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| IDC |
| . |
"Like
water flowing out of a hose, email has the potential to fill our inboxes and
workdays, overwhelming our abilities to navigate through the growing currents of
content," said Mark Levitt, vice president of IDC's Collaborative Computing
program. "To ensure that email continues to be a valuable business and
personal communications tool, suppliers and customers will need to find new ways
to provide near-real-time access through desktop, mobile, and wireless devices
to important and time-sensitive email content and alerts for more effective
collaboration."
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Daily Email Usage to Exceed
60 Billion by 2006, According to IDC
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - September 26, 2002 – Email volume will
continue to explode as person-to-person emails are joined by rapidly-growing
numbers of spam and email alerts and notifications, according to IDC. In 2006,
the total number of email messages sent daily is expected to exceed 60 billion
worldwide, up from 31 billion in 2002, and slightly more than half of these
messages will be person-to-person emails.
According to IDC, email users will demand greater access to message
filtering technology to quickly distinguish between high and low priority
messages and to delete spam. Additionally, Web browsers will remain the primary
access method for all emailboxes worldwide through 2006.
...IDC profile |
Email Usage to Exceed 60 Billion
by 2006, According to IDC
Guardian Digital Launches Engarde to Provide Enterprises with Linux
Security Solutions
Sun May Start Selling PCs
Antares Microsystems and LSI Logic
Announce Availability of Ultra320 SCSI Host Bus Adapter
Sun Hammers Out
Network Security
"The Network is Still the Computer"
Reaffirms Sun CEO, Scott McNealy
Tadpole 's SPARCbook 6500 Packs
650MHz Processor
Force Introduces Fastest SPARC Embedded Server Blade
Ideas International Lets Subscribers Compare Costs of Hosting
Databases on Major Server Platforms
earlier news -
archive |
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Nibble Re: The Storage Software Industry is Still Using
1970s Style Control Theory
Why isn't the solid state disk
accelerator market already a 5 to 10 billion dollar market?
I was
asking myself this question the other day, prompted by Sun's disclosure at the
SunNetwork Conference in September that its next SPARC processor, due to be
shipping in systems by January, will once again be only a little bit faster, and
not a LOT faster as most of their server customers would really like.
The fact is that if you've already got your main servers stuffed up with the
fastest processors from Intel, Sun, HP, IBM or whoever, then installing a solid
state disk accelerator in the right place can often speed up the entire storage
network by 20 to 30 percent at a cost which may only be 10% or so of the server
itself. So by any measure that seems like good value for money, even in today's
cash strapped times. Of course solid state disk acceleration is happening
here and there, but not yet on a wide scale, and it got me thinking about why.
Part
of the problem is that it takes knowledge about where the bottlenecks are in
your system and that can change with every new release of your application
software. Although it's economic to buy the hardware side of the solid state
disk accelerator solution, the soft side still relies heavily on human experts
to make the speedup work. Without expert tuning you won't get the full benefit
of the expensive hardware, and in a worst case scenario might not get any
benefit at all.
That's a big risk for users to take. Users are
cautious and will want to trial the new technology or have performance
guarantees as part of their contracts.
Solid state disk manufacturers
are keenly aware that the shape of their sales ramp is limited mainly by the
number of their applications engineers until they can find ways to automate the
tuning process of discovering what's in the users' network, modelling it and
then optimising it. That got me thinking about how primitive the whole storage
software market really is in comparion to where it would like users to think it
is. Most storage software nowadays is designed around a control paradigm which
resembles heavy industry in the 1970's.
In the 1970's petrochemical
manufacturers used thousands of individual electronic controllers to
automatically control the opening and shutting of valves which controlled the
flow of liquids, gases, heat and other things flowing through the hundreds of
miles of pipework in a typical plant. The electronic controllers were a great
improvement on their pneumatic predecessors, because they could operate faster
and were less liable to jam due to dust or drift due to leaks. But a typical
plant still had to employ hundreds of instrument engineers and mechanical
fitters to keep the control infrastructure humming, and dozens of "board
men" whose job was solely to watch the thousands of meters and dials and
alarms and keep an eye on fluctuations before things got too much out of hand.
