Pillar Puts Disk Storage To Sleep
Pillar Puts Disk Storage To Sleep
March 30th, 2006: Storage startup Pillar Data has announced plans to introduce new features to its Axiom storage such as the ability to power down idle drives.
It may sound like a small improvement, however power consumption is a great concern in the disk storage arena because unlike tape, data is archived on a drive that is constantly spinning, generating heat and sucking power. Pillar calls the technology “sleepy drives” and says it will cut power needs and increase automated data movement.
There is a lot of hype surrounding Pillar at the moment, with ITWeek reporting that Oracle’s Larry Ellison want’s Pillar to be the fastest company ever to enter the Fortune 500 list. Ellison has so far poured over U.S.$200 million funding into Pillar.
Pillar takes a unique approach to disk-based storage by combining NAS and SAN technology in a single box. It uses SATA drives to store frequently used data on the outer disk tracks, and archived data on the inner ensuring the most frequently accessed data is always in a position where maximum performance can be achieved.
The company’s “sleepy drive” technology is expected to be implemented into its storage systems in 2007.
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