(April 13, 1999)
Milpitas, CA - DISC Inc. (NASDAQ: DCSR), a leading manufacturer
of automated library solutions for enterprise storage, and Pathlight Technology,
Inc. announced today that they have entered into an OEM agreement to supply
the first Storage Area Network Optical Archive (SANOA). SANOA is an automated
nearline optical data storage solution that embeds Pathlight's SAN Gateway
into DISC's Orion Series storage devices. This integrated solution delivers
Fibre Channel connectivity via the SAN Gateway to the DISC library and
enables sharing of storage resources from multiple hosts with remote monitoring
and management of data.
Fibre Channel Connectivity
Utilizing Pathlight Technology's SAN Gateway, the DISC
storage library is able to connect directly to Fibre Channel-enabled servers.
SANOA supports up to 3 direct configurable Fibre Channel connections with
up to 10km between storage servers and systems. SAN configurations using
multiple direct connections create the most reliable SAN solutions and
do not require hubs, switches and bridges. "As the amount of data
on networks and access to that data grow exponentially, the data throughput
and connectivity requirements of many of our customers are no longer satisfied
by direct SCSI connections," stated J. Richard Ellis, President and
CEO of DISC. "By integrating Pathlight's Technology into our Orion
library family, we are able to offer our customers new dimensions in the
data flow, connectivity and management of nearline optical archive systems.
Furthermore, as the name implies, SANOA offers a solution for the emerging
storage area network market."
Sharing of Storage Resources
Sharing storage resources in one of the key benefits
of SANs. Disc's SANOA allows multiple host access to optical nearline
archives and provides customers with a reliable means of managing, tracking
and sharing data between systems. This is accomplished by using the Pathlight
SAN Gateway's access control features to ensure data integrity. Channel
access control creates zones, which are created by controlling the access
between different channels or ports. Multiple zones sharing common SAN
connectivity channels can be created. SANOA is completely independent,
requiring no software components on the host.
"In creating SANOA using the SAN Gateway, DISC
has demonstrated an understanding of the broad requirements for implementing
Storage Area Network-based solutions," Said Rahmani, Senior Vice
President of Pathlight Technology stated. "This is a fully realized
SAN solution, that combines the concept of shared resources with the need
for fundamental access controls, management facilities and cross-platform
connectivity. As a result, customers are getting far more than simply
another attached device. They are getting an integral component designed
to meet today's storage needs and tomorrow's enterprise-wide SAN implementations."
Remote Monitoring and Management of Data
As the amount of data that organizations process continues
to increase, the ability to share data across storage networks is increasingly
important. SANOA provides a complete remote management solution to configure
and maintain the SAN via out-of-hand Ethernet interfaces using SNMP, through
a platform-independent Java application. A server-based Java application
communicates with all connected devices. Two viewing models, tree view
and front panel view, are available for SAN management via out-of-band
Ethernet interfaces using SNMP, through a platform-independent Java application.
The SAN's heartbeat can be remotely or centrally monitored and controlled
from a single point with complete event logging and notification, error
analysis and health check for predictive failure analysis.
About Pathlight
Pathlight Technology, Inc. has been defining, developing and implementing
Storage Area Networks (Sans) since 1994. As the leading provider of SAN
solutions, the company has made the sharing of critical data storage resources
possible in some of today's most challenging environments, ranging from
banks and corporations to cable news and television broadcast facilities.
Pathlight develops, manufactures and markets a complete family of SAN
products. For more information call (607) 266-4000 or visit www.pathlight.com.
About DISC
DISC Incorporated manufactures an extensive family of automated library
solutions for enterprise storage. DISC products range in capacity from
104 GBs to 5.4 TBs and are designed for high performance and maximum reliability.
Customers seeking more information may reach DISC at
1-800-944-3472 or (408)934-7000. www.disc-storage.com |
