STORAGE

HP today introduced a high-end, environmentally responsible disk array for enterprise computing environments that require 24x7 business continuity. The HP StorageWorks XP24000 Disk Array integrates with HP’s families of servers, storage networking products and services to provide a complete disaster-tolerant solution. At the same time, the XP24000’s new processor and provisioning technology offer significantly increased performance and substantially lower power consumption than previous XP arrays. This makes the system ideal for enterprises looking for environmentally responsible technology that will consolidate workloads and lower overall data center management costs. “IT risks are now business risks as data loss or downtime of any type can mean millions of dollars in lost revenue,” said Rick Steffens, vice president and general manager of storage area networks, StorageWorks Division, HP. “We are introducing a compelling, environmentally responsible alternative that mitigates these risks and far surpasses price and performance levels of competing systems.” Unlike systems from EMC and IBM, the XP24000 features thin-provisioning software that lowers overall data center costs by automatically allocating disk capacity from a virtualized pool of storage as needed. XP StorageWorks Thin Provisioning Software also reduces unnecessary power consumption and heat generation by reducing the total number of disks required in typical configurations. The “bullet-proof” XP24000 platform provides complete redundancy and unique data replication capabilities for complex, heterogeneous storage environments. (A video demonstration of the disk array’s “bullet proof” qualities is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOYW5fDDfqA.) The array’s hot-swappable components, non-disruptive online upgrades and dynamic partitioning help companies adapt to changing business needs. “Priority Health migrated from EMC storage solutions to HP’s XP family of disk arrays in 1999 as a result of our need for a stable, high-performance environment,” said Ed Kosten, manager, Infrastructure Engineering, Priority Health. “As Priority Health continues to grow as an organization, we are confident that HP’s fifth-generation XP24000 will offer us all of the system capabilities we need to seamlessly expand our infrastructure to safely store, replicate and retrieve our customers’ data.” The XP24000 system is also able to consolidate and manage heterogeneous storage environments. HP StorageWorks XP External Storage Software can virtualize HP and third-party storage, providing lower cost multi-tier storage solutions in an easier to manage storage environment. In addition, the XP External Storage software integrates storage resources while aiding in data migration, array repurposing and tiered storage. The XP24000 also supports up to 247 petabytes of external storage for virtually unlimited growth. The XP24000 offers four gigabit per second connection to disk drives and hosts, and supports up to 1,152 disk drives and 332 terabytes of capacity. The new array features an unprecedented peak performance range of up to 3.5 million input output processors (IOPs) from cache. It comes with newly enhanced and cost-reduced HP StorageWorks XP Array Manager software, which allows customers to easily configure, manage, partition and secure their data using a web-based interface. In addition, HP Services professionals worldwide can help with site preparation to ensure a smooth installation and start-up of the system. The XP24000 is the latest enterprise disk array product to come from HP’s long-term, joint engineering and original equipment manufacturer relationship with Hitachi Limited of Japan. The HP StorageWorks XP24000 is expected to be available in July 2007. HP will continue to sell and support previously announced XP disk arrays, including the HP StorageWorks XP12000 and XP10000 Disk Arrays. More information on the HP StorageWorks XP24000 Disk Array is available at www.hp.com/go/XP24000.