In the hierarchy the process people and control engineers were the gods who, in
their design of the plant and occasional tweaking, determined what type of
control strategy would be used, and the quality and repeatability of the end
product.
By the mid 1980's most of these heavy industries were on the
second or third generation of digital controllers which not only simplified the
collection and display of all this critical data, but also facilitated a new
type of control strategy based on SCADA (Supervisory Control And Data
Acquisition) systems. Eventually software would be trusted to keep an eye on
things. And as the systems got more reliable, process designers realised that
adaptive control systems could be entrusted to learn what was out there in the
plant, measure how it responded and optimise the control over a the entire
manufacturing process, not just for a single control loop.
Despite the
hype put out by companies like EMC about the abilities of their storage
management software we are still very far away from the ideal data storage
factory control model. Virtualization is a part of the jigsaw which will
eventually lead to an enterprise wide solution. But we're still very much at the
level of individual loop control which the oil business was using way back in
the 1970s. Your storage devices may be connected by networks but making sure
that everything operates together seamlessly to deliver data quickly when people
need it still requires a lot of manual intervention.
Until the storage
management software you run in your orgazination is intelligent enough to learn
by itself what kinds of applications you're running, and the characteristics of
your different types of storage devices, your ability to make the best use out
of new storage technologies will be limited by your own technical skills and the
amount of work and effort you are prepared to put into solving your own
performance and resource utilization problems. And having solved them once you
may have to still solve them again whenever you buy some new software or
hardware which changes the mix.
Adding a solid state disk accelerator
or tape library to your system is easy now. You connect it to the network and
click a mouse a few times. Telling it to find out what else is out there and
optimise its operation chosen from some sensible defaults for that kind of a
device should also be a one click process. Telling it to keep itself up to date
automatically when new hardware or applications are added should be just as
simple.
The challenge for the storage industry is to get out of the age
of manually adjusting individual control loops and processes and use tools
which are designed for operating a storage network like a data factory. When
that happens the solid state disk accelerator market is going to be a 10
billion dollar market, and a lot of other things are going to be affected as
well. The end point is to make all your computer assets work better for you,
and to make sure that in the meantime you avoid buying products which won't fit
in with the hands off storage management strategy.
See also:-
SAN - software,
Solid state disks | |
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| Guardian
Digital |
Guardian Digital Launches
Engarde to Provide Enterprises with Linux Security Solutions
Allendale, New Jersey - September 24, 2002 - Guardian Digital,
Inc. has today formerly launched the EnGarde Secure Linux server operating
system, EnGarde Secure Professional. EnGarde Secure Professional is a
comprehensive enterprise software solution that provides all the tools necessary
to build a complete, secure online presence. This provides organi-zations with a
cost-effective and proven platform capable of supporting thousands of Web sites
and e-mail domains. Designed with security and ease of management as its primary
focus, EnGarde Secure Professional allows organizations to increase productivity
while reducing support and infrastructure costs.
EnGarde Secure Professional is priced at $549, and EnGarde Secure
Workgroup is available for only $49.95. All products include installation and
configuration support within 60 days of purchase. ...Guardian Digital |
| Sun Microsystems |
Sun May Start Selling PCs
Editor:-
September 20, 2002 - At SunNetwork Conference this week Sun Microsystems
indicated that it may start selling Intel architecture PCs effectively as
terminals to its server customers in lots of 100. This is effectively the same
strategy which was proposed by a SPARC Product Directory
leader article way
back in 1999.
However, because Sun can't bear the thought of
paying software royalties to Microsoft, Sun will ship these PCs with a Linux
operating environment. The scheme, which is not as crazy as it sounds has been
called "Project Mad Hatter". As indicated in previous articles in the
SPARC Product Directory, Sun will not manufacturer PCs but will badge engineer
them like everyone else.
