sunflash-Distributed to mailing list sunflash@suntri sunflash-Send requests and problem reports to owner-sunflash@suntri.east.sun.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Florida SunFlash NEW 4.2-GB MULTI-DISK PACK AND DATABASE SERVER OPTION PACKS SunFLASH Vol 52 #15 April 1993 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************************** * * * New 4.2-Gbyte Multi-Disk Pack sets a new standard for high * * capacity, compact, low cost, high performance DESKTOP expansion! * * * * New Database Server Option Packs make TRUE high capacity desktop * * servers a reality! * * * ************************************************************************** Desktop server and power workstation users can now put more capacity and power on their desktops than ever before. Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation (SMCC) announces the new 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack, plus new Database Server Option Packs. The 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack is an innovative subsystem which packs four of the highest performance 1.05-GB fast SCSI-2 disks available anywhere into the same footprint as the SPARCstation (TM) LX (TM) workstation and the Desktop Storage Packs. No other vendor gets this much capacity and performance into such a small space. Until today, putting 4 GB, 8 GB, or even more disk capacity on a desktop was not an option. Configuring that much capacity required large, bulky, noisy, and expensive desk side pedestals or racks. For example, compared to the SCSI Expansion Pedestal which can hold up to eight 1.3-GB 5.25-in. disks, three Multi-Disk Packs provide 21% more capacity, higher performance, a dramatically lower acoustic noise level, and occupy 88% less space! All that at over 35% lower price per gigabyte! In achieving this level of storage density and low cost, Sun (TM) engineers have not compromised on quality. Exhaustive attention to structural design, cable management, air flow, and part count have made the Multi-Disk Pack actually more rugged than the very popular single-disk 1.3-GB Desktop Storage Module. The resulting high reliability level means customers can count on the Multi-Disk Pack. The 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack is ideal for power user workstations and desktop servers in a wide variety of engineering, business, and scientific applications. The four 3.5-in. drives can deliver over 275 8 KB random IOPS (I/O Operations Per Second) through the Unix (R) filesystem (measured on a SPARCstation LX running the Solaris (R) 2.1 operating system). The Multi-Disk Pack drives can also sustain sequential access performance comparable to the latest 5.25-in. disk drives. DATABASE SERVER OPTIONS PACKS ----------------------------- How do you make a great product even better? Use it to create the first true DESKTOP high capacity Server Option Packs! New Database Server Option Packs have been created which include a 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack, a Desktop SunCD (TM) Pack and a high capacity tape drive for data backup. Two new Database Server Option Packs are available. One includes a new 5-GB 4mm Tape Desktop Backup Pack (see separate SunFlash), and the other bundles the Sun 5-GB 8mm Tape Desktop Backup Module. Either way, you have all the peripherals you need for a high capacity desktop server in a footprint the size of a sheet of paper, and only about a foot tall. These Database Server Option Packs are perfect for rightsizing. Combined with a desktop system such as the SPARCserver (TM) 10 or SPARCclassic (TM) server, these Server Packs make an ideal workgroup server for files, databases, or other networked resources. FEATURES AND BENEFITS Features: Benefits: -------------------------------- ------------------------------------ o Multi-Disk Pack provides 4.2 o Easy, modular growth for desktop GB of high performance disk servers and power user expansion workstations o Ultra-compact enclosure yields o Preserves precious space and twice the storage density of provides simple, uncluttered 1.05-GB Desktop Disk Packs cabling o Very very low price per Gbyte o Easier expansion for power-hungry, yet cost-conscious customers o Multiple high performance o Excellent for a variety of 3.5-in. disks instead of horizontal and vertical 5.25-in. drives deliver applications, including file excellent performance and servers, database servers, CAD, price/performance simulation, publishing, financial, imaging, earth resources, GIS, and