Fibre Channel Storage
Introduction
Fibre Channel is faster than parallel SCSI and scalable in speed. Added
to this that the Arbitrated Loop functionality allows to connect several
devices to one interface on a computer, Fibre Channel seems to be the ideal
interface to storage devices.
The FCSI SCSI profile is well defined and stable, which makes that interoperability
should not be a problem. See "SCSI
Converters" for devices that allow standard SCSI equipment to be used
with Fibre Channel.
Devices
Tape Storage
There are no companies that have announced Tape storage devices with a
Fibre Channel attachment, although companies are working on it.
You might have a look at SCSI converters to
find devices that allow standard SCSI drives to be connected to Fibre Channel.
Disk Storage
Disk storage is available from the following companies:
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Amdahl
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Box Hill
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Ciprico
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CLARiiON
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Compaq
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Digital Equipment Corp.
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EMC
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Eurologic Systems
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GENROCO
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MAXSTRAT
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Meltek
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OneofUs
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Quantum
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Raidtec
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Seagate
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Storage Concepts
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Storage Dimensions
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Storagepath
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Sun
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Symbios
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Tektronics
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Transoft
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Trimm Technologies
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UNISYS
Amdahl
Contact: Amdahl - 16-Jan-1997
BoxHill
Contact: BoxHill - 7-Jan-1998
Ciprico
Contact: Ciprico - 7-Jan-1998
CLARiiON
Contact: CLARiiON - 7-Jan-1998
Compaq
In the first half of 1997, Compaq plans to have more scaleable out-of-the-box
clustered servers that use Fibre Channel interconnection technology to
bring together an 8-Terabyte storage cluster.
See also Server
Array Strategy for Scalability from the High Availability white paper
from Compaq.
Contact: Compaq - 17-Jan-1997
Digital Equipment Corporation
Digital's Storage Business Unit has chosen Fibre Channel as the standard
serial SCSI technology for the Storage-Works family. Fibre Channel will
provide a long-term solution for users, during a time when long-distance
connectivity and enhanced performance requirements are at an all-time high.
Digital will offer an array controller followed by Fibre Channel Arbitrated
Loop devices. Evaluation units of the Fibre Channel controller will be
available for the OEM market in the fourth quarter of 1996.
Contact: Digital Equipment
Corporation - 17-Jan-1997
EMC
Symmetrix
EMC Enterprise Storage systems
Contact: EMC - 6-Jan-1998
Eurologic Systems
Fibre Channel storage enclosures
Contact: Eurologic Systems
- 8-May-1998
GENROCO
GENROCO's TURBOfibreTM
BP-350FC is a Fibre Channel hot pluggable disk backplane compatible
with Digital Equipment Corporation StorageWorks packaging. This product
allows system and subsystem vendors to integrate Fibre Channel storage
solutions using convenient, reliable, and readily available components.
Contact: GENROCO, Inc, 205 Kettle
Moraine Drive North, Slinger, WI 53086, USA
Tel: +1 414-644-8700; Fax: +1 414-644-6667; E-m: sales@genroco.com
MAXSTRAT Corporation
Contact: Sandy Staufenbiel at MAXSTRAT
Corporation
Tel: +1 408-383-1600 or 1-800-352-1600 (USA), Fax: 408-383-1616, E-Mail:
info@maxstrat.com - 7-Jan-1997
Meltek
With the FIBRE-ARRAY Meltek
has true Fibre Channel solutions for PCI Bus and Sun S-Bus. These fully
incorporate the FC-AL (Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop) specifications. They
include Controller board, Cables, Device Driver and 8 Drive RAID enclosure.
For more information contact your local
Meltek office. - 7-Jul-1997
OneofUs
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4 channel FC-AL to FC-AL RAID Controller.
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Fibre Channel Arbitrated Loop disk drive enclosure.
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8 drive JBOD entry level desktop FC-AL disk drive enclosure.
Contact: OneofUs - 7-Jan-1998
Quantum Corp.
The Quantum
Atlas II 3.5-inch, 7,200 RPM hard disk drives are top-performing devices
that meet the needs of high-end storage subsystems, video servers, and
workstations. The drives feature the most advanced technology for exceptional
performance and improved areal density. The Quantum Atlas II XP39100 has
the industry's fastest seek time for a 9.1 GB drive (<7.9 ms). The drives
are offered with the new Ultra SCSI-3 and fibre channel interfaces.
