Waltham, Massachusetts-based Cambex Corp is after a slice of the action that has proved so lucrative for EMC Corp and has launched the Cascade Array, claiming that it offers the best cost-performance and highest availability at the lowest price in the mainframe market. Cascade initially comes in a RAID-1 fully-mirrored version, but RAID-5 is planned for later this year. It is claimed to cost less than $3 per Megabyte fully configured; it runs off an IBM Corp 3990 Storage Control unit, and is claimed to make use of all of the standard and extended functions that IBM provides through its storage controllers such as Dual Copy and Fast Write. It stores up to 544Gb unmirrored, 272Gb when fully mirrored. Each disk has its own cache, and there is another in the controller board; full four-path Data Level Selection enhancement access to all volumes is provided so that any free path to the 3990 controller will be used. Two versions of the Cascade Array are available, the Model 3 with up to 90Gb per unit, and the Model 3X with 272Gb. The Model 3 uses 2.86Gb 3.5 disks and the Model 3X uses 5.25 8.5Gb disks. A fully populated 90Gb mirrored Cascade Array Model 3 is $345,000, against $530,000 for a 90Gb RAID-5 Ramac Array. A fully populated 272Gb mirrored Cascade 3X is $795,000 where IBM charges $1.6m for 270Gb. First ships are set for June for Model 3, August for the 3X.