research o Even more rugged than the popular o Ensures safe usage in office 1.3-GB Desktop Storage Module environments o Much quieter than deskside o Suitable acoustic level for office pedestals, even quieter than the environments 1.3-GB Desktop Storage Module o Much higher quality, safety, and o Customers can buy and use with reliability than third party confidence products o Database Server Option Packs bundle o Easy to order, easy to install, all the peripherals needed for high and easy to own server peripherals capacity desktop servers o Ultra-compact Server Packs require o Customers can now create TRUE dramatically less space than high capacity desktop servers pedestals or racks o Server Packs offered at lower price o Lower cost expansion than if peripherals are ordered separately POSITIONING - DESKTOP DISK EXPANSION PRODUCTS --------------------------------------------- SMCC offers the following external disk expansion products for desktop SPARCstation and SPARCserver systems: Description Positioning ----------------------- ----------------------------------------------- 4.2-GB Multi-Disk High capacity, low price per GB expansion Pack storage for desktops. Excellent performance. One or more Multi-Disk Packs are ideal for desktop servers or power user workstations when 4 to 15 GB of storage are needed. 1.05-GB Desktop Moderate capacity, low price per Gbyte desktop Disk Pack storage expansion. Excellent performance. For desktop workstations and servers requiring under 4 GB storage. 424-MB Desktop Entry level, lowest unit price desktop Disk Pack expansion. SCSI Expansion Pedestal Highest capacity expansion for desktop servers. with two to eight Excellent performance. Best when over 15 GB 2.1-GB disk drives capacity is needed. (SPARCstation 10 only) Customers who need 2 or 3 GB of external expansion immediately, and who anticipate growing future needs, should consider one 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack instead of two or three 1.05-GB Desktop Disk Packs. The Multi-Disk Pack offers the benefit of fewer external cables, better space utilization, and lower cost per Gbyte. The File, Database, and LAN Server Option Packs combine disk, tape, and CD-ROM peripherals in a convenient, easy to order, low cost bundle. They should be ordered when configuring a desktop system as a server. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE CONSIDERATIONS ------------------------------------ The 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack requires Solaris 1.0 (SunOS (TM) 4.1.1 Rev B) or higher Solaris release. It is supported on all currently shipping desktop and deskside systems. The new 4.2-Gbyte Database Server Option Packs are supported on all currently shipping desktop systems. The new Database Pack with the 5-Gbyte 8mm Tape Desktop Backup Module requires Solaris 1.0.1 (SunOS 4.1.2) or higher. The new Database Pack with the new 5-Gbyte 4mm Tape Desktop Backup Pack requires Solaris 2.1. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS --------------------- Q: Is the Multi-Disk Pack available with fewer than four disk drives? A: De-populated Multi-Disk Packs are not presently available, and are not planned. Customers benefit from having one configuration because the simplified manufacturing process results in lower price. If less than four gigabytes of capacity are needed, and the customer does not need expansion headroom, the Desktop Disk Pack is appropriate. If the customer has a current or anticipated need for over 3 Gbytes, then the Multi-Disk Pack is best. Q: Is an SBus SCSI card included with the Multi-Disk Pack or the new Database Server Option Packs? A: No, because in some cases customers will not need a new SBus card. However, note that in most situations, customers will need to order a SCSI host adapter card such as the FSBE/S. In some situations, two SBus SCSI cards may be needed for the Database Server Option Packs. Q: How many Multi-Disk packs may be configured per SCSI bus? A: One. The SCSI-2 standard limits the number of devices per bus to eight. The host system always counts as one device. Therefore, only one Multi-Disk Pack per bus is allowed. Other SCSI devices are allowed on the same SCSI bus as a Multi-Disk Pack. Q: How many SCSI busses can the Multi-Disk Pack be connected to? Can it be used in multi-initiator SCSI high availability environments? A: All four drives in a Multi-Disk Pack must be on the same SCSI bus. The Multi-Disk Pack provides two external SCSI connectors, just like all