Dot Hill Introduces 3000 Series Arrays, Including Industry's First 8Gb Fibre Channel/iSCSI Hybrid RAID Array and New Remote Replication Capabilities

LONGMONT, Colo., Feb. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dot Hill Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: HILL), a provider of world-class storage solutions and software for OEMs, open storage partners and system integrators, today announced it is now shipping its next-generation 3000 Series disk arrays with support for 8Gb Fibre Channel storage area networks (SANs), dual interface 8Gb Fibre Channel and 1Gb iSCSI, and optional AssuredRemote™ data management software.

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The 3000 Series ushers in a new category of feature-rich, entry level storage solutions that rival more costly midrange products, providing small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) and data center managers with access to cost-effective and energy-efficient storage options that may previously have been beyond the scope of their budgets. The addition of AssuredRemote software offers SMB IT managers a cost-effective and low maintenance approach to remote office data protection, recovery and migration, and significantly reduces the burden of meeting modern data retention policies and compliance testing associated with government regulations such as the HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley acts.

In addition, Dot Hill's 3000 Series enables storage network implementers to protect their investments and provides non-disruptive storage upgrades through the use of 8Gb Fibre Channel and/or dual interface 8Gb Fibre Channel/1Gb iSCSI solutions that are fully backward-compatible with existing 4Gb Fibre Channel and 1Gb iSCSI installations. With the addition of drive spin-down, mixed drive type support and dual protocol interfaces, users can now combine both high performance primary volumes and secondary storage with different performance and energy usage profiles in the same physical unit.

"Small businesses want affordable, high performance storage solutions that are highly flexible yet easy to use," said Andy Mills, vice president of marketing and business development, Dot Hill Systems. "By adding remote data protection software, increased host connectivity options and significant energy-saving features, we believe we are delivering solutions that redefine the entry level storage space, while addressing today's budget and operational expenditure needs."

AssuredRemote Integrated Remote Replication

Dot Hill AssuredRemote addresses the critical need for SMB replication solutions and delivers a complete data protection package when bundled with Dot Hill's AssuredCopy and AssuredSnap on the new 3000 Series.  Available today as a licensable option, AssuredRemote introduces embedded-in-the-array remote replication of snapshot volumes. Eliminating the requirement for host-based software agents, AssuredRemote offloads backup operations from critical application servers, thereby creating little to no impact to production servers by asynchronously copying and synchronizing data for up to 16 volumes simultaneously, directly between RAID arrays via the local SAN or wide area networks. Replication can operate via the Fibre Channel ports and/or the iSCSI ports in the case of the dual protocol 3900 models, and fully supports high-availability failover where dual controllers are employed.

In addition, unlike some midrange competitive offerings, a 3000 Series system with AssuredRemote is capable of expanding storage using Dot Hill's lower cost JBOD expansion units without the expense of another full controller-based system, enabling significant cost savings as capacity needs grow. Supporting up to 192TB total capacity in a single replication system, a pair of dual protocol, Fibre Channel/ iSCSI arrays with AssuredRemote can be one-third the cost of some of today's midrange replication solutions.

Dot Hill Delivers iSCSI and 8Gb Fibre Channel -- in One System!

Dot Hill is first to market in delivering 8Gb Fibre Channel/1Gb iSCSI hybrid arrays in a compact, entry level 2U form factor (3930 for large form factor 3.5-inch disks, and 3920 for small form factor 2.5-inch disks), both supporting the optional AssuredRemote software. Combining both 8Gb Fibre Channel and 1Gb iSCSI host interfaces within the same unit allows IT managers to reduce the number of array types in mixed Fibre Channel-iSCSI environments without having to worry about sparing or reprovisioning storage from one network to another.

"The move towards unified storage systems addresses a variety of pressing IT needs," said Mark Peters, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. "By removing complexity and enabling better resource utilization, much-desired economic benefits can be delivered. Further, by supporting flexibility, especially within virtualized environments, IT responsiveness is enhanced, and by minimizing the management needed to gain these benefits, the value proposition for hybrid systems such as those Dot Hill is now offering, becomes compelling."

