Hitachi Data Systems Enhances Freedom Storage 5800, World's Fastest Midrange Storage - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, August 16, 1999

The world's fastest midrange storage subsystem Tuesday became even faster and more robust as Hitachi Data Systems announced a suite of performance and data availability enhancements for the Hitachi Freedom Storage 5800 subsystem.

The Freedom Storage 5800 delivers ideal solutions for use in open systems computing environments running data warehousing, data mining, or e-business applications that require the highest levels of performance and availability. Freedom Storage 5800 subsystems can be distributed throughout the enterprise and yet be managed from a central location. The 5800 attaches to a wide variety of UNIX-based and Windows NT-based servers.

TurboLUN and New Disk Drives Increase Freedom 5800's Performance, Capacity Leading the charge to substantially higher performance is the new TurboLUN feature, which enables customers to increase their transaction-processing capability by as much as 100 percent. Hitachi Data Systems is the first in the industry to provide mid-range storage with TurboLUN's unique functionality, in which critical data is locked into high-speed cache within the subsystem, substantially reducing the time to retrieve frequently requested information from disk. For example, TurboLUN is well suited for use with database log files, which are highly active and typically have relatively small block sizes. With battery backup capability, TurboLUN is designed to maintain excellent data integrity in case of power failure.

Customers who need the highest levels of performance from the 5800 will now be able to install new 18 gigabyte (GB) disk drives that spin at 10,000 revolutions per minute, providing nearly forty percent faster speed in reading and writing data. If storage capacity is a high priority, customers can select the new 36 GB disk drives, which provide more than 2 terabytes of usable storage in a single rack -- double the current capacity of the 5800.

On-Line Microcode Update Assures Continuous Data Availability Another industry first for Hitachi Data Systems, On-Line Microcode Update, was also announced Tuesday as part of the enhancements for the Freedom Storage 5800. With this capability, customers will be able to avoid costly outages when they add new functionality to their subsystems, further boosting the availability of data stored in the 5800. Once the On-Line Microcode Update feature is installed in a 5800, all subsequent microcode upgrades can be made by means of Hitachi's Storage On-line Management and Media Error Transmission (SOMMET) configuration management tool.

Fabric Login Enhances SAN Participation for 5800

Customers using the Freedom Storage 5800 will further benefit from its Fabric Login capability, which enables it to realize the full potential of Storage Area Networks (SANs), now or in the future. Fabric Login enables the 5800 to attach to a Fibre Channel fabric-based SAN which can support multiple, full-bandwidth "conversations" among devices and is capable of addressing over 16 million ports. The Fabric Login capability has been certified for operation with industry-leading switches.

"As we continue to enhance the capabilities of our storage products, our intention is to help customers implement solutions that will enable them to respond with increased agility to the business challenges they face," said David Coombs, Hitachi Data Systems executive vice president, Operations. "The Freedom Storage 5800 provides outstanding performance and availability, and with enhancements like TurboLUN and On-Line Microcode Update, we expect our customers to get even greater value from their fast-growing volumes of data."

Availability and Pricing

All features announced Tuesday are generally available now, except for the 36 GB disk drives, which will be available in the third quarter of 1999. Pricing for the Freedom Storage 5800 begins at $45,000.

Recognized as a leading provider of business solutions for the world's most IT-intensive corporations, Hitachi Data Systems offers professional services, multi-platform 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 owned by Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT) and has its headquarters in Santa Clara. FMI: www.hds.com/storage/index.html.>

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