New Intel 320 SSD: Smaller, cheaper, less reliable?

Hurrah! SSDs are getting less expensive. And the reason is our old friend, Intel co-founder Gordon E. Moore and his eponymous law -- Moore’s Law forecasts that the density of integrated circuits doubles every two years -- which usually causes falling prices. Read how Intel's new 320 Series SSDs are an unusual illustration of how this works, in The Long View...

SSDs are following the classic pattern. Let's use Intel's SSD product history as an example: Its first generation drives used 50nm process technology and were eye-wateringly expensive. Its followup X25-M G2 drives used a 34nm process and were (relatively) inexpensive -- something around $2 per GB. Now we're finally seeing the next jump in density: 25nm.

This is going to drive street prices of mainstream SSDs down, say, 20% soon -- dropping even more once production volumes ramp up. I'm pleased to see that my worst fears about Intel's 25nm fab seem to be unnecessary. Here's why: read on...

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Source: computerworld.com

Microsoft extends system management to Apple, Android devices

InfoWorld - Microsoft is recognizing enterprise realities with its new accommodations for rivals' smartphones in an upcoming version of System Center Configuration Manager, an industry analyst said on Thursday.

Beta 2 of System Center Configuration Manager 2012, released this week, enables IT to manage user experiences on devices ranging from Microsoft's own Windows Phone to Symbian, Apple iOS, and Google Android-based units. Microsoft's multi-vendor moved was lauded by analyst Fred Broussard, research director at IDC.

[ Learn how to manage iPhones, Androids, BlackBerrys, and other smartphones in InfoWorld's 20-page Mobile Management Deep Dive PDF special report. | Keep up on key mobile developments and insights via Twitter and with the Mobile Edge blog and Mobilize newsletter. | Keep up with Paul Krill on his Twitter feed.]

"Microsoft along with the rest of infrastructure software market vendors are seeing more enterprises having to deal with endpoints other than the traditional desktop or laptop computer," Broussard said. "At the same time, vendors are seeing customers move toward having broader acceptance of devices like iPads or BlackBerries or Android phones in the enterprise that might access corporate networks and data. It is in the company's best interest to ensure that the corporate data is protected, yet the users of IT services have access to devices that allow them to be productive. Products like System Center Configuration Manager are now more being pulled in this direction of managing devices like iPads along with managing a laptop or desktop. I do think this is the smart direction for Microsoft to take with this product."

Previously, System Center Configuration Manager only dealt with Windows devices. The multi-vendor approach is in response to a need to secure a wider variety of devices and platforms, a Microsoft representative said. Microsoft's Exchange ActiveSync protocol is leveraged by System Center Configuration Manager; users can be given access to corporate email while company information is protected.

System Center Configuration Manager 2012 is slated for general availability later this year. Downloadable at Microsoft's website, Beta 2 embraces a consumerization trend in IT without giving up control over corporate assets, Microsoft said on its System Center Configuration Manager Web page. "System Center Configuration Manager 2012 Beta 2 helps you empower your employees to use the devices and applications they need to be productive while maintaining corporate compliance and control. In today's workplace, the boundaries between work and life have blurred. People expect consistent access to corporate services from wherever they are, on any device they're using -- including desktops, laptops, smartphones, and slates."

This article, "Microsoft extends system management to Apple, Android devices," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in business technology news and get a digest of the key stories each day in the InfoWorld Daily newsletter. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.

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Source: computerworld.com

WWDC: What's NeXT for Apple's OS?

It took over a decade to get there but NeXT@Apple is closer than ever to delivering a thin client computing experience for devices, as predicted by the father of OS X, Bertrand Serlet, way back in the late '90's.

The thin Mac

Developer David Casseres worked at Apple in the late '90's when Jobs returned to Apple. On his blog he revealed that Apple's then OS X chief, Bertrand Serlet would often claim: "The next Mac OS was likely to be a thin client OS on a computer that had no hard disk."

This didn't happen then, but it seems to be coming closer, as we await Lion and iOS 5.

This focus on advancing the operating system must surely be part motivation to Apple's claimed decision not to introduce hardware at its sold-out WWDC event. The company wants to put all the thunder in one direction, aimed squarely at its OS's.

