Rorke Intros Galaxy Series of Fibre Channel RAID
Las Vegas, NV, NAB99, Booth #16554/LVCC, April 19, 1999 — Rorke Data announced today that the company has introduced the new Galaxy Series of Fibre Channel RAID solutions for image-intensive applications such as digital video and audio, prepress, medical imaging, document management, and other large-scale, data-intensive environments.
There are three models in the new Galaxy Series line. The Galaxy 50 is a Fibre Channel to Fibre Channel RAID solution and the Galaxy 5 is a Fibre Channel to SCSI (LVD) solution, while the Galaxy 100 is a SAN (Storage Area Network) centralized storage solution with simultaneous Fibre Channel connectivity to up to eight servers. All three systems feature dual-redundant configurations that include active-active failover to assure the RAID continues functioning even in the event of a controller failure.
The Galaxy 50 RAID incorporates two Fibre Channel interface connections to the host system, permitting the creation of extremely large system solutions with as many as 500 fibre drives for capacities of greater than 25TB per controller. Utilizing the latest Fibre Channel host connectivity technology, the Galaxy 50 permits higher bandwidth over greater distances than traditional SCSI, delivering 100MB/sec data transfer rates per channel over a 30-meter copper serial link or up to 10,000 meters with optical fibre links, greatly simplifying cable routing and maintenance. By connecting the Galaxy 50 to a Fibre Channel hub or switch, the user can achieve reliable data transfers of several kilometers. The Galaxy 50 is exceptionally suited to data-intensive environments, and the system is capable of sustaining disk transfer rates of up to 190 MB/sec from servers to disk.
The Galaxy 5 RAID bridges the gap between Fibre Channel and SCSI connectivity and adds RAID redundancy and protection to existing UltraSCSI and Ultra2SCSI LVD JBODs. The rack-mounted system improves RAID performance between Fibre Channel and Ultra2SCSI interfaces, offers scaleable RAID storage from 72GB to 2.4TB, and utilizes hot-swappable controllers, fans, and power supplies.
Rorke customer TimeLine Vista, Inc. commented on the introduction of the Galaxy 5 RAID array. "Many of our customers have been looking for a solution that would allow them to use shared storage as a bridge between their editorial workstations and the Tascam dubbers," said Ron Franklin, TimeLine Vista's director of marketing. "Rorke's Galaxy 5 RAID array will dramatically increase workflow for these customers by eliminating the need to move drives between systems."
Rorke's Galaxy 100 SAN is a high-capacity SAN for centralized storage of data from 300GB to 3TB. The Galaxy 100 supports multi-server environments, providing the redundancy and protection of a RAID system that is integrated with both the latest in SAN technology and a powerful family of software, the REDI Software Suite. Among other features, the Galaxy 100 SAN allows users to connect as many as eight servers with a built-in Fibre Channel switch; add drives, connect servers, change RAID levels and manage storage volume reallocation while online; and mix and match drive sizes and speeds.
Rorke Data is a full digital storage solutions provider with expertise in SAN-connectivity, FC RAID, high performance tape and optical libraries, Unix, NT and Mac environments, high bandwidth networks, digital asset and document management, and engineering and maintenance services. Founded in 1985, Rorke Data is a privately held Minnesota corporation. Together with its European subsidiary, Rorke Data Europe, located in Emmen, The Netherlands, the company is composed of six divisions: Audio/Video, Prepress, Imaging, Document Management, Digital Media Supplies, and Engineering and Installation Services. More information about Rorke Data can be found at www.rorke.com.
