Mainframe disk storage forerunner EMC Corp has launched information sharing software – for use with its Symmetrix Enterprise storage systems which it claims will enable direct extraction and transfer of information from various mainframe relational databases to Unix and Windows NT servers, at up to five times faster than current methods. Called DataReach, the software includes a graphical user interface supplied by BMC Software Inc, which has also been signed up by EMC to jointly market, sell and support the package. DataReach operates in conjunction with EMC’s Symmetrix enterprise storage system of which a single implementation can connect concurrently to various mainframes and servers, obviating the need for involvement by the mainframe’s central processing unit or the network in the data extraction or transfer processes, EMC says. The first implementation of DataReach is available now for access to MVS/ESA DB2 from Hewlett-Packard Co’s HP-UX server to download into an Oracle Corp database. DataReach is licensed at a cost of $100,000 per server. EMC has also announced the release of its TimeFinder package that enables the creation of multiple copies of production data from mainframes and servers, without disrupting on-going processes, for use in backups, Year 2000 testing, European currency conversions and datawarehouse loading. It is available now on all Symmetix systems priced at $30,000. A version that has been extended to support the EMC DataManager backup software is due to ship in the next quarter.
