El -
Here's a tidbit from Client-server News
CSN 284-05 Compaq Takes Aim at EMC & Hitachi; Upcoming SAN Market
Entry Adds Mainframe Connect
Compaq this week, as part of a major thrust into the storage area
network (SAN) market, will unveil plans and products that challenge
EMC and Hitachi in the enterprise-class storage market with its
first DEC-heritage offerings that can hook together everything from
NT workstations to IBM mainframes.
Compaq's new products and strategy, developed under the code name
Fusion (CSN No 283), are being described as the next generation in
its Enterprise Network Storage Architecture line of products. The
Fusion program will continue, with the next-stage technology already
in the lab and due out starting in 2000 that Compaq's going to call
a "virtualized storage pool."
The boys from Houston, or more precisely the former DEC StorageWorks
guys in Colorado Springs, Colorado, have recruited IBM's buddies
Bus-Tech Inc and Computer Network Technology Corporation into the
Fusion push. Ostensibly Bus-Tech and CNT are in the deal to jointly
sell both Compaq storage systems along with their own Fusion-related
widgets and software. Compaq's real motive for turning to outsiders,
instead of developing or reselling the technology itself, is to gain
entry into mainframe shops where it doesn't have any presence. Ahh,
the beauty of the joint sales call. Between Bus-Tech and CNT there
may not be an IBM site out there that isn't covered.
Bus-Tech's contribution to Fusion is its DataBlaster 2 Escon-to-SCSI
Gateway. CNT kicks in its FileSpeed data movement software and
UltraNet Storage Gateway.
Between the combination of Compaq, Bus-Tech and CNT products it will
be possible to use mainframes for fast data sharing, data/file
sharing and backup and restore of NT, Unix, RS/6000 and VMS, or to
mix and match just about any combination in an enterprise storage
architecture.
The offering, in addition to the first IBM mainframe connectivity,
will include a new smallish RAID subsystem called the RA8000 and a
monster aimed at data centers called the Enterprise Storage Array
12000. The 12000 will be touted as having unlimited scalability and
capacity, implying multi-terabyte capacities. RA8000 prices will
range from 13 cents-20 cents per megabyte. ESA12000 will cost 17
cents-27 cents per megabyte for a dual-controller version and 23
cents-37 cents per megabyte for high-performance versions.
Both will use Fibre Channel-Arbitrated Loop (FC-AL) to support
storage area networks (SANs) and switched SANs. Switched SANs at
geographically distant sites will be able to hook to each other to
do things like peer-to-peer copy for disaster tolerance. Initially
Compaq's widgets will support connections of up to 10 km, with ATM
connections that eliminate distance limits still in the labs.
FC-AL support for NT on Intel, Solaris, Irix and HP-UX will be
available immediately. NetWare, UnixWare and NT on Alpha are to be
added in the spring. The initial offering will also support Digital
Unix (soon to be renamed Tru64 Unix), OpenVMS and RS/6000 UltraSCSI
connections. Switched Fibre support for NT on Intel and Alpha,
Digital Unix and OpenVMS are targeted for spring release.
On the software side Fusion will initially support dual path and
secure path for NT, with the disaster tolerance and peer-to-peer
remote copy software support to roll out later in the year.
In a change in marketing strategy for its storage widgets Compaq's
also unbundling software and hardware. Array controller software and
OS platform kits will be separately priced, rather than included
with the storage subsystems. Fibre Channel hubs and switches will
also be sold separately.
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