News

posted on 24 June 2008 09:38

Dot Hill has introduced a Direct Current (DC) power version of its 5730 Fibre Channel storage array.

Typically data centers lose a percentage of incoming power by converting it to Alternating Current (AC). Bodies such as the Green Grid reckon that switching to DC power can reduce overall energy consumption and thus costs and a data center's carbon footprint.

This Dot Hill product introduction is relevant to an IDC storage energy cost study.

Dave Reinsel, one of the study authors and an IDC group VP, said: “Energy efficiency in the data center is a growing concern for technology vendors and their customers today. We are beginning to see a shift in IT focus where energy consumption is becoming a critical component of a viable and sustainable IT strategy. In the past companies have traditionally concentrated on optimizing computer resources and storage operations, but today they are taking a more holistic approach that includes everything from data center designs, to air versus liquid cooling, to DC power.”

Dot Hill's 5730 was launched last year and scales to support up to 108 mixed SAS/SATA disk drives, and up to 108 terabytes of capacity using 1TB SATA drives. It has a rack footprint of only 2U and, with DC power, is NEBS (Network Equipment Building System) Level 3 certified and designed to meet the MIL-STD-810F requirements of the U.S. Department of Defense for land, sea and air deployment. 

Dana Kammersgard, Dot Hill’s president and CEO, said: “Introducing support for DC power was the next logical step in our product road map as ... organizations look to improve data center energy efficiency.”

Dot Hill’s 5730 with DC power is now shipping. Suggested list pricing starts at $32,000.

^{[Paul Roberts, news editor.]}