D-Link Unveils First iSCSI 'System-On-Chip' Storage Solution

D-Link, the end-to-end networking solutions provider for consumers and business, today unveiled the xStack Storage 3000 series product line, the industry's first integrated iSCSI 'system-on-chip' (SoC) storage solution, providing greater data storage capacity, better data recovery and improved data backup to meet the growing needs of small to midsize businesses (SMB).

The xStack Storage 3000 family of iSCSI storage area network (SAN) products ships with the industry's first built-in 10GbE interface, able to handle more than 65,000 input/outputs (I/Os) per second and up to six terabytes of storage capacity.

"This xStack Storage 3000 line represents the next-generation of storage technology that offers advanced near-line storage solutions that are extremely fast, powerful and affordable," said AJ Wang, chief technology officer of D-Link. "With the integrated 'system-on-chip' design, we are able to dramatically speed up the processing and transfer capacity to deliver a balance of features and price for SMBs looking for robust and affordable storage options."

The D-Link xStack Storage DSN-3200 provides eight 1GbE ports and supports IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Groups for full offload capability so that all eight ports can be grouped together, totaling 8Gbps, for increased throughput and redundancy.

The D-Link xStack Storage DSN-3400 provides the industry's first built-in 10GbE interface in a cost-effective package. With up to 8.5GbE bandwidth, the unit can easily surpass the 4Gbps found in most Fibre Channel SANs. By using existing Ethernet technology, the cost associated with separate host bus adapters and the per-Gigabyte cost for storage are significantly reduced.

As an alternative to fibre-channel and software-based iSCSI solutions, both the DSN-3200 and 3400 units act as near-line storage to supplement IP network storage systems, or as a basic backup and data recovery iSCSI device.

Other features built into the xStack Storage 3000 Series are up to 512 megabytes of system memory, up to 15 Serial ATA hard drives, up to 4GB of battery-protected cache memory, support for Serial ATA (SATA)II 3 disk technology with 3Gbps throughput.

Each product has an embedded user-friendly IP-SAN Device Manager (IDM) with a complete suite of monitoring and control functions. Advanced features include adaptive and persistent cache management for write-back, write-through, write-coalescing and multi-stream read-ahead on a volume basis.

The products also have VLAN zoning that supports IEEE 802.1Q VLAN tagging to segregate traffic into isolated areas for access security, and RAID support at Levels 0, 1, 1+0, 5 and 7 (striped sets, mirrored sets, parity sets, striped mirrored sets and JBOD).

The xStack Storage DSN-3000 family has a storage management software stack that provides volume virtualization features by utilizing the concept of "storage extents," the fundamental building blocks used to enable features such as RAID, online capacity expansion and volume migration.

"iSCSI will initially open the door to more affordable and needed storage solutions for SMB and mid-market customers," said Robert Gray, IDC research vice president for storage solutions. "The company with a strong SMB channel, experience in Ethernet networking, and value-based approach is well-positioned to capitalize on the growth of iSCSI and win SMB market share."

Price and Availability
Both the D-Link DSN-3200 ($5,995) and the D-Link DSN-3400 (prices start at $14,995) are available for pre-order from D-Link's network of value-added resellers and distributors, and both are expected to begin shipping in early June.

About D-Link
D-Link is the global leader in connectivity for small, medium and large enterprise business networking. The company continues to strive for excellence as an award winning designer, developer, and manufacturer of networking, broadband, digital electronics, voice and data communications solutions for the digital home, Small Office/Home Office (SOHO), Small to Medium Business (SMB), and Workgroup to Enterprise environments. With millions of networking and connectivity products manufactured and shipped, D-Link is a dominant market participant and price/performance leader in the networking and communications market. D-Link U.S.A., Canadian, and Mexico headquarters are located at 17595 Mt. Herrmann Street, Fountain Valley, CA, 92708. Phone (800) 326-1688 or (714) 885-6000; FAX (866) 743-4905; Internet www.dlink.com.