DataPlow, Incorporated is committed to providing customers with quality, high-performance, storage area network (SAN) management software. SANs are dedicated, high-speed networks that directly connect multiple computers to central pools of disk storage.  The DataPlow SAN File System (SFS) is management software that facilitates file sharing of SAN-based storage among computers at unprecedented performance levels.  SFS supercharges existing network applications and enables demanding applications, currently confined to single computers, to operate in a shared network environment.

Compatible with All Existing Software Applications

DataPlow SFS is fully integrated into the operating system.  There is absolutely no need to recompile or relink existing applications. SFS is completely compatible with all software applications from a variety of industries including entertainment, scientific research, communications, manufacturing, energy, and health care. 

SFS is totally transparent from an end user’s perspective; there is no learning curve.  SFS appears as a traditional file system with all the features and functions users expect, including hierarchical directories, file permissions, regular and direct I/O, byte-level record locking, and log-structured recovery.

Incorporates Open Standards

Unlike shared file systems that require the purchase of proprietary hardware, DataPlow SFS is compatible with storage devices and network components that are currently available from a variety of vendors.  Whether building a SAN configuration using off-the-shelf components or buying a complete package from a hardware vendor, SFS seamlessly integrates into any environment.

Unprecedented Performance

In recent tests of customer applications, from both  the entertainment  industry and scientific research, DataPlow SFS sets new standards for shared  file  system performance.  With  multiple  clients  connected  to  a single disk array through a  two Gigabit Fibre Channel network, SFS delivers over 150 megabytes per second to each client.  This is approximately double the  performance of other shared file systems currently available.  On a larger SAN implementation with multiple clients, disk arrays, and network links, SFS delivers unparalleled  performance of 250 megabytes per second to each client.  Furthermore, the SFS design scales to even the largest configurations that are required by today’s most demanding applications.  Detailed information on these performance tests is available upon request.

In addition to delivering exceptional performance to individual SAN-based clients, SFS provides a scalable environment for traditional LAN and WAN-based file serving.  The above figure illustrates this revolutionary new computing environment; SFS clients and servers share a common pool of storage devices.  To simplify administration and increase flexibility, all SAN-based clients and servers run identical versions of DataPlow SFS.

SFS Clients Directly Access Storage Devices

SFS clients act as their own servers. Through direct SAN access, clients are finally able to utilize the full potential of high-speed networks and storage devices.  By means of aggressive caching, efficient transport, and parallel data layout, SFS achieves high performance. To further improve performance, clients may stripe across multiple devices and network links. 

SFS Servers Improve LAN and WAN File Sharing

DataPlow SFS is ideal for enterprise server applications.  SFS servers export SAN file data to LAN and WAN-based clients.  These LAN and WAN-based clients benefit from enhanced system-wide performance and scalability without having to upgrade any hardware or software.

Multiple Platform Support

DataPlow SFS supports multiple platforms and network configurations.  SFS software is currently available for Sun Microsystems Solaris, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and SGI IRIX operating systems.  Other platforms will soon be available.  SFS servers provide file access to LAN and WAN-based clients of any platform, including Windows, Linux, Apple Mac OS, and IBM AIX.  SFS capitalizes on the high-performance, scalable characteristics of Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage area networks.  By efficiently utilizing these open standards, DataPlow SFS delivers industry-leading file system performance that meets the needs of even the most demanding applications.

To request more DataPlow SAN File System software information, please click here.

United States Department of Defense 
SAN File System Study

The United States Department of Defense commissioned a study of storage area network (SAN) technologies. The DataPlow SAN File System (SFS) was tested head-to-head against IBM/Tivoli SANergy, ADIC CentraVision File System (CVFS), and SGI CXFS file systems.  As the following results indicate, DataPlow SFS consistently outperforms IBM/Tivoli SANergy and ADIC CVFS.  After the study was completed,  SGI opted not to publish CXFS performance numbers.  This SAN file system study, Functionality and Performance Evaluation of File Systems for Storage Area Networks (SAN) by Martha Bancroft, Nick Bear, Robert Hill, Richard Isicoff, and Hoot Thompson, is published in the proceedings of the Eighth NASA Goddard Conference on Mass Storage Systems and Technologies.  For additional information,  please contact DataPlow, Inc. at info@dataplow.com.

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