|
 What RAID levels are supported by STORM controllers and systems?
 STORM RAID storage systems and controllers support a wide variety of RAID levels to meet the exact needs of a wide variety of applications and environments. Supported RAID levels include RAID 0,00,1,10,100,3,30,5,50,, and JBOD (Just a Bunch Of Disks). For more information on RAID levels, read our white paper entitled, Keeping Up With RAID.
|
|
What is the performance and capacity of a STORM RAID storage system?
STORM RAID storage systems feature a number of performance enhancing components including the STORM Disk Controller Module (DCM), specially designed STORM Disk Enclosure Modules (DEMs), and high performance Fibre Channel drives. The STORM DCM features 8 independent Fibre Channel connections, dual special purpose processors to speed calculations and I/O transfer rates, a multi-channel architecture capable of up to 1,600 MB/sec, and scalability up to 840 Fibre Channel drives.
Actual performance is highly dependent upon the characteristics of an given application and is determined by a number of variables including RAID level, LUN configuration, drive speeds, data type, block sizes, number of drives per Fibre Channel connection, caching parameters and others – the variations are endless. Data transfer speed can also vary dramatically between burst data transfer rate from cache versus sustained data transfer rate from drives. Digi-Data recommends working with our reseller partners to design and configure a solution that maximizes performance for your environment.
With the 8 independent 2 Gb (200 MB/sec) Fibre Channel connections, STORM systems can scale up to 56 DEMs each containing 16 drives for a total of 840 drives – over 120 TB using 146 GB drives.
|
|
Can STORM be deployed in a SAN environment?
STORM RAID storage systems and controllers offer up to 8 Fibre Channel connections that can be configured for either host or drive. When configured for host connections, STORM can be attached either as Direct Attached Storage (DAS) or to a Storage Area Network (SAN) using 2 Gb Fibre Channel connections.
With their awesome speed, massive scalability, incredible availability, and simplified management, STORM storage systems are ideally suited to the needs of SAN environments.
|
|
What is the difference between STORM and Fibre Sabre systems?
STORM RAID storage systems and controller are the latest generation of products from Digi-Data. They culminate forty years of storage experience and over 12 years of RAID storage experience. STORM systems and controllers are 2 Gb Fibre Channel from disk to host and represent our most advanced engineering for performance, scalability, availability and manageability.
Fibre Sabre RAID storage systems and controllers are our 1Gb/2Gb SCSI-to-Fibre Channel products. They help companies blend the performance of Fibre Channel with the cost effectiveness of SCSI to create high performance systems at a great value.
|
|
Who makes the STORM Controller?
The STORM RAID Controller is designed and manufactured by Digi-Data Corporation, based in Columbia, MD. Digi-Data Corporation has been in the storage industry since 1960, and carries a legacy and reputation for design excellence, product reliability, and high customer satisfaction. The company has received patents for 4 key technologies that have been implemented within the STORM RAID Controller.
|
|
What environments and applications are best suited for STORM?
STORM RAID storage systems and controllers can be attached either as Direct Attached Storage (DAS) or to a Storage Area Network (SAN) using up to 8 independent 2 Gb Fibre Channel connections. STORM products are designed with an innovative modular architecture that provides them the flexibility to be configured to meet the exact needs of a wide variety of applications. This includes the extremes in performance to the heights of scalability, and everything in between.
Some of the demanding applications and environments STORM systems were designed for include:
- Financial information systems
- On-Line Transaction Processing
- Database, data warehousing, and data mining
- High performance computing and clustering
- Web content serving and e-commerce
- Email storage and archive
- Digital prepress and printing
- Video editing, video broadcast, video on demand
- Image and document storage and management
- Continuous data recording, geophysical data processing
- Disk to disk backup and retrieval
|
|
Does Digi-Data sell directly to end users?
