Sonnet Fusion RX1600RAID

Sonnet Technologies, Inc. announced the Fusion RX1600RAID, a high-performance, high-capacity, direct-attached 3U rackmount storage system that provides data throughput speeds suitable for work with uncompressed HD video up to 2K resolution. Fusion RX1600RAID is designed to provide high reliability in demanding editing and content creation environments. With its drives formatted as a RAID 5 set, this 16-drive system delivers data transfer speeds up to 1,000 MB/sec read and 750 MB/sec write. An integrated SAS expander facilitates fast, easy expansion of the Sonnet system, enabling the user to connect additional 16-drive enclosures.

"The Fusion RX1600RAID storage system can be integrated into a facility very quickly to provide the performance, capacity, and security required for multi-stream HD work," said Robert Farnsworth, CEO of Sonnet Technologies. "This system offers the high degree of reliability required to protect valuable content from drive failure. It is constructed of enterprise-class hardware such as redundant, hot-swappable fans and redundant, hot-swappable 350W power supplies. The system design maximizes uptime and contributes to continuous productivity through its use of hot-swappable drive modules and its incorporation of drive, fan, and power supply monitoring."

"The RX1600RAID’s built-in SAS expander makes future growth simple, fast, and economical, saving post-production facilities both time and money. Incorporating another RX1600RAID into a facility is nearly as simple as installing another enclosure into the rack and connecting a few cables," concluded Farnsworth.

Fusion RX1600RAID provides users the flexibility of choosing from multiple RAID schemes. RAID 5 and RAID 6 support offer balanced performance and protection, and enable safe recovery from single- and double-drive failures, respectively. RAID 0 offers pure, unadulterated speed, while RAID 1 provides ultimate redundancy; RAID 4, RAID 10, and JBOD support are available, too. Fusion RX1600RAID systems support hot spares, which means a designated hot spare drive waits unused in the background to automatically replace a failed drive without further action from the user. This flexibility is accomplished without switches — a simple-to-use configuration utility makes optimizing the RX1600RAID setup for specific workflow requirements simple.

The Fusion RX1600RAID is SES 2.0 compliant, providing operators with enhanced real-time monitoring and reporting of drive, power supply, temperature, and fan status. Operators can use S.M.A.R.T. monitoring parameters in configuring the system to issue on-screen alerts, trigger fault LEDs, and provide audible warnings via the drive enclosure’s built-in alarm and the computer’s speaker. The system also can be set up to send e-mail alerts to designated addresses.

The Sonnet Fusion RX1600RAID is compatible with Mac, Windows, and Linux computers with an x8 (or x4) PCI Express slot running Mac OS X Version 10.4.8+; Windows Vista, Server 2003, and XP Pro; and various Linux operating systems. The high performance Sonnet RAID controller included with the complete Fusion RX1600RAID storage system incorporates an Intel IOP348 RAID processor running at 1.2 GHz, and contains 256MB of ECC RAM. Available in 16TB and 24TB configurations, the Fusion RX1600RAID system’s drives are preformatted for immediate use with Mac OS-based computers.

Complete Fusion RX1600RAID storage systems include the enclosure with sixteen 3.5-inch hard drive modules, along with a Sonnet RAID controller card, two heavy-duty two-meter mini-SAS data cables, two power cables, a software CD, and documentation. Four-meter and six-meter cables are optionally available. Fusion RX1600RAID expansion systems include the enclosure, drives, and power cables.

Fusion RX1600RAID storage systems are expected to be available from April 30, 2009 with the following suggested retail prices: Fusion RX1600RAID (16TB) at $10,895 and Fusion RX1600RAID (24TB) at $11,995.