"People have gotten a little too used to Apple doing certain things at a certain time of the year," said Gartner's Michael Gartenberg, speaking to Computerworld. "There's nothing that says Apple has to make journalists' or analysts' lives easier by keeping to a pattern."

Shapeshifters

That's the thing about patterns, it makes things predictable. We're human, too, and we tend to look around at this confusing world in hope that we'll make some sense by joining the dots. And Apple likes surprises.

[This story is from Computerworld's Apple Holic blog. Follow on Twitter or subscribe via RSS to make sure you don't miss a beat.]

There might be some hardware at WWDC, though. I have this hunch (just a hunch) we might see some software-based hardware evolution, for example. Those much-anticipated streaming media and App services could conceivably play nice on the million-selling A4-powered (and hard drive-free) Apple TV.

I recognize this is a stretch, but there's a little logic. WWDC is a developer-focused show. Apple wants its developers to make money so they also make money for Apple, so it is duty bound to continue to develop new markets for its code warriors to explore.

If there's going to be any new markets opened up at Apple's show, why shouldn't it be the front room? After all, there's a big focus on gaming at WWDC this year. Wouldn't it be a scream to surprise everyone with the launch of Apple TV-based console gaming?

Look to the iMac and iBook launches in advance of the introduction of Mac OS X, and you'll see that Apple sometimes likes to manage a velvet revolution. In this case, the company would be immediately opening a potential console gaming feature to a potential million or more Apple TVs.

Lion in hand

There's one more thing. Recent reports have suggested Lion development is progressing ahead of schedule. TechCrunch claims it is already close to a Golden Master release. This won't be a final Golden Master, but a big step towards it and suggests Apple's well on schedule to ship the software this summer.

Apple hosts (well, via its European partner, Amsys) a European developer event shortly after WWDC, The European Mac OS X Training Summer Camp.

This year there's been a name change. It is now called European Mac OS X and iOS Training Summer Camp and runs between 14-22 June. This extremely intensive course offers three strands, but my ears pricked up when I heard attendees are also being promised a "Free update to Mac OS X 10.7 (Lion) as and when the material becomes available."

The fact it an update is mentioned at all suggests to me that release could be even sooner than we think. For me, it's just a little more circumstantial evidence to support the notion of a WWDC launch.

Some will mourn the cost of the next OS, which abandons built-in support for Samba, Java, Flash (well, no one should mourn Flash), Rosetta and others. Others will rejoice at the enormous improvements in accessibility in the OS. After all, do you really think those "deep" voice commands will be confined to iOS 5?

No wonder the company advertised for a new software engineer way back in July last year, when it sought out someone to help it "create something totally new".

We are looking for a senior software engineer to help us create a revolutionary new feature in the very foundations of Mac OS X. We have something truly revolutionary and really exciting in progress and it is going to require your most creative and focused efforts ever."

Are you excited yet? I think we probably should be. Even Casseres thinks OS X has taken "huge leaps forward in application frameworks technology" in order to create an OS which has "everything it needed" -- and he was discussing Snow Leopard.

What are you expecting from WWDC? Let me know in comments below. Please follow me on Twitter so I can let you know just as soon as I post new reports here first on Computerworld.

By Jonny Evans

Source: computerworld.com

Permabit extends data dedupe to Linux-based NAS

Computerworld - Permabit Technology on Tuesday announced an iteration of its Albireo primary data deduplication software for SMB network-attached storage systems based on Linux servers.

Albireo Virtual Data Optimizer (VDO), which will be available in the second half of this year, offers inline deduplication and optional data compression as a component of storage systems. Permabit sells a higher-end version of its Albireo deduplication product to NAS vendors such as BluArc, Xiotech and LSI Engenio.

The new VDO application is targeted at smaller NAS vendors that use commodity hardware to create inexpensive and easy-to-use NAS, such as Overland Storage, NetGear, Cisco Systems' Linksys and QNap Systems.

Albireo's index engine works by allowing application servers and NAS systems to quickly identify block- or file-level data already stored on an array of disks. Using the SHA-256 hash function, the software assigns a unique identifier to chunks of data being stored. Those hash identifiers are then stored, along with metadata from the storage systems -- such as the block address -- in an index.

