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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / MAY 26, 2003: VOL. 2 NO. 21
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Breaking News - Storage:
iReady Introduces World'S Most Integrated iSCSI Controller
iReady Corp, a leader in Internet protocol processing in hardware, has
announced a full lineup of iSCSI products, featuring the storage networking
industry's first fully integrated iSCSI controller and iSCSI host bus adaptors
(HBAs) -- at less than half the price of competing solutions. The iReady
ethernetMAX iSCSI controller is the industry's first controller to integrate
hardware iSCSI acceleration, full TCP/IP offload, full line-rate IPsec, and a
GigabitMAC and GigabitPHY into a single semiconductor solution. The iReady HBA
product family includes three product offerings: the IR-1011LC iSCSI Storage
Adapter, the IR-1011C Secure Storage Adapter, and the IR-1011F Secure Storage
Adapter for optical networks.
"One of the criticisms of iSCSI is that it is just as expensive as Fibre
Channel solutions once a TOE-based NIC is added to the equation," said Arun
Taneja, founder and consulting analyst of Taneja Group. "Based on what iReady
is positioned to offer, there is no longer an argument against iSCSI
performance and cost barriers. iReady is offering a level of integration and
unparalleled pricing that will set a new industry standard for iSCSI."
ethernetMAX iSCSI Controller Enables Unmatched Capabilities for Storage
Network Industry
The ethernetMAX controller leverages the patented and industry-proven iReady
hardware TCP/IP technology to provide storage networking OEMs with a single
chip solution that achieves an unprecedented level of price and performance in
the iSCSI and Gigabit Ethernet markets. The ethernetMAX controller is
redefining the HBA storage market by providing the lowest entry price point
for iSCSI, IPsec, and full transport offload engine (TOE) HBAs. OEMs now have
the option of simply upgrading their current Gigabit Ethernet strategy with
the ethernetMAX controller, rather than face a more complex decision of when
to add an expensive iSCSI adapter to their product lines.
"With the size and complexity of our global corporate network, we realized
that National would benefit most by using both fiber channel and iSCSI; fiber
channel is ideal for the campus environment; iSCSI is an ideal IP for long
distance SANs," said Ulrich J. Seif, senior vice president and chief
information officer of National Semiconductor and featured speaker at last
month's Storage Network World. "iReady's iSCSI HBA solution is well-positioned
to provide corporations like National with a rich iSCSI feature set, while
allowing these corporations to maintain their existing Ethernet
infrastructure."
ethernetMAX Key Features
- Patented hardware TCP/IP offload technology: The iReady patent streaming
architecture provides line-rate performance without compromise to packet size,
host CPU utilization, or latency.
- Complete iSCSI solution: A comprehensive hardware and software architecture
enables both target and initiator functionality, including bandwidth teaming
across multiple adapters, ensuring that the highest performance requirements
of iSCSI targets are met.
- Gigabit Ethernet MAC and PHY connectivity: ethernetMAX controller
incorporates National Semiconductor's latest generation of field-proven GMAC
and GPHY technologies, for seamless access, robust interoperability, and low
power consumption.
- Network security: ethernetMAX controller supports IPsec, a requirement in
sophisticated Gigabit Ethernet networks. Because encryption and decryption are
performed in the hardware, line-rate performance can be achieved without
utilizing host CPU cycles.
iReady HBAs -- Addressing Architectural Requirements Today and Beyond
Using a highly integrated approach, iReady delivers the technology to achieve
line-rate Gigabit Ethernet performance today while providing built-in
scalability for tomorrow's storage networking performance environments. With
the ethernetMAX controller fully integrated on iReady HBAs, companies can
leverage their existing Ethernet infrastructure at a fraction of the cost of
proprietary storage networks.
"With the advent of gigabit speeds, the use of Ethernet technologies is
rapidly evolving to enable transport offload, IPsec, and iSCSI -- key
technologies that will enable the next-generation capabilities users require
to take full advantage of their existing Ethernet networks," said Ryo Koyama,
co-founder and CEO of iReady. "With our ethernetMAX controller and iReady
HBAs, iReady removes the technology obstacles and cost barriers by providing
storage networking end users and OEMs with the most complete, integrated iSCSI
solutions."
iReady iSCSI Storage Adapter Features
- Single chip ethernetMAX controller
- Dual DMA channels to bypass the CPU and enable faster data transfer
- Multiple command and status queues to optimize performance and minimize
latency
- On-board 1000BaseT PHY to support standard CAT5 for optimal connectivity
- 32MB DDR SDRAM for control block and standard architectures
- Faster processing with a 32MB DDR memory for packet buffer memory
- Small PCI form factor to minimize real estate
- Drivers for iSCSI initiator (Linux, Win2K), iSCSI target (Linux only), and
SNIA iSCSI APIs
iReady is also offering the iReady Secure Storage Adapter for sophisticated
Gigabit Ethernet networks that need to support IPsec. The iSCSI target,
bundled with the Secure Storage Adapter, is available for Linux on x86 and PPC
platforms.
Availability and Pricing
The ethernetMAX controller will be generally available in Q3 2003 for $75 at
volume OEM pricing. The iReady HBAs will be generally available in Q3 2003 at
volume OEM pricing of $199 for the IR-1011LC iSCSI Storage Adapter, $299 for
the copper IR-1011C Secure Storage Adapter, and $399 for the fiber IR-1011F
Secure Storage Adapter for optical networks.
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