IDE RAID Solution Data Sheets
Posted from email from Networm. I worked on the format a bit with the .............function.....and it seems readable... reader beware
Thanks Networm
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I just can't seem to post this and have the columns line up correctly,
though have tried several times. So am trying it this way. If garbled
ignore.
Some data from the Promise Web Site, formatted for posting. Since I know nothing about video processing/editing I can only pass on the data. I can say that 25MB/sec sustained rate (Not Burst) is quite high but you'll have to judge appropriateness to your apps. Would also recommend talking to a rep on the phone for those "extra" questions data sheets never address.
Know there are other reasons to select SCSI but let me know your opinion on whether this IDE solution meets/exceeds your app data/speed needs. If not, why not?
.........................................FASTTRAK
................................Video Editing Performance
Model/Brand..........Data Rate.....Compression Rate...... Frame Loss
Miro Video DC30 6.1MB/s (max).........3:1 (max)............ NONE
DPS Spark ...........3.5MB/s (max)....5:1 (max)............ NONE
........................FastTrak Product Specifications
Model.....................................FastTrak
Drive Types Supported...................Ultra ATA/DMA; EIDE
Bus.......................................PCI
Drive Modes.............................. Ultra DMA 2/1/0
PIO 4/3/2/1/0 (EIDE/Fast ATA-2)........ DMA 2/1/0 (EIDE/Fast ATA-2)
Data Transfer Rate... Up to 25MB/sec sustained; up to 133MB/sec burst
across PCI bus
Data Storage ... Links multiple drives as huge "virtual" drive C; more than 8.4GB per drive
Data Protection .. Mirrors data to 2nd disk or disk pair on-the-fly; offers "hot" spare feature rebuilding data in background with transparent data recovery; allows second FastTrack to protect more data
32-bit Bus Master Support... Yes, relieves system CPU of disk I/O
Onboard BIOS Functions Auto identifies & configures drive type; auto-detects & supports Ultra Mode transfers; easy conflict flict-free installation; recognizes drives greater than 8.4GB
RAID Level 0 (striping); 1 (mirroring); 0/1 (striping/mirroring)
Disk Array Support..... Scalable design allows two FastTraks to form large arrays up to 8 disks; supports 4 arrays with diffferent RAID levels; arrays are bootable with built-in BIOS
FastBuild BIOS automenu Provides auto configuration and optimization; view/create/delete arays; rebuilds failed disks
Bus Mastering Offloads I/O management to optimize CPU processing for data handling to improve overall performance
CRC data protection support For Ultra DMA drives, FastTrak supports an enhanced data protection design called Cyclical Redundancy Checking versus onboard EIDE controllers
Disk Performance Enhancements .....Advanced SCSI data handling features include elevator seek, load balancing, hardware atter-gather
engine, target command queuing; UltraTune software optimizes FastTrak for application types
Operating Systems Compatibility.... DOS/Windows 3.1, 3.11, Windows 95, Windows NT 3.x & 4.x, Novell Netware 3.1x and 4.x, OS/2 Warp 2.x/3.0
Promise vs SCSI Comparision
Features......PROMISE.......Medea VideoRAID......... Adaptec
..............FASTTrak....5.0si/8.0si/14si ..... 2940UW SCSI
RAID Support....0,1, 0+1 ..... 0 Striping ......... None
...........Striping/Mirroring
Sustained data...Up to 23MB/sec...10MB/sec ..... 11.3-16.8 MB/sec
transfer rates .. w/ 2 drives
Drive Type ....Stand Ultra ATA ... Pre-installed .....Ultra Wide
............ EIDE/IDE drives..... VideoRAID ...... SCSI drives ............................... proprietary...EIDE drives
Ultra DMA .........YES..................NO.............N/A
with CRC
Support
Expandable to......YES.................YES w/ add-on...YES
4 hard drives............................unit
($795/1095/1795)
Expands to 8........YES w/2.............NO............ YES
hard drives ...... FastTrak
One drive letter..... YES..............YES............. NO
with multiple drives
Requires use of......NO...............YES...............NO
onboard IDE
channel
Supports Video.......YES w/...........NO................NO
backup option......four drives.
...................."striping" +
....................mirroring"
Coexist with........ YES...........NO - uses ......... YES
onboard PCI IDE ...................1 channel
Application ........YES.............NO..................NO
Performance.
"UltraTune" drivers
Video RAID Storage......6.4GB $543..........5GB $995...4.55GB $1060
complete upgrade........8.4GB $683..........8GB $1295... 9GB $1475.
by capacity.............14GB $909..........14GB $1995
(Note: 1GB of disk capacity can store approx. 3 min of 3:1 compressed
video)
NOTES -
FastTrak with MSRP of $149. Adaptec 2940UW Kit with MSRP of $375. List
price of Medea units from their website. FastTrak attached with 2 Hard
Drives in a striped array. Drive prices based on NECX website prices
(11/11/97): Quantum Fireball ST (Ultra ATA) 3.2GB ($196.95 ea), IBM
Deskstar5 (Ultra ATA) 4.2GB ($266.95 ea), Maxtor DiamondMax (Ultra ATA)
7.0GB ($379.95 ea), Seagate Cheetah (Ultra Wide) 4.55GB (684.95) and
9.1GB($1099.95).
All trademarks are properties of their respective holders. AJC-11/14/97
Networm |
