and storage area
networks. International Data Corporation predicts that parallel
SCSI will represent more than 80 percent of the high-end disk
drive market in 1999.
"The highest revenue year for parallel SCSI is still ahead -- I'd
put the year at about 2005," said Dal Allan, president of the
consulting firm ENDL Inc. Intelligent Data Management
In addition to doubling the Ultra2 SCSI data transfer rate,
products incorporating Ultra160/m intelligently test and manage
the storage network so that the maximum reliable data transfer
rate is used. If reliability is at risk, the transfer proceeds without
a hitch at a lower speed -- much the way today's modem and fax
transmissions connect despite variations in equipment. The
technology will bring a new level of reliability to parallel SCSI
operations by helping to ensure the integrity of transferred data.
"These benefits are extremely valuable for system integrators and
demonstrate how SCSI keeps getting smarter with age," said
Allan. "It gives system integrators a much-needed choice: accept
the selected rate or plan on upgrading. Either way, the system is
operational, and the integrator saves on technical support costs."
Ultra160/m SCSI is expected to take host adaptor intelligence to
the next logical step by actually testing the storage network. If
the cabling, back planes, and terminators can support the desired
speed, the data flows at full throttle. If not, the hardware will be
smart enough to gracefully negotiate a lower transfer rate
automatically. The result will be more system autonomy, less IT
manager involvement. Double the speed
At 160 MB/second, Ultra160/m SCSI will deliver data up to two
times faster than Ultra2 SCSI, thereby improving scalability and
accommodating faster devices. This fast throughput is also
important as drive caches reach one or even two megabytes in
capacity. Ultra160/m SCSI can move this data up to four times
faster than traditional Ultra SCSI drives, thus becoming an
important building block in creating the world's fastest servers
and personal workstations.
The foregoing statements regarding product availability,
customer use and acceptance, anticipated performance and
reliability, and expected market growth of Ultra160/m SCSI are
forward looking statements and actual results could vary.
Factors which could affect results include acceptance of Ultra
160/m SCSI features as a standard, development and successful
introduction of products incorporating the standard, and ability
to compete on price/performance with current and future
competitive product offerings.
Ultra160/m SCSI Quotes & Contacts
The following sources are available for comment on the
Ultra160/m SCSI interface: Analysts, trade organizations
Dataquest John Monroe Chief Analyst for Rigid Disk Drives
Worldwide 408-468-8211 IDC Crawford Del Prete Senior
Analyst 508-935-4012 SCSI Trade Association Harry Mason
719-533-7547 ---------------------------- Hard disk drive
manufacturers Fujitsu Sheryl Smith Rebecca West
800-503-1177 ss1@shafer.usa.com rw1@shafer.usa.com
"Fujitsu is committed to leadership technologies which provide
our customers with new standards of performance and data
integrity, while preserving compatibility. Ultra160/m is a natural
extension to the rich and proven SCSI heritage. The broad
industry support for this technology will carry the SCSI standard
well into the new millennium."
--Paul Hansen, VP Enterprise Storage Products, Fujitsu
Computer Products of America Quantum Julie Heck
510-420-7975 Fax: 510-420-7980 jheck@upstart.com
"Ultra160/m SCSI delivers what IS buyers around the world are
demanding: intelligent data management. They want an interface
that's not only super-fast in optimal conditions, but super-smart
when conditions are less than perfect. Ultra160/m SCSI will
help keep storage systems up and drive help desk calls down."
--Ted Deffenbaugh, Quantum director of strategic technology
---------------------------------------------- Host bus adapter/RAID
controller manufacturers Adaptec Adam B. Trunkey
408-957-6761
"Ultra160/m offers a clear roadmap for increased performance
and manageability. These innovations are essential to enterprise
customers and will drive a solid future for SCSI as the leading
storage interface."
--Tom Shea, vice president of Adaptec's OEM Solutions
American Megatrends, Inc. (AMI) S. Shankar 770-246-8700
s.shankar@ami.com ATTO Technology Ahmad Zamer
716-691-1999 x123 azamer@attotech.com Diamond Multimedia
David Watkins 408-325-7959 LSI Logic Corporation Deborah
Reinert 970-223-5100, ext. 9831 fax: 970-226-9660
"Ultra160/m SCSI provides a consistent way of implementing
Ultra3 SCSI while allowing for differentiation in the markets that
require additional Ultra3 capabilities. This consistency between
suppliers provides the confidence that the market requires in
order to fuel broad-based adoption."
--Harry Mason, director of host marketing, LSI Logic
Corporation Mylex Corporation Eric Herzog 510-608-2469
erich@mylex.com
"Mylex is committed to providing the latest in leading edge
RAID technology to its OEM, distributor, and reseller partners.
With Ultra3, Mylex will continue to offer our customers the
highest levels of performance, reliability, and compatibility. At
the same time, Mylex's customers will be protecting their
investment in legacy SCSI technology. As the industry moves
forward with Ultra3, Mylex will be right there."
--Eric Herzog, Mylex senior director, market development
QLogic Andrew Coley 714-957-8880 ext. 130 fax:
714-957-1373 andrew@strategiesadpr.com
"Ultra3 SCSI's Domain Validation improves reliability and eases
the installation of new SCSI peripherals into legacy system cable
plants with virtually no impact to existing software drivers. This
level of plug and play enhancement, transparent to the system
and user, will be sure to improve customer satisfaction."
--David Tovey, general manager, Peripheral Products Group,
QLogic Corporation ---------------- OEMs Hewlett-Packard
Caroline Price 415-923-2660 crice@alexandercom.com
-------------------------------- Support infrastructure companies
Data Transit SCSI bus analyzers Dale Smith 408-264-4300
Innotec SCSI bus analyzers Peter Eng 714-522-1469 I-Tech
SCSI testers and bus analyzers Jan Mathiesen 612-941-5905
KnowledgeTek Training courses on High performance SCSI
Mike Machado 303-465-1800 Verisys SCSI bus analyzers Marq
Elliot 408-662-7900
Copyright 1998, Business Wire
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