Sun desktop storage peripherals. The Multi-Disk Pack hardware is fully capable of multi-initiator operation. Because of its very short internal cable length for four drives, the Multi-Disk Pack is ideal for multi-initiator SCSI. However, SMCC does not provide the software capability for multi-initiator SCSI high availability configurations. There are third parties which offer multi-initiator SCSI software for Sun systems. Q: Can customers reset the SCSI target IDs differently from the factory setting? A: Yes. In most Multi-Disk Pack configurations, there will be no need to change the SCSI target ID settings. In cases where the target ID of one or more of the disk drives needs to be changed, easy to access jumper shunts are provided inside the enclosure. Using internal jumper shunts instead of external address switches was a conscious design decision. It significantly lowers internal cable and connector count and therefore significantly improves reliability and MTBF. It also allows significantly lower price to the customer. Since it should rarely be necessary to change the target ID settings, this was the best design trade-off for the customer. Q: Why should customers buy these Sun branded mass storage products when they can get the same thing from third parties? A: They cannot get the same thing from third parties. Third party products usually do not carry international safety and compliance agency certification. Sun peripherals, including the Multi-Disk Pack, do. Sun peripherals are capable of withstanding environmental conditions such as heat, humidity, shock, and vibration far beyond what most third party products can withstand. And Sun peripherals are competitively priced as well. U.S. PRICING AND ORDERING INFORMATION ------------------------------------- THESE PRODUCTS APPEAR IN BOTH THE END USER AND RESELLER PRICE LIST Order List Disc Same Day Description Number Price Cat Service ============================================================================ 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack X547A * $8,800 B $100 Database Server Option Pack X2024A # $11,800 B $155 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack, 5-GB 4mm Tape Desktop Backup Pack, 644-MB Desktop SunCD Pack Database Server Option Pack X2025A @ $13,500 B $185 4.2-GB Multi-Disk Pack, 5-GB 8mm Tape Desktop Storage Module, 644-MB Desktop SunCD Pack Notes: * Requires Solaris 1.0 (SunOS 4.1.1 Rev B) or higher. Supported on SPARCstation ELC (TM), SPARCstation IPC (TM), SPARCclassic, SPARCstation LX (TM), SPARCstation IPX (TM), SPARCstation 2, SPARCstation 10, SPARCserver 630MP, and SPARCserver 670MP systems. # Requires Solaris 2.1 or higher. Supported on SPARCstation ELC, SPARCstation IPC, SPARCclassic, SPARCstation LX, SPARCstation IPX, SPARCstation 2, and SPARCstation 10 systems. @ Requires Solaris 1.0.1 (SunOS 4.1.2) or higher. Supported on SPARCstation ELC, SPARCsystation IPC, SPARCclassic, SPARCstation LX, SPARCstation IPX, SPARCstation 2, and SPARCstation 10 systems. AVAILABILITY ------------ All products are orderable immediately. X547A will first customer ship within one week. X2025A will first customer ship within two weeks. X2024A will begin shipping on April 26. All products will ship in volume in April. (c) 1993 Sun Microsystems, Inc., Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation, LX, SunCD, Solaris, SunOS, ELC, IPC, LX, and IPX are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. All SPARC trademarks, including the SCD Compliant Logo, are trademarks or registered trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. SPARCstation, SPARCserver, and SPARCclassic are licensed exclusively to Sun Microsystems, Inc. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of UNIX System Laboratories,Inc. All other product or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ For information send mail to info-sunflash@Sun.COM. Subscription requests should be sent to sunflash-request@Sun.COM. Archives are on solar.nova.edu, ftp.uu.net, sunsite.unc.edu, src.doc.ic.ac.uk and ftp.adelaide.edu.au All prices, availability, and other statements relating to Sun or third party products are valid in the U.S. only. Please contact your local Sales Representative for details of pricing and product availability in your region. Descriptions of, or references to products or publications within SunFlash does not imply an endorsement of that product or publication by Sun Microsystems. John McLaughlin, SunFlash editor, flash@Sun.COM. +1 305 351 4909