Sector, tapes are but one means of storage. I'll grant you that if your
installation is primarily tape based, then what you have stated is largely
true. Large active archives, however, and other dynamic data repositories
such as those found in enterprise storage networks, also use disc stacks
and other drives, especially those which provide universal live lookup and
mirroring capabilities.
Re: the constraints at each point of the process, I think we are beginning
to go circular here. In my post # 503 I stipulated,
"The trick is to integrate within the storage entity [memory complex] a
multi-gigabit switch router fabric which is not only integral to the storage
complex [archive, say], but which also directs traffic internal and external
to it, between memory modules and application servers, and onto external
transmission line media, as well."
I still stand by those precepts.
"...you can't process a 300GB file even on a dedicated mainframe at
anywhere close to that speed."
I take it that by process you mean 'transfer,' here. You may want
to do some perusing of EMC's enterprise storage capabilities. One such set of
specifications can be found at:
emc.com
Note that ESCON and FC ports are direct attached to these volumes, as are various versions of SCSI. Multiple ports of each, or combinations thereof, can be used to suit the throughput needs of the moment. It is within the switch-router that I stipulated here, and in my previous message, that the conversions from FC or SCSI or FE/GbE to traditional line protocols take place in order to make the flows conducive to traditional line formats (whether they are SONET or ANSI/IEEE in nature, or future IP over lambda).
Regards, Frank Coluccio |
