Adaptec pushed iSCSI barrow
Adaptec pushed iSCSI barrow
Adaptec has tried to kick-start the adoption of the iSCSI protocol for storage networking by running a demo of the technology supporting the Microsoft Exchange system.
The company chose a Microsoft Exchange user conference in California to show off their iSCSI-capable products, with its products on display being the DuraStor storage subsystem and the ASA-7211 iSCSI adapters. The demo system ran an email application over standard Gigabit Ethernet switches and an iSCSI tape library from SpectraLogic, according to Adaptec.
The Storage Networking Industry Association took the iSCSI protocol to the "final call" phase on September 4, meaning that it is all but standardised. ISCSI is intended as a low-cost replacement for Fibre Channel networking, introducing storage networks to the Internet Protocol and Ethernet hardware.
The choice of a Microsoft system to display iSCSI's capabilities is particularly strategic, given that support for iSCSI is expected to be included in Microsoft's Windows .NET Server 2003 edition, as well as added into a service pack for Windows 2000.
"By bringing together a Microsoft Exchange solution on an iSCSI SAN, we are showing that iSCSI is a tremendous platform for SAN applications, and its implementation can mean significant savings for your business," said Balaji Baktha, vice president of marketing for Adaptec's Storage Networking Group.
Adaptec, which has a long history of developing successful SCSI products, has been very active in promoting iSCSI. The company's stock jumped 10 per cent on the news, dragging it out of a year-long slump that has seen it lose 80 per cent of its value.
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