Network File System vendor Auspex Systems Inc has upgraded its Functional Multiprocessing Kernel FMK software for the NS 7000 NetServer range of servers, and claims it now doubles their sequential input-output performance and availability for continuous access. The FMK version 1.9 software suite includes NFS 3.0 which Auspex says enables multiple, asynchronous write commands to be sent to the server without the need for acknowledgement, helping to deliver the improved NFS server throughput. Optional modules include the new DriveGuard embedded RAID 5 software launched last month and an upgrade of the FastBackup backup and restore software, originally launched in 1995. With DriveGuard the Santa Clara, California firm moves into the RAID 5 storage arena, having only supplied RAID 0 and 1 products to date. According to Auspex, the Network File Servers market has two sectors: consolidated, high-end servers, used in electronic and mechanical computer-aided design, oil and gas, finance and telecommunications firms, where it competes with Sun Microsystems Inc and boasts that it beats Sun on system availabilty; and lower-end distributed servers for office automation, where it competes with Invincible Technologies Inc and Network Appliance Corp, and more recently, EMC Corp.