First to Market with RAID Support for 6Gb SAS Drives

The Dot Hill 3000 Series is the first RAID solution to feature out-of-the-box support for 6Gb SAS drives in the entry-level market. Leveraging the product's 6Gb SAS-enabled midplane together with 6Gb SAS drives, customers can achieve improved system throughput that allows for faster access to business data and reduced I/O bottlenecks. The doubling of system bandwidth with 6Gb SAS complements the introduction of high performance 2.5-inch SAS drives in 2009 and makes the 3000 Series ideal for performance-intensive applications such as server virtualization, server backup and video streaming.

Doubling Performance

The 3000 Series arrays reset the bar in terms of entry level performance with sustained bandwidth of more than 1750 MB per second in sequential read applications.  Delivering up to twice the performance of Dot Hill's 2000 Series Fibre Channel arrays, the 3730 dual port 8Gb Fibre Channel 2U 12-drive and 3720 2U 24-drive models, provide double the host I/O bandwidth for bandwidth-intensive applications and virtual server environments, and can help reduce the physical number of connections in the SAN infrastructure. Additionally, the Dot Hill 3000 Series supports up to 144 drives fully configured, including SATA, SSD and 6Gb SAS drives, to support third-party tiered storage initiatives, and is expandable using either 3130 2U 12 3.5-inch drive or 3120 24 2.5-inch drive JBOD systems. In keeping with Dot Hill's prior generations of arrays, the new products are all compliant with NEBS level 3 and MIL STD 810F specifications allowing government customers to take advantage of higher speed connections and remote replication.

New Power Efficiency Modes

The new 3000 Series features a number of eco-friendly enhancements such as drive-spin-down capability and 595-watt 80 PLUS-rated (greater than 80 percent energy efficiency) power supplies for reduced operating costs. Additionally, the 3000 Series also features Dot Hill's patented EcoStor™ "green" battery-free alternative for cache memory, which leverages a combination of super capacitors and flash memory that outlasts traditional batteries nearly fivefold. Business benefits include lower maintenance and disposal costs and reduced server and application down time due to scheduled battery replacement and maintenance.

Additional Information and Availability

The Dot Hill 3000 Series is now shipping through major OEM partners and will be available via Dot Hill channels in March. More information can be obtained on specific products and features at www.dothill.com/3000series.

About Dot Hill

Delivering innovative technology and global support, Dot Hill empowers OEMs and resellers to bring unique storage solutions to market, quickly, easily and cost-effectively. Offering high performance and industry-leading uptime, Dot Hill's RAID technology is the foundation for best-in-class storage solutions offering enterprise-class security, availability and data protection. The company's products are in use today by the world's leading service and equipment providers, common carriers, advanced technology and telecommunications companies as well as government agencies. Dot Hill solutions are certified to meet rigorous industry standards and military specifications, as well as RoHS and WEEE international environmental standards. Headquartered in Longmont, Colo., Dot Hill has offices and/or representatives in China, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States.

For more information, visit us at www.dothill.com.

Certain statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical fact are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding: the size and timing of orders for Dot Hill's new 3000 Series arrays; any improvement in Dot Hill's financial results due to the availability of the 3000 Series arrays; the benefits of the new systems; the performance of the new systems in particular environments; the dates and continued availability of the new arrays; the unique nature of the arrays and the time period during which they remain unique; the scope of patent coverage with respect to EcoStor and the value of that patent; and the fulfillment of any anticipated third-party product introductions or Dot Hill's channel partners and OEM customers offering the 3000 Series. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. The risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: the fact that no Dot Hill customer has committed to any mandatory minimum purchase requirements for the 3000 series; that the 3000 series is new and therefore Dot Hill has limited experience with it both technologically and with respect to market acceptance; changing customer preferences in the open systems computing market; and unforeseen supply, technological, intellectual property or engineering issues. However, there are many other risks not listed here that may affect the future business of Dot Hill, as well as the forward-looking statements contained herein. To learn about such risks and uncertainties, you should read the risk factors set forth in the company's public filings with the SEC, including the Forms 8-K, 10-K and 10-Q most recently filed by Dot Hill. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Dot Hill undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made. The Enterprise Strategy Group is independent of Dot Hill, and Dot Hill is not responsible for the accuracy of statements or predictions made by that group.

SOURCE Dot Hill Systems Corp.