It remains to be seen when Sun will follow
this to its logical conclusion and eventually ship PCs with CrashWare
preinstalled like everyone else. However that may significantly increase the
price of the terminals which will need added hardware and a cutout in the
front of the box for the reset button. ...Sun Microsystems profile |
Antares Microsystems
LSI
Logic |
| . |
"As the
enterprise market migrates to Ultra320 technology, working with LSI Logic to
incorporate the Fusion-MPT architecture onto the Antares P0078 HBA has enabled
us to provide the most advanced and reliable SCSI solution to the Solaris and
Linux market," said Al Basseri, director of business development &
marketing for Antares Microsystems. "The leadership position that LSI Logic
has established with their Ultra320 SCSI product enables us to provide our
customers with a very robust solution."
"Our close working relationship with Antares allows for early
product development and adoption of the advantage of our Fusion-MPT
architecture," said David Steele, director for product development and
planning at the LSI Logic Storage Standard Product Division. "Use of our
Ultra320 SCSI controllers on the Antares HBA broadens support for Solaris and
Linux environments and provides customers a reliable, leading-edge technology
solution." | |
Antares Microsystems and
LSI Logic Announce Availability of Ultra320 SCSI Host Bus Adapter
MILPITAS,
Calif. and CAMPBELL, Calif. - September 19, 2002 - Antares Microsystems and LSI
Logic Corporation today announced availability of the Antares Ultra320 SCSI
host bus adapter (HBA), the P0078, an implementation of the LSI Logic Fusion-MPT
-based Ultra320 SCSI controller, the dual-channel LSI53C1030.
The
Antares HBA provides doubles the data-transfer speed of current Ultra160 SCSI
technology and represents the fourth generation of SCSI HBA based on LSI Logic
silicon. The P0078 enterprise-quality HBA supports 64-bit/133MHz PCI-X, and
the PCI 2.2 standard. Designed for optimal performance on both Solaris and Linux
servers and workstations, the P0078 supports packetized SCSI transfers, grouped
commands, messages and status bytes at full data-transfer speeds, reducing the
protocol overhead.
LSI Logic was first to full production of both single-channel and
dual-channel Ultra320 SCSI controllers and first to announce commercial
availability of a full line of Ultra320 SCSI host bus adapters. All LSI Logic
Ultra320 SCSI products incorporate the Fusion-MPT architecture, which is
considered the industry's fastest, most versatile message-passing storage
interface. Ultra320 SCSI products and data transfer rates are optimal for use in
multimedia video and audio streaming, data warehousing applications, web servers
and RAID applications.
...Antares
Microsystems profile,
...LSI Logic profile
See
also:- SCSI adapter cards |
| Sun
Microsystems |
| . |
"Today's
announcements underscore the security strategy Sun has followed since its
inception - open, trusted, comprehensive and built-in to all Sun products and
technologies," said Diffie. "Sun has never accepted security as an
afterthought and our customers must be proactive in making security part of
their networks. We don't just make security products - we build security into
everything we make - always have, always will. Sun's security solutions are easy
enough for e-commerce and secure enough for homeland security." | |
Sun Hammers Out Network
Security
SAN FRANCISCO - September 19, 2002
- Sun Microsystems, Inc. today added to its existing world-class security
portfolio with over 10 new customer-ready security products, solutions, and
services. In a keynote speech made today at the SunNetwork Conference, Whitfield
Diffie, Sun's chief security officer, provocatively suggested that - rather than
being an insurance policy - secure systems are a critical enabler to the future
of business and Net commerce. Some of the announcements:-
- Open source contribution of Elliptic Curve Cryptographic
technologies to the OpenSSL Project.
- SuperNets: A secure enterprise network built out of an
unsecure, general purpose, network infrastructure - like the Internet. SuperNets
give users first class access to enterprise networks from anywhere.
- SAML: Now included in the Sun ONE architecture, the
Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) is an XML-based framework for
exchanging security information.