No. Digi-Data Corporation sells exclusively through a select group of reseller partners that specialize in configuring, deploying and supporting advanced storage solutions across a wide variety of industries, applications and environments. If you would like to locate a Digi-Data reseller partner, please click Here.
|
|
Do STORM RAID storage systems and controllers include management software?
Yes. STORM RAID storage systems and controllers use an integrated management approach that includes embedded software to offer multiple interfaces to the STORM system. This embedded software, called RECON, can be accessed through a standard browser or through the controller front panel. The same software also controls the front panel LED indicators, warning alarms, and sends alerts via email based on conditional events. The browser interface provides an intuitive graphical experience for the user, simplifying the configuration and maintenance of even complex RAID storage systems. The VFD provides convenient access to STORM status information right from the data center.
|
|
What is so important about STORM’s modular architecture?
The innovative modular architecture of STORM RAID storage systems provides unique capabilities – in performance, availability and flexibility. STORM systems are easier to deploy in more environments with just the right combination of horsepower, scalability and data availability. They can be designed to precisely match current needs, while providing flexible expansion and reconfiguration potential for unforeseen changes in business or technology. The STORM Xtreme number of Fibre Channels enables performance enhancements such as striping across many disks or two dimensional striping. From an availability perspective, Fibre Channels can be configured to survive channel failures as in orthogonal RAID configurations. Small SANs can easily be created without the expense and complexity of a switch. Lastly, high Fiber Channel count delivers Xtreme scale (120TB)
|
|
What programs does Digi-Data offer to support its reseller partners?
Digi-Data offers a multi-tier reseller program designed to help our partners sell our systems more easily and more profitably. To do this, we have created a number of no-cost programs including:
- Pre-sales support – both technical and sales
- Post-sales technical support
- Exclusive website for partners with sales tools and resources
- Dedicated account representative
- Technical training
- Sales training
- Rebate program
- Deal registration
- Marketing support including web seminars and sales leads
- Custom configurations for orders of every size and complexity
- Drop-ship and set delivery dates
- Demo unit program
For more information on becoming a Digi-Data partner, click Here.
|
|
What LUN masking capabilities exist in STORM systems?
LUNs can be masked by WWN an/or port. Blade server configurations requiring a common boot LUN and multiple levels of zoned LUN access are easily achieved. Masking schemes also enable multi-OS sharing of STORM storage systems.
|
|
What flexibility exists in assigning disk drives to LUNs or spares?
Users have complete flexibility in assigning disk drives. LUNs can be configured by one or more group, by individual disk, by specific channel, and by disk enclosure. Spares can be global or restricted by channel, LUN or disk enclosure module. The ability to assign any disk, anywhere to any LUN at anytime eliminates sub-optimal configurations while enabling users to establish application specific and/or department specific sparing and capacity schemes. RAID 10 configurations can be created which survive multiple disk failures.
|
|
How easy is it to expand disk capacity?
With STORM’s multi-port disk enclosure modules (DEM), incremental capacity can be created at anytime by daisy chaining additional DEMs or connecting additional DEMs directly to disk controller module channels.
|
|
What is DNET?
DNET is the acronym for Digi-NET. The Digi-NET interface on STORM disk controller modules has been developed to support inter-controller communications in redundant controller configurations through a simple RJ-45 based out-of-band connection.
|
|
What is a VFD?
As part of the STORM RECON management framework, the disk controller module front panel VFD (Vacuum Florescent Display) enables users to quickly access important system information. The VFD is a unique bit mapped display that delivers 12 pages of important systems operational and performance information. In data center applications this eliminates the need for a local computer.
|
|
How are cables connected in STORM systems?
Both STORM disk controller modules and disk enclosure modules are equipped with rear panel connectors for all interfaces providing for simple and secure cable management in data center environments. With front panel access for the disk controller module hot-swappable fan tray and power supplies and front panel access to all drives within disk enclosure modules mean-time-to-repair is reduced and cable mishaps during maintenance are eliminated. |
