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To: Alan Aronoff who wrote (12385)	11/10/1997 10:12:00 AM
From: Nine_USA	Respond to of 29386

Impactdata Alters the Computing Landscape <The ISN used in the demonstration consisted of a Network Peripheral Adapter (NPA) equipped with the Storage Node File System (SNFS) and DSNAware Hierarchical Storage Management software; a Breece Hill Q2!-15 automated tape library with DLT 7000 tape drives and a 72 Gigabyte LightSpeed fibre channel disk array, all managed through a single graphical user interface> (excerpt from full release, below-HH) MONROVIA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 10, 1997-- The Company Demonstrates High Performance, Active Data Sharing Between Microsoft Windows NT Applications and Silicon Graphics (SGI) Applications Using a Server Area Network (SAN) Impactdata, a leader in high performance network storage solutions, Monday demonstrated the key attributes of its Distributed Storage Node Architecture (DSNA), the success of which will have a profound effect on the network computing landscape. An Integrated Storage Node (ISN) provided active data sharing between Microsoft Windows NT applications and Silicon Graphics IRIX applications communicating via a fiber optic Server Area Network (SAN). Under the management of an ISN, files were shared, not exchanged between systems, without changes being made to the applications. Data transfer from network storage to the applications was faster than that delivered by local disk storage. This breakthrough opens up truly collaborative and distributed cross-platform computing by providing an efficient means to actively share files while fully exploiting the fiber optic network's bandwidth. The ISN used in the demonstration consisted of a Network Peripheral Adapter (NPA) equipped with the Storage Node File System (SNFS) and DSNAware Hierarchical Storage Management software; a Breece Hill Q2!-15 automated tape library with DLT 7000 tape drives and a 72 Gigabyte LightSpeed fibre channel disk array, all managed through a single graphical user interface. The Microsoft Windows NT processor and the SGI IRIX processor were equipped with Impactdata's Common Peripheral Interface (CPI). The components communicated over the fiber optic Server Area Network (SAN) using the DSNA Network Storage Protocol. Impactdata's Distributed Storage Network Architecture (DSNA) is an integrated storage architecture that addresses the demanding needs of users in high-performance commercial, scientific and technical computing installations. The architecture is designed specifically for network computing environments whose performance, functionality and management requirements far exceed the capabilities of traditional storage solutions. DSNA also represents Impactdata's product family which provides the ability to save, share, process and move data transparently among a variety of UNIX and NT computing platforms under a unified, coherent system of data management. The Impactdata Integrated Storage Node demonstrated internal data transfer rates of up to 50 megabytes per second while supplying data to the Microsoft Windows NT and SGI IRIX systems. The Windows NT applications used in the demonstration included the Microsoft Office 97 Professional Edition suite consisting of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access, Netscape Communicator, Microsoft's Notepad text editor, and several graphics editors including Microsoft Photo Editor, Jasc PaintShop Pro, LView Pro and Microsoft Paint, Adobe Acrobat for electronic documents and Microsoft Media Player for multimedia and video files. The SGI applications that were demonstrated included those typically encountered in commercial, scientific, research and government environments and included Netscape Communicator, Adobe Acrobat, the VI text editor, a NITF-compliant image processor and multimedia software. File sharing and high data transfer rates were accomplished with no changes to the applications. Data used in the demonstration was stored on the Impactdata LightSpeed fibre channel disk array included in the Integrated Storage Node and managed by Impactdata's Storage Node File System. Impactdata's DSNAware Hierarchical Storage Management software was used in the NPA to automatically and transparently move data between the LightSpeed fibre channel disk array and the Breece Hill Q2!-15 tape library to maximize performance, capacity, cost-effectiveness and ease of administration. "The significance of this demonstration is huge," stated Ken Fallon, vice president of engineering and Impactdata's chief technologist. "We've shown that true cross-platform file sharing and information collaboration is do-able -- today -- without adding or changing applications or file structures. We've shown that it is possible to take advantage of the data transfer bandwidth provided by fiber optic networks. "We've successfully demonstrated the shared file system, file locking and control mechanisms, network storage protocol, application-transparent interfaces and management capabilities required to make Storage Area Networking (SAN) a practical solution to enterprise data management that can be installed today. "The cumbersome process of making multiple copies of data and moving the copies using the 15-year-old Network File System (NFS) is no logner required. Collaboration is now possible -- large files can be shared, and if they have to be moved, the data transfer operation is highly efficient. With this demonstration, Impactdata has clearly established itself as the leader in providing network storage solutions." About Impactdata Impactdata delivers network storage solutions. Leading the industry into the era of network storage, the company's systems are designed specifically to address the most demanding requirements of network data storage, cross-platform shared data access and integrated storage services. The company's focus is on storage solutions for high-performance network computing that eliminate performance bottlenecks, remove the barriers to collaborative processing and advance the capabilities of storage management.