- iForce Solution for Security: Perimeter Security: An open,
integrated security solution designed to help enterprises and service providers
detect, prevent and respond quickly to today's threats. The solution combines
software from Sun, Check Point, Symantec, Trend Micro, Tripwire, e-Security, and
Sanctum.
- iForce Solution for Security: Secure Web Server: A
comprehensive, web server solution to better secure vital websites and
transactions; partners include PentaSafe, Sanctum, and Ubizen.
- Security Policy Workshop and Security Policy Development
Service: Help customers tie their business and technical requirements to their
security principles to build a solid foundation for their systems design.
- Enhanced Educational Services: A new training curriculum
focused on security, which extends through perimeter defense and secure
eCommerce applications. Core offerings include platform hardening, data
integrity, and security policy.
- Best Practices: The Sun Security Blueprints/best practices
are being consolidated into a new book by Alex Noordergraaf from Prentice Hall
Publishing, to be published soon.
...Sun Microsystems profile
Editor's
comments: -inexplicably, goblin hammers didn't appear in Sun's announcement
today, but we know that Gunnar enterprises are sometimes slow to respond to
email inquiries. |
| Sun
Microsystem |
"The Network is Still
the Computer" Reaffirms Sun CEO, Scott McNealy
SAN
FRANCISCO, CA - September 18, 2002 - Sun Microsystems, Inc. CEO Scott McNealy
kicked off Sun's user conference, SunNetwork 2002, beating a drum to the same
mantra the company has held during its 20-year history, "The Network is the
Computer." McNealy proclaimed Sun's unwavering commitment to its long-time
corporate vision and focused business strategy. McNealy welcomed over 8,000 IT
managers, system administrators, software developers and 200 best-in-class
partners from 35 countries and 14 industries to the three-day event at Moscone
Center in San Francisco.
"Sun remains focused on three big commitments for our customers:
choice, innovation and value," Sun CEO Scott McNealy said to the crowd of
enthusiastic Sun users and partners. "From the first computer Sun ever
shipped, we've offered open interfaces to ensure our customers are not locked in
- making sure they have choice. Over the years we've invested heavily in R&D,
delivering several great innovations. Finally, we promise value as leader in
price performance."
In a
separate
announcement today, Sun disclosed details of a new 1.2 GHz SPARC
processor which will ship in Sun systems next January. ...Sun Microsystems
profile |
| Tadpole |
| . |
Asked about
Tadpole's SPARCbook 6500 initiative, Graham Brown, president of Tadpole's
hardware businesses, comments, "We will continue to aggressively roll out
products with the innovation, power, performance and pricing that supports the
industry's ever changing computing requirements. Our laptops offer a singularly
unique solution, in that they are 100 percent compatible with all 12,000 plus
Sun Solaris applications, but in a truly portable design. This strategy has
placed Tadpole as the leader in UNIX mobile computing, and it will keep us
there." | |
Tadpole 's SPARCbook 6500
Packs 650MHz Processor
Carlsbad (CA) and Cambridge (UK) - September
18, 2002 - Tadpole today announced October General Availability of the
SPARCbook 6500, the most powerful notebook yet to be developed by the California
firm for federal and homeland defense agencies, and Global 2000 enterprises.
With today's announcement, Tadpole provides a one-stop shop for the
highest quality, U.S. manufactured UNIX® notebook computers supporting a
range of budgets and mobile computing requirements. Built around Sun's 650MHz
UltraSPARC IIi microprocessor and Solaris 8 Operating Environment, Tadpole's
SPARCbook 6500 delivers thirty percent more computing power than its previous
top-of-the-range notebook model, the SPARCbook 5000.
The power and computing capability of Tadpole's portable workstations
unshackle network administrators from their desks, empower military intelligence
gathering operations in the field, and facilitate the drive of enterprise
software sales engineers to up-the-beat of their customer-facing,
revenue-generating programs.