As new data comes in from application servers, it is automatically compared with existing data. If duplicate files or blocks of data are found, the storage system is notified and the data is not stored. When data read requests come into the NAS appliance, the data is delivered in the same way a data snapshot is copied on a backup system, through multiple pointers to the data chunks.

"It means there's no rehydration operation, and we're not in the read path," said Jered Floyd, chief technology officer and co-founder of Permabit. "This functionality is not limited to a handful of terabytes of data. It can deliver this across petabytes of data within the same file system or volume."

Floyd said Albireo is capable of delivering 420MB/sec. of sustained throughput using a single quad-core processor, so as not to cause a bottleneck in the data path.

"We'll never be the bottleneck in the storage network," Floyd said. "We feel if dedupe has a negative impact on a storage system, that's an obstacle to adoption."

Permabit is targeting Linux-based NAS systems with its new VDO product because, after top-tier vendors, it's the fastest-growing market. According to Gartner, the Linux-based NAS appliance market has grown from a 6.5% market share in 2006 to 17.9% in 2009.

Floyd said about 60 vendors offer Linux-based NAS systems, which mainly use the iSCSI transport protocol. The systems typically have from one to 96 drives.

In order for the NAS vendors to use the Albireo VDO software, there is a three-week to three-month engineering effort required to integrate the application with their native storage management software.

"There are dozens of Linux-based NAS vendors that are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from their competitors. If it is available, most of these vendors are frustrated with the subpar capabilities of the deduplication that comes with the OS they integrate into their NAS," said George Crump, founder of market research firm Storage Switzerland, in a statement. "Building the Albireo VDO technology into their devices is an excellent way to differentiate themselves."

Source: computerworld.com

Intel doubles capacity, drops price in refresh of popular SSD line

Computerworld - Intel announced today a new line of consumer-class solid-state drives based on its smallest 25 nanometer (nm) circuitry that replaces the chip maker's most popular SSD, the X25-M.

The new 2.5-in. Intel Solid-State Drive 320 Series offers models that more than triple capacity over the X25-M and reduces prices by up to 30%, or $100, on some models. While aimed at the laptop and desktop market, the consumer SSD has also been Intel's most popular model for servers in data centers.

With the 320 Series, Intel has added native 128-bit AES encryption on the drives, which protects data while at rest on the NAND flash memory.

For data resiliency, Intel also included surplus NAND flash chips on the drive's board over and above the usable capacity. If the SSD's controller detects a potential chip failure, it automatically migrates data to the spare capacity.

Intel has also included small capacitors in its latest SSD, so that in the event of a power loss, data writes in progress to the NAND flash memory will be completed.

"We're talking about microseconds [of power] here, not seconds," said Kishore Rao, product line manager for SSDs. "There's just enough reserve current to complete any writes that were in progress."

Michael Yang, an analyst with market research firm iSuppli, called the SSD 320 Intel's "Honda Accord." Yang noted that Intel is not the first manufacturer to offer native encryption or data redundancy features on an SSD, but he said they have added what amounts to enterprise-class features on a consumer-class SSD.

For example, SSDs made with SandForce and Indilinx controllers -- such as those from OCZ -- also come with native encryption.

"This is not a leadership product by any stretch," Yang said. "But it's a good product, especially for a 25nm SSD."

Intel's legacy consumer SSD series, the X25-M, comes in 80GB and 160GB models. The new SSD 320 Series offers capacities ranging from 40GB to 600GB.

Intel SSD 320 prices, based on 1,000-unit quantities, are as follows: 40GB at $89; 80GB at $159; 120GB at $209; 160GB at $289; 300GB at $529; and 600GB at $1,069. All models include a limited three-year warranty from Intel.

In comparison, Intel's 160GB X25-M SSD sells for $367 at online retail sites such as Pricegrabber.com.

Gregory Wong, an analyst with Forward Insights, said that while Intel has lowered its prices, it still amounts to about $1.80 per gigabyte. Wong expects mass adoption of SSDs by consumers won't occur until the price has reached about $1 per gigabyte, sometime in 2012 or 2013.

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Source: computerworld.com