Features - Storage Innovations:

DataCore LOWERS COST OF ENTRY FOR iSCSI STORAGE, IP SANs

DataCore Software, a leading independent software vendor specializing in storage control, management and consolidation, introduced a novel approach to iSCSI storage. In a market characterized by hardwired appliances with little configurability, poor performance and relatively high cost, DataCore is exploiting the power and flexibility of inexpensive PCs as its platform for IP storage subsystems -- or more appropriately, iSCSI "disk servers."

Over the past few years, DataCore has repeatedly demonstrated that low- cost PC servers equipped with the company's innovative software provide the lowest cost and highest performance hardware on which to roll out high-value storage services. The groundbreaking combination regularly outperforms the world's largest storage arrays in such head-to-head comparisons as the Storage Performance Council's SPC Benchmark-1 (SPC-1).

In iSCSI configurations, SANmelody disk servers take similar advantage of very fast CPUs, cache memory and standard Ethernet cards to economically meet applications' I/O needs using inexpensive EIDE and Serial ATA drives. As importantly, SANmelody satisfies such requirements and accelerates overall performance without resorting to pricier TCP offload engines (TOE), iSCSI host bus adapters (HBAs) or exotic hardware. Customers and DataCore business partners have the flexibility to choose off-the-shelf server components from Dell, Gateway, HP, IBM and other AMD or Intel OEMs.

Smaller organizations running a few Windows and/or Linux hosts will be pleased to learn that the basic IP storage requirements are met with the entry-level SANmelody product for under $1,200. Low-cost software upgrades make it possible for these companies to step up to features such as point-in- time snapshots, auto provisioning and remote replication that have previously been found only on prohibitively priced high-end arrays.

Customers can also look to DataCore's worldwide distribution and integration partners for turnkey solutions. These resellers, systems integrators and OEMs are combining SANmelody software with a variety of popular PCs, GigE cards and disk drives into plug-and-play iSCSI disk server bundles.

"There are not a lot of choices in iSCSI storage arrays on the market today, and even fewer that are affordable," states Roger Howorth, a software technology reviewer. "SANmelody is simple to set up and it lets you utilize your own choice of servers, disks and networks to get to the price point and performance levels you need."

Inexpensive, Easy-To-Use Alternative Generates Further iSCSI Market Expansion

The iSCSI market is expected to boom to over $1 billion by the end of 2004, and almost $5 billion in 2007, fueled by free iSCSI support in Windows and Linux, as well as the increasing prevalence of Gigabit IP LANs. Powered by DataCore iSCSI disk servers add to this momentum by reducing complexity, driving down storage costs and making these solutions accessible to the mass market.

Bharat Kumar, managing director for worldwide marketing at DataCore, pointed out, "SANmelody redefines the cost of creating an entry-level IP SAN to access shared iSCSI storage. We are driving a far-reaching program that shrink-wraps everything you need to convert off-the-shelf PCs into single- purpose iSCSI disk servers. In doing so, we lift all the constraints that plague specialized arrays, at the same time surpassing them on price/performance and flexibility."