Contact: Quantum Corporation (Corporate
Headquarters); Tel: +1 (408) 894-4000; Fax: +1 (408) 894-3218
Raidtec
Contact: Raidtec - 7-Jan-1998
Seagate
Contact: Seagate - 7-Jan-1998
Storage Concepts
Contact: Chris Cuthbert, Storage Concepts (Europe), Tel: +44 1494 442-202,
Fax: +44 1494 450-281, E-m: chris@storcon.com
or Frank Tasker, Storage Concepts
(USA), Tel: +1 714-852-8511 - 24-Jul-1997
Storage Dimensions
Storage Dimensions' SuperFlex
provides cross-platform, host-independent support for RS/6000, Sun workstations
and servers and HP9000 workstations and servers. It enables companies that
use multiple system platforms to standardize on a single storage architecture.
A line of I/O modules is planned to support emerging storage and interface
technologies, including Fibre Channel.
SuperFlex pricing ranges from $6,185 for a 1 GB entry level system to
$39,920 for a complete 24 GB RAID5 solution.
Possibly Storage Dimensions will have tape systems as well.
Contact: Storage Dimensions,
Main tel: +1 (408) 954-0710; Sales:+1 (408) 894-1325; Fax: +1 (408) 944-1203;
E-m: support@xstor.com
Storagepath
Since the final quarter of 1995 Storagepath has been delivering FC-AL eight
bay rack and tower enclosures with passive backplanes for the new fibre
channel hard drives. The unique backplane design is completely scalable
allowing for later insertion of additional drives or the addition of as
many as 125 drives by daisy chaining cabinets. Enclosures may be configured
to accept either fibre or copper cable and allow full duplex data transfer
rates from 266 Mbit/sec to 1.062 Gbit/sec depending on selection of single
FC-AL Loop, Dual Parallel, or Dual Redundant Loop configurations.
Drives, fans, and redundant power supplies are all hot swappable direct
plugging. Rugged steel enclosures with special PassThrough cooling technology
are especially designed for mission critical applications and have received
UL, CUL, FCC, TUV, and CE certifications.
Contact: Storagepath/SWS; Tel:
+1 (805) 498-6727; Fax: +1 (805) 489-8834; E-mail: storagepath@vcnet.com
- 26-Feb-1997
Sun
Sun has a RAID Mass-Storage Subsystem
called SPARCstorage Array Model 100/200 Series. For full details see the
description
from Sun.
The Sun system currently does not run over a fabric. Sun
has signed an agreement with Ancor Communications to develop and market
jointly the industry's first Fibre Channel attachment to a disk storage
array.
Contact: Deeanna Franklin, Sun Microsystems
Computer Company at (415) 336- 7226.
Symbios
With a transfer rate of one gigabit per second, this Series 3 Fibre Channel
RAID Controller screams at five times the speed of SCSI. The first Fibre
Channel controller specifically designed for OEMs, it uses a Fibre Channel
host interface and single-ended Fast-20 SCSI drive channels. It supports
point-to-point, switched or arbitrated loop fibre topologies.
Contact: Symbios, Symbios
Logic Sales Representatives and Distributors
Tektronix
Profile Disk Recorder
Video Server
Tektronix begins delivering Fibre Channel interface solutions in its Profile
Disk Recorder and Video Server products in Q2 1997. Using network protocols
in a Fibre Channel arbitrated loop topology will allow users to move media
among devices at greater than real time. Many of Tektronix VAR's are already
developing applications to take full advantage of networked Profile Video
Servers.
Contact: Tektronics - 24-Jul-1997
Transoft
SStudioBOSS FC utilizes the Transoft ProRAID-FC, a single hardware based
FC RAID-3 device capable of 75 MB/s speeds. Each ProRAID-FC chassis contains
20 bays and can accommodate from 4 to 180 GB of mass storage. Terabytes
of storage are available through multiple ProRAID-FC devices.
Transoft also offers ProTower-FC, a JBOD storage chassis with a 72 GB
capacity, for use with software striping.- 15-Apr-1997
Contact: Transoft Technology Corporation
(Transoft)
Trimm Technologies
Trimm's SA-H352/2
Enclosure for Eight Fibre Channel Drives
Trimm's SA-H383
Rackmount Enclosure for 24 Fibre Channel Drives
Contact: Trimm Technologies - 24-Jul-1997
UNISYS
Contact: UNISYS - 7-Jan-1998
CERN - High Speed Interconnect
- FCS
Erik van der Bij - 8 May 1998
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