To: Alan Aronoff who wrote (12385)	11/10/1997 10:18:00 AM
From: Nine_USA	Respond to of 29386

Digital Delivers Industry's Fastest Fibre Channel Enterprise Storage Solutions PR Newswire - November 10, 1997 10:00 Simplest Migration to Fibre Channel Technology MAYNARD, Mass., Nov. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Digital Equipment Corporation (NYSE: DEC) today announced it will add the industry's fastest fibre channel connectivity solution to its StorageWorks family, and new fibre channel components and solutions for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Digital is also announcing the industry's easiest and most cost-effective migration path to fibre channel storage solutions, enabling customers to upgrade with a simple board swap and use the same cabinet, power, cooling and disks. Today's Announcement Includes: -- The fastest fibre channel array controller in the industry -- A PCI adapter for fibre channel connectivity -- A fibre channel hub for shared storage over many host systems -- Support for a fibre channel gigabit switch for distributed storage networks -- And new storage management software UltraSCSI, a proven technology that offers customers twice the performance of existing SCSI solutions, remains a key component of Digital's storage strategy for today's mission-critical environments. "Digital continues to offer the highest-performing storage solutions in the market. They improve the performance and throughput of storage-intensive applications such as data warehousing, Year 2000, Internet-based computing, video imaging and others," said Ellen Lary, vice president of Digital's Storage Business Unit. "Digital's new high-performance fibre channel products enable Digital to offer industry-leading solutions to end-user customers and leading-edge technology to OEMs. "UltraSCSI and Fibre Channel are part of Digital's long-term networked storage strategy. With fibre channel technology, networked storage can become a reality, providing increased connectivity over longer distances and higher performance than ever before," added Lary. "The ideal storage systems of tomorrow will always be available, will enable incremental expansion for better cost/benefit ratios, and will allow customers to manage data throughout an enterprise for improved data integrity and lower costs." Industry's Fastest Fibre Channel Controller Digital's fibre channel controller is the industry's fastest, operating at 25,000 I/Os per second/pair with data rates of up to 90/Mbytes per second for high-speed transfers. It will provide a significant performance boost to Digital's StorageWorks RAID Array 7000 departmental subsystem and Enterprise Storage Array 10000, a storage subsystem for applications that require the largest amounts of storage. The controller, which supports up to 72 drives, is also available to Digital's OEM customers. Fibre channel subsystems open up new possibilities for OEMs to implement UNIX- or Windows NT-based clustered systems with substantially higher performance than ever before. Fibre Channel Connectivity The new PCI-to-fibre channel adapter offers data rates of up to 100 Mbytes per second. A fibre channel arbitrated loop hub enables shared storage over many host systems, expandable up to 127 ports. Support for an OEM fibre channel gigabit switch enables up to 32 switches and hundreds of connections for distributed storage networks. New Storage Management Software The StorageWorks Command Console, included with StorageWorks RAID Array subsystems, and corresponding Enterprise Storage Manager for OEMs, simplify storage management to a simple point-and-click operation. The software delivers an easy and efficient method for monitoring, configuring, and troubleshooting more than 4,000 fibre channel-based subsystems simultaneously, across multiple platforms, anywhere in an enterprise. Based on a simple graphical user interface (GUI), the software can be operated from a single Windows NT platform. Availability Selected OEM fibre channel solutions can be ordered immediately. Complete fibre channel solutions are available to selected end-user customers today. General availability of pre-configured end-user fibre channel solutions for Windows NT and Digital UNIX begins in Q1, 1998. Support for OpenVMS and other operating systems will follow later in 1998. The StorageWorks architecture, based on a building-block approach in which disks, controllers, and power supplies plug together, offers customers a simple and cost-effective method for deploying the new solutions across an enterprise. StorageWorks solutions support Windows NT (x86- and Alpha-based systems), Digital UNIX, OpenVMS, Sun Solaris, HP-UX, IBM AIX, Novell NetWare, and SGI Irix operating systems. For more information about StorageWorks, see storage.digital.com. Digital Equipment Corporation, recognized for product and service excellence, is a leading supplier of high-performance, Web-based computing solutions which help enterprises compete in the global marketplace. Digital gives its customers a winning Internet advantage through a comprehensive portfolio of Internet solutions based on award-winning systems, advanced networking infrastructure, innovative software, and industry applications -- including those from its business partners. The expertise and experience of Digital employees help customers plan, design, implement, manage and support Internet solutions in countries throughout the world. For the latest company information, visit Digital on the World Wide Web at digital.com NOTE: Digital, the Digital logo, OpenVMS, and StorageWorks are trademarks of Digital Equipment Corporation. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Ltd. SOURCE Digital Equipment Corporation

To: Alan Aronoff who wrote (12385)	11/11/1997 3:52:00 PM
From: Remy DAMOND	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 29386

Also interesting comments from Data General's President and CEO in the DG fourth quarter report (Oct 30): "Entering a new fiscal year for AViiON, we look for improving overall revenue growth, as the drag of older 88K based AViiON diminishes. As for CLARiiON, many of our customers have made the strategic decision to commit to fibre channel technology. As is often the case, complex technology transitions can take longer than expected with different development and testing required for each new platform. We believe these transition issues impacted our fourth quarter CLARiiON growth, and based on recent forecasts from our resellers may also impact our first fiscal quarter. However, having the only full fibre channel disk array platform on the market should position us for excellent growth in traditional markets as well as in new storage markets such as video, multi-media, scientific and imaging," said Mr. Skates.