Join journalist Tommy Cummings for a weekly look at all things interesting, new, and noteworthy for design engineers.
Over the years, data storage has gotten more diverse; and storage demands have created complex options. Data storage evolved into an alphabet soup of systems—Common Internet File System (CIFS), Network File System (NFS), Fiber Channel (FC), Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI), and more—all critical systems, of course, but few worked together.
The emergence of unified storage has eased the complexities. Unified storage is a platform with storage capacity connected to a network that provides file-based and block-based data storage services to other networked devices.
It uses standard file protocols such as CIFS and NFS and standard block protocols like FC and iSCSI to allow users and applications to access data consolidated on a single device.
The result can be cost savings, simplicity, and flexibility—nice bonuses for designers who work with data storage systems for smaller enterprises, medium-sized businesses (SMB), and departments.
In this week’s New Tech Tuesdays, we’ll look at Micron solid-state drives, Amphenol Cables on Demand, and Intel® Silicon Photonics Optical Transceivers for data solutions.
Data Communications Solutions
Designers can turn to Micron 7400 Series NVMe™ Solid State Drives (SSDs), which support standard server storage (U.3), cloud and 1U platforms (performance and density focused), and system boot (M.2). Micron’s 7400 Series is available in various form factors—including U.3, M.2, and E1.S—with a wide range of capacity ranges from 400GB to 7.68TB, all with PCIe Gen4 performance and leading-edge hardware security features that are ideal for the requirements of demanding data centers.
Data transmission needs cables. Amphenol Cables on Demand (ACD) High-Speed Cables are made with premium materials and quality engineering. ACD offers thousands of interconnect products with an array of connectors, cable lengths, and pin counts. These off-the-shelf interconnect solutions are ideal for computer I/O, RF, test, instrumentation, and network/data centers. All products are guaranteed to meet or exceed all applicable environmental and performance standards, including those of UL, CSA, REACH, and RoHS.
Intel® Silicon Photonics 400G DR4+ Optical Transceivers offer an integrated optical connectivity solution using the power of optics and the scalability of high-speed silicon. These small form-factor, energy-efficient QSFP-DD optical transceivers are ideal for all data communication applications. Additionally, their high bandwidth support 400GbE optical links over single-mode fiber or quad 100GbE optical links for breakout applications.
Tuesday’s Takeaway
Data storage has evolved into many complex systems, but one thing that has remained constant is the demand for it. With the combination of NVMe flash-optimized form factors and high-speed, high bandwidth, low power interconnects for secure and reliable data transfer, data storage designers will have a simplified and more flexible solution for unified and multiprotocol data storage.
Author
Tommy Cummings is a freelance writer/editor based in Texas. He’s had a journalism career that has spanned more than 40 years. He contributes to Texas Monthly and Oklahoma Today magazines. He’s also worked at The Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, San Francisco Chronicle, and others. Tommy covered the dot-com boom in Silicon Valley and has been a digital content and audience engagement editor at news outlets.
