Apple-Compatible Flash Disk RAID by Winchester Systems

Winchester Systems Inc. announced their new SA-4200 Series of Apple-compatible FlashDisk XRAID disk arrays intended to provide high performance, high capacity expansion storage for Apple Xserve servers and MAC Pro workstations. FlashDisk XRAID is compatible with Apple’s Xsan 2 and Final Cut Studio 2 and all other applications without the need for host driver software.

Each compact array holds eight disk drives of 500 GB, 750 GB or 1 TB each to provide up to 8 TB of data and can be stacked four units high for a total of 32 TB of convenient expansion. Apple’s internal storage is limited to 4 TB. For convenience and portability, sturdy top-mounted handles make this lightweight unit easy to transport for field use.

The FlashDisk XRAID disk arrays deliver 500 megabytes per second data throughput. This high performance data rate supports four simultaneous 10-bit 1080p video streams. For random access applications including databases and financial applications, each system supports up to 18,000 disk operations per second to eliminate transaction delays and speed sorting and reporting. The array supports RAID 0, 1, 3, 5, and 6.

RAID 6 offers dual parity for the utmost in data protection for valuable data. Even if two disk drives fail or become unreadable, the data will remain intact. This RAID 6 protection is invaluable for protecting irreplaceable or irreproducible photos and video — particularly for field use where hardware is vulnerable. According to the company’s white paper, ‘Enterprise RAID 6,’ RAID 6 dual parity offers 500 to 30,000 times longer MTDL (Mean Time To Data Loss) than RAID 5. An informative 6-minute presentation ‘RAID 6 Essentials‘ is also available.

"Apple’s success in the server market has created a demand for external storage and Apple’s internal storage is no longer sufficient to store all the data in a typical graphics and video environment," states Mr. Joel Leider, the company’s chief executive officer. "Apple offers a single, expensive third-party external storage device. Now the vast network of Apple VARS and end users have a faster, more reliable, more cost effective solution as an alternative," he added.

Mr. Jerry Namery, the company’s chief technology officer, stated: "We have been providing storage to demanding military and commercial applications for 27 years and we knew we could make this 9th generation, field proven technology to the Apple community at cost effective prices."

Pricing starts at under $5,000 and quantity discounts are available. Delivery is 1-3 weeks ARO.