Just 1.8" deep and weighing 7.5lbs, the SPARCbook 6500 delivers
the power of a Sun workstation and monitor in a portable form factor. It's also
one hundred percent binary compatible with these traditional solutions, has 15.1"
SXGA+ display resolutions, 2GB of DRAM memory, hot-swap removable disk capacity
of up to 120GB, and a gamut of I/O ports.
Other SPARCbook 6500 features include a CD-RW/DVD-ROM, dual Ethernet,
PCMCIA sockets, stereo speakers, and a Sun compatible integrated keyboard with
glide-point touchpad and 3-button mouse. Its numerous networking, serial,
parallel, PS2, video and USB ports give unprecedented system expansion and
network connectivity. ...Tadpole profile |
| Force
Computers |
 |
| . |
"From
telecom and data com to industrial control to defense and aerospace and more,
the CPSB-560 embedded server blade gives OEMs access to the best-in-class
processors, memory, interfaces and onboard storage for highly integrated,
reliable solutions," said Daniel Wuhrer, Force product marketing manager. "As
Force extends SPARC support in PICMG 2.16 cPSB-compliant platforms with the
CPSB-560, we will continue to advance early access to leading technologies in
the embedded space as seen by the board's huge SDRAM, large disk drive, dual
Gigabit Ethernet and UltraSPARC-IIi+ 650MHz processor rating-compared to a
maximum of 500MHz on competitive products. And because this processor appears
on Sun's embedded roadmap, it ensures an upgrade path to 700MHz."
| |
Force Introduces Fastest
SPARC Embedded Server Blade
SUNNETWORK 2002, SAN FRANCISCO - Sept.
18, 2002 - Force Computers today introduced the fastest available
UltraSPARC-IIi+® processor-based embedded server blade, the CPSB-560,
designed for high-performance, energy-efficient applications in communications,
storage, industrial control, defense, aerospace and others requiring completely
integrated, highly reliable solutions. Force is showing the CPSB-560 embedded
server blade at SunNetwork 2002, Booth P35 this week. Features:-
- UltraSPARC-IIi+ 650MHz processor (with roadmap to 700MHz)
- dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces
- up to 2GBytes SDRAM (with memory module)
- optional IDE hard-disk drive to 60GBytes
- PICMG 2.16 CompactPCI Packet-Switching Backplane
- Solaris 8-system-on-a-board
CPSB-560s will be available through
Force's Early Access Unit (EAU) program in September 2002 with volume shipments
scheduled for January 2003. Single-unit-quantity prices start at $2,940.
...Force
Computers profile |
| Ideas
International |
| . |
Commenting on
the new extension, IDEAS Chief Executive Officer, Ian Birks, said "This new
research offering represents a logical extension to our current hardware
platforms and operating systems research that is provided through our CPSystems
module. By using our built-in configurator tool it is easy for a customer to run
various what-if scenarios comparing database software products on different
platforms. If a user saves any analysis they create then it will be
automatically updated with any price or product changes when re-opened at a
later date".
| |
Ideas International Lets
Subscribers Compare Costs of Hosting Databases on Major Server Platforms
SYDNEY -
September 18, 2002 – Australian-based global IT market research company,
Ideas International Limited , has today announced a new extension to its
Competitive Profiles suite of continuous information services that allows
subscribers to compare the pricing and licensing options of industry enterprise
database software products on various hardware platforms. The new research
extension allows IDEAS research customers to compare the current pricing and
licensing implications of hosting Oracle, IBM DB2 and Microsoft SQL Server on
all major industry hardware platforms. The research scope includes pricing
perspectives for more than 30 different countries worldwide, introducing
widespread price transparency to a complex choice area for IT buyers.
The
research supports the capacity to model the impact of different technology
solutions – for example, analysis of Oracle Real Applications Clusters on a
clustered hardware solution versus a high-end SMP UNIX server, or the inclusion
of OLAP functionality in comparisons for on-line analytical processing needs.
The research extension covers the varying pricing strategies adopted
by different database vendors such as per-sever, per-processor and per-user
licenses. ...IDEAS
International profile
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