Mountain View, California-based Parallan Computer Inc has introduced its second-generation Server 290 Series II server, with a base price of $25,000. Based on the 50MHz 80486, it features the first orthogonal implementation of a RAID-5 parallel disk array, so that data is protected and remains accessible even if multiple failures occur on a host adaptor, SCSI bus or multiple drives. Designed as an OS/2 server, it supports up to 128Mb of main memory, eight times the current limit in OS/2 environments, uses the Micro Channel bus and is designed to run LAN Manager, LAN Server and Novell Inc NetWare. The Parallan Orthogonal RAID-5 Parallel Disk Array subsystem is claimed to offer reliability an order of magnitude greater than that of conventional RAID-5 designs and was inspired by a concept developed at the University of California at Berkeley. It involves aligning one or more disk arrays horizontally across multiple SCSI buses, forming a perpendicular distribution pattern that insures continuous access to data even if a host adaptor, SCSI bus or drive fails. Failed disks can be replaced while it is on-line, and on-line spares pooling enables automatic inclusion of a spare drive into an array without user intervention; up to 16 drives per array are used, and multiple arrays per server. The company has developed a reserve memory management system to extend main memory to 128Mb, and the High Performance File System cache can also be increased to 64Mb using it. One or two 50MHz or 33MHz 80486s are supported. The Server 290 Series II is available in six models: the $25,000 base price is for a 15 with one 33MHz 80486, 8Mb memory, two SCSI disk channels and 426Mb of disk; it includes four other microprocessors. No other prices were given but the firm said existing users can add Series II capabilities.
