The History:
If Network Operating Systems (NOS) are the terrain on which data travels, then File Servers are the vehicles responsible for the transportation of that data. Just as with mountains and flatlands, Windows NT, Novell NetWare and Unix present their own unique challenges for optimal navigation.
In 1989, PerifiTech realized that if you design a generic file server to host multiple NOS's, the result would be average performance at best. Unfortunately for most users, that approach is still held by virtually every file server manufacturer today, except PerifiTech. Through extensive R&D, PerifiTech discovered the differences in which various NOS's interact with their host hardware, including various ways of disk caching and governing data I/O between discreet SCSI devices and the OS. The result was a suite of disk optimization and SCSI driver utilities which PerifiTech has patented and implements, by design, into each Intera Server and Radium Array. By customizing each Server for the specific OS it intends to host, unsurpassed performance is achieved.
What's Broken?
Classic File Server performance suffers due to several inefficiencies. The PerifiTech
design starts by identifying these inefficiencies and outlining the following objectives:
- Stabilize the Network Operating System
- Eliminate the real bottleneck in LAN throughput - the DISK I/O
- Optimize the PCI bus(es) and all SCSI devices on it(them); allow all devices to achieve maximum data transfer rates
- Reduce server utilization
- Make high performance affordable
- Eliminate compatibility conflicts caused by multiple SCSI device drivers
- Eliminate server problems during backup
- Open architecture engineering to ensure upgradability & longevity
The Fix:
PerifiTech corrects all of the inefficiencies above with its SCSI Optimization, which includes the following components:
| Component: | Function: |
| High Performance SCSI Adapter | Provides an ultra fast interface between Radium Disk Arrays and the host Intera Server. |
| Tuned SCSI Driver Set | Improves server performance through intelligent SCSI device management. |
| SCSI Prep Utility | Optimizes hard drives for operation in a specific OS environment. |
The following representation shows the difference in design between most file servers and PerifiTech's Servers with Intelligent Device Management (IDM)
A file server without IDM: |
A PerifiTech Server with IDM: |
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Intelligent Device Management replaces translation layers (ASPI) and individual SCSI device drivers with a single layer, unified driver approach. As a result, SCSI device driver compatibility issues are eliminated and installation is greatly simplified. In addition, by eliminating the bottleneck created through a multi-layer design and optimizing disk drives for a specific network environment, disk I/O is maximized while reducing server utilization five fold. The entire LAN is stabilized and runs more efficiently, allowing related operations such as online backups to occur at maximum throughput without errors.
Intelligent Device Management offers maximum performance when integrated within PerifiTech's Servers, Disk Arrays and Backup Devices as a complete solution. In most cases, Intelligent Device Management with a Radium Disk Array or Aero Backup Device can be added to existing non-PerifiTech equipment to provide additional storage capacity while improving performance.
Ask Our Customers:
For over a decade, PerifiTech Intera Servers with integrated Intelligent Device Management have been used in government, financial and educational institutions, as well as within ISP/ASP, medical, legal and imaging industries. Additional applications include computer-aided design (CAD), digital video editing, video conferencing and pharmaceutical research.