IBM will launch a new midrange storage array in Europe early next year, based on the LSI Logic Corp. E5600 series, sources familiar with the companys plans said.
IBM officials, in Armonk, N.Y., declined to comment. However, sources said the new product will be called the FAStT 900, launched at the same starting price—$46,499—that IBM currently charges for its version of the older LSI E4600, branded as the FAStT 700.
IBM-Europe, based in Paris, will