Ximeta offers low-cost storage
Published: 30 Apr 2003 15:34 BST
Those who want to sample networked storage on the cheap might keep an eye out for the NetDisk from Ximeta Technology.
The start-up is using the NetWorld+Interop trade show in Las Vegas to launch a portable hard drive that plugs directly into an Ethernet network. The same drive also can be taken off the network and attached to a single PC as a USB 2.0 hard drive. The idea, says Ximeta president Edward Park, is to offer a portable drive that can be used by a whole work group in the office and then be taken home. Prices range from $269 (about £169) for an 80GB drive to $399 for a 160GB drive.
Ximeta calls the concept a "Network Direct Attached Storage" device, further blurring the lines between storage that is connected to a PC or a server and attached to a network.
While most networked storage uses speedy, but expensive Fibre Channel networks, the NetDisk can plug directly into an Ethernet switch. "We just opened the technology to everybody," Park boasted.
In theory, such a drive could even plug into a home network, creating the frightening prospect of a new buzzword: the "Home Storage Area Network."
Although the NetDisk has a low price tag, it also has its drawbacks. The NetDisk doesn't use standard Internet protocols, meaning that any PC that wants to use the drive needs to install special software.
Also, it is not yet available. Park said that the company hopes to have the device on store shelves by June.
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