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The Benefits
of RAID provide real-time data recovery with uninterrupted access when
a hard drive fails
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Increases
system uptime and network availability
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Protects
against data loss
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Multiple
drives working in parallel increase system performance
In the
past computer systems were often restricted to writing information to a
single disk. This disk was usually expensive and prone to failure.
Hard disks have always been the weakest link in computer systems because
the devices are the only mechanical member of an otherwise all electronic
system. The disk drive contains a mass of moving mechanical parts
operating at high speed. The question is not whether a drive will
fail, but when a drive will fail.
RAID
was designed to revolutionize the way computers managed and accessed mass
storage of data by providing an inexpensive and redundant system of disks.
Instead of writing to one single large expensive disk, RAID writes
to multiple independent disks. RAID accomplishes its goals
of redundancy and fault tolerance by doing two things; one is striping
and the other is parity checking. Striping means that files are written
a block at a time over multiple disks. The striping technique devides
data across many drives and improves data transfer rate and total disk
transaction times. Such systems are good for transaction processing,
but suffer from poor reliability because the system is only as reliable
as the weakest individual drive. Parity
checking ensures that the data is valid by performing a reundancy check
on all data following a transmission. With parity, one of the disks
on a RAID system can fail and the other disks have the ability to rebuild
the failed disk. In both cases, these functions are transparent to
the operating system. A Disk Array Controller handles both striping
and parity control. Adaptec
has three powerful new microprocessor-based Ultra160 SCSI RAID controllers
for entry- and mid-range servers. The Adaptec SCSI RAID 2100S, Adaptec
SCSI RAID 3200S and Adaptec SCSI RAID 3400S controllers deliver reliable,
high-performance data protection to support critical business applications.
These
new controllers are part of Adaptec's "RAID Everywhere" initiative, a program
aimed at making RAID ubiquitous on PC servers. "RAID Everywhere" is a revolutionary
initiative that focuses on driving RAID costs down, making the technology
easier to use, and more available.  An Intel solution is the IntelŪ RAID Controller SRCU42L, which offers the latest SCSI technology, Ultra320, in a low-profile form factor for high-density server applications. Featuring the IntelŪ 80303 I/O processor, the Intel RAID Controller SRCU42L includes two Ultra320 SCSI channels (one internal and one external)ūsupporting up to 30 SCSI devices (15 per channel). This feature-rich RAID controller enables you to deliver storage solutions with very high availability and enhanced data protection. The IntelŪ RAID Controller SRCU42L provides the latest in technological innovation. Featuring the IntelŪ 80303 I/O processor, the low-profile RAID Controller SRCU42L includes two Ultra320 SCSI channels, 64-bit/66MHz (3.3V and 5V) PCI support, and 64MB embedded ECC SDRAM, and it supports high-density solutions, and RAID levels 0, 1, 4, 5, and 10, and JBOD.
For entry-level and midrange Intel-based servers, the Intel Server RAID Product makes exceptional data protection and manageability affordable . Intel's Server
RAID Controller U3-1 provides an outstanding combination of RAID
price/performance with a 64-bit PCI connector for enhanced data throughput.
This controller is an Ultra160 LVD (Low Voltage Differential) SCSI, single-channel
controller that supports a burst data transfer rate of up to 160 Mbytes/second.
Designed and validated for Intel server boards and platforms, the SRCU31
controller enables ease of integration and flexible support for RAID levels
0, 1, 5, and 10 for the optimum balance of fault tolerance and data throughput.
The high-integration Intel® i960® RN I/O processor supports best-of-class
RAID performance. The
SRCU31 controller with Intel Server RAID Storage Console software enables
end-users at all experience levels to choose from typical or more advanced
RAID features. Examples include online capacity expansion, online drive
roaming, and online RAID level migration without rebooting the system.
With support for hot-plug drives, global hot spares, and automatic rebuild,
data remains available, even in the event of a disk failure. Users can
add a new hot-swap hard drive, do a bus scan and have the new disk available
for RAID array expansion without interrupting workflow to reboot the system.
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Grant
selective network access to authorized remote and corporate users
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Authenticate
network users with strong authentication techniques before granting access
to sensitive corporate data
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Ensure
the privacy and integrity of communications over untrusted, public networks
like the Internet Provide content security at the gateway to screen malicious
content, such as viruses and malevolent Java/ActiveX applets
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Detect
network attacks and misuse in real time and respond automatically to defeat
an attack Protect internal network addressing schemes and conserve IP addresses
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Ensure
high availability to network resources and applications
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Deliver
detailed logging and accounting information on all communication attempts
With its
Enterprise Security Management product family, Check Point Software Technologies
offers a comprehensive set of solutions that meet these demanding requirements.
Check Point’s FireWall-1/VPN-1 security suites enable all functionality
to be deployed and managed with a single enterprise-wide security policy
for straightforward management and administration. Enterprise
security solutions are unified by Check Point's OPSEC [Open Platform for
Secure Enterprise Connectivity] policy management framework which provides
central integration, configuration and management for Check Point products
as well as other third-party security applications. Only Check Point provides
organizations with the ability to define a single, integrated security
policy that can be distributed across multiple gateways and managed remotely
from anywhere on the enterprise network. There is never any need to individually
reconfigure each security gateway. All
of Check Point’s security solutions are built on Stateful Inspection, the
de facto standard for network security that was invented and patented by
Check Point. Stateful Inspection provides full application-layer awareness
without requiring a separate proxy for every Internet service and protocol.
This provides unparalleled performance, scalability, and the ability to
support new and custom applications and services quickly and easily.
CDI can provide you with Intel RAID storage systems, service and support.
Additional CDI Favorites
As the process of managing IT struggles to keep pace with new technology, and storage and networking infrastructure demands increase, the industry has no choice but to unleash a plethora of new storage management tools and techniques.
Adaptec's long-anticipated Ultra320 bus, the most advanced interface available, takes a step toward meeting today's ever-changing speed and storage requirements. The Ultra320 SCSI is the next step in the SCSI evolution with a bus that has a
staggering maximum data-transfer speed of 320 Mbps.
CRN
Test Center engineers tested the integrity of the Ultra320 bus against Adaptec's
Ultra160 bus. Both Adaptec SCSI cards (39320D and 29160N) were installed into a
Hewlett-Packard NetServer LH 3000/3000r running Microsoft Windows Advanced
Server 2000. The 64-bit slot allowed Test Center engineers to achieve the full
bandwidth of the Ultra320 card. Once the cards were installed, two SCSI cables
were attached, each with four unformatted 36.7-Gbyte Maxtor Atlas 10K III
Ultra320 drives, for a total of eight drives.
 Each
card's performance was measured using Iometer from Intel, which can read and
write data to a storage device according to script. An 11-stage script was used,
and each stage had different settings for data-block size and data-position
randomness. As Iometer moved from one stage to the next, the script decreased
the block size while increasing the randomness of the data's position.
The first
stage simulated a data-streaming application, which typically involves large
data sets that are accessed sequentially. The last stage simulated database and
multiuser access, which typically involves excessive seek time and small data
sets. The settings of the other stages represent everything between those
extremes. All stages were set to produce an equal number of reads and writes.
The block
size of the first stage was set to 1 Mbyte and decreased by half, using
geometric regression, each time Iometer moved to another stage. Simultaneously,
the script increased the data-position randomness by 10 percent as it moved from
one stage to the next. The first stage had zero percent randomness; the second
had 10 percent, and so on, until the 11th stage, which invoked 100 percent
data-location randomness.
CRN
Test Center engineers found there were distinct advantages when it came to using
the Ultra320 bus in a multiple-drive array. Overall, there was a 9 percent
performance increase in operations per second and a 16 percent performance
increase in throughput. The Ultra320 bus shined brightest in instances when the
data was more random and the blocks of data were smaller. Once randomness hit
the 70 percent mark, the Ultra160 bus started to drop off at an alarming rate in
both operations per second and throughput.
For
example, under operations per second, when block size was 2 Kbytes and
randomness was at a 90 percent clip, the Ultra320 card outperformed the Ultra160
card by an amazing 47.65 percent. At 4-Kbyte block size and 80 percent
randomness, the Ultra320 card surpassed the Ultra160 at a rate of 33.92 percent.
 The
added bandwidth really showed in the area of throughput. When the block size was
1 Kbyte and randomness was at 100 percent, the Ultra320 operated 82.12 percent
better than the Ultra160. Also, the maximum throughput under the Ultra320 card
was 156.21 MBps, while under the Ultra160 the maximum throughput was 85.77
MBps,a difference of 55 percent.
The
Ultra320 bus can be advantageous in database use. Companies that have many
employees accessing a centralized server would be able to cut down on the delay
time in retrieving and transferring files. The card also would facilitate the
transferring of large amounts of data onto SANs or external devices much more
quickly and efficiently.
CRN
engineers found that testing the bus speed with a single drive attached showed
no distinct advantage between drives of low rotational velocity and density. For
example, attaching a single 36.7-Gbyte Maxtor Atlas 10K III Ultra320 drive to
either the Ultra320 or Ultra160 bus showed no significant difference. However,
testing the buses on drives with higher density and a faster rotational velocity
was an entirely different story.
 Test
Center engineers tested Maxtor's 73.4-Gbyte Atlas 10K III Ultra320 drive in a
head-to-head comparison with Seagate's 15K ST373453LC, 73.4 Gbytes in density.
Results from top to bottom were overwhelming, regardless of block size or
randomness. The percent difference in operations per second in comparing the two
drives ranged between 31.64 percent and 78.72 percent. The pattern was the same
as in the earlier multiple-drive array tests,the percent difference increased
when data was more random and the blocks of data decreased. The maximum
throughput under the Ultra320 card was 57.30 MBps, while under the Ultra160 the
maximum throughput was 32.06 MBps.
Some might
argue that this is an unfair comparison, since one drive is spinning faster. But
because the drives' densities were the same, Test Center engineers felt the
margin of difference should not have been so great, even with a difference of
5,000 rpm. Whether using it as a single drive or in an array, the Seagate 15K
ST373453LC drive will offer the optimum performance.
If speed
is a necessity and price is not an issue, the Seagate drive is the better
choice. The price of the drives increases as drive density and rotational
velocity increase. The current suggested retail price of Seagate's 15K
ST373453LC is $939, while Maxtor's 73.4-Gbyte Atlas 10K III Ultra320 drive is
priced at $799. Depending on a customer's deployment, solution providers must
decide whether the added speed is worth the price difference.
If a
customer needs a multiple-drive array and price is a concern, opting for the
Ultra320 bus with the Maxtor drives would offer a modest array. If price is not
a concern, Test Center engineers would recommend the Seagate 15K ST373453LC
drives in a multiple-drive array, getting the maximum performance out of their
platform.
As data
continues to grow exponentially, a faster and more efficient means of accessing
this data and transferring it to storage will become an issue for more
companies. Adaptec's Ultra320 bus is a good choice for high capacity and high
reliability, as well as an obvious speed upgrade for those who need it most.
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