It's more than a SAN; SCSI, IP, and VIA protocols share single, integrated fibre channel switching fabric to increase performance and reduce operating costs of total system network.
15 November 1999 — Transferring a corner of its information technology laboratory to the floor of the COMDEX computer industry show here, Hitachi Data Systems this week began public demonstrations of a multi-protocol data-exchange network, an advanced implementation of its Hitachi Freedom Data Networks(tm) (FDN) architecture.
For the first time anywhere, SCSI, IP, and VIA — three of the most common data movement protocols — have been combined in a single, integrated switching fabric based on Fibre Channel technology. The result is a system network with the potential for substantially reducing total cost of operation and greatly increasing performance in e-business applications.
This network relies on the interoperability of components from a variety of vendors. One switch, for example, communicates with two different storage subsystems and switches from two different vendors communicate with the same storage subsystem.
The Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) Fibre Channel protocol controls data flow through a Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN) between multiple servers and multiple storage subsystems.
The Internet Protocol (IP) Fibre Channel protocol controls the flow of system commands between multiple servers in a database cluster over a Fibre Channel SAN, instead of a Local Area Network (LAN).
The Virtual Interface Architecture (VIA) protocol controls the flow of bulk data at high speed between multiple servers in a database cluster over the same SAN.
Clustered Servers Drive Data Mining Demo at Warp Speed "We're demonstrating a real working storage area network," said Jeff Edwards, Vice President and General Manager, Hitachi Data Systems Enterprise Solutions. "But it's more than just a SAN. It's a SAN, a LAN, and a high-speed data pipe all in one. This extended capability offers end users an attractive opportunity to reduce network costs — as well as achieve high-speed data transfer — in a variety of important application areas such as data mining and data warehousing."
Hitachi Data Systems' COMDEX demonstration allows visitors to participate in a data mining application using the DB2 Universal Database Extended Enterprise Edition, with the contents of the database spread across a cluster of Windows NT servers. This massively parallel configuration enables the system to scan the database at the rate of one million rows of information per second - ten to twenty times faster than what is experienced in conventional system configurations.
Laboratory benchmarks show that the system is able to move data from one server to another up to 6.5 times faster than in a conventional Internet configuration based on 100-megabit per second technology. This high level of performance can be sustained even as the number of concurrent users is substantially increased.
"Enterprises are looking forward to commodity server clusters to deliver the reliability and scalability that is demanded by e-commerce," said Dave Guerrero, Chairman of the Clustering, SAN, Fibre Channel Laboratory Steering Committee of the Information & Computer Science Department at the University of California at Irvine and Chairman of the Cluster International Alliance. "The ability to share access to storage makes clustering a killer application for SAN. Hitachi's pioneering work with IP and VI for communication between servers through the same SAN that provides shared access to storage, enhances the use of SAN and opens up a new dimension for open clustering technologies."
"Hitachi Data Systems is demonstrating an innovative information asset management network that highlights the advanced capabilities of Fibre Channel technology," said Edward M. Frymoyer, President of Market Research Firm, EMF Associates. "For end users, the return on their investment in this technology will continue to increase as Hitachi and others exploit it to improve performance and reduce total cost of ownership."
The system configuration demonstrated at COMDEX includes a cluster of four four-way Windows NT servers, a Hitachi Freedom Storage 7700E subsystem, and a Hitachi Freedom Storage 5800 subsystem. Data is routed between the servers and between the servers and the storage subsystems via Ancor and Brocade switches. Emulex host bus adapter cards connect the servers to communications lines dedicated to the SCSI and IP protocols, while Finisar host bus adapters connect the servers to lines dedicated to the VI protocol.
Recognized as a leading provider of business solutions for the world's most IT-intensive corporations, Hitachi Data Systems offers professional services, multiplatform storage subsystems, and the industry's broadest line of high-performance servers. The company's extensive range of products and services, coupled with its business alliances with key industry leaders, enable it to transform IT into business agility for high-end and middle-market customers. Hitachi Data Systems is a founding member and United States Co-Chair of the Cluster International Alliance. Hitachi Data Systems is owned by Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT) and has its headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
Contacts: PR: Hitachi Data Systems
Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. Freedom Storage and Freedom Data Networks are trademarks of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation.UNIX is a trademark in the United States and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company, Limited.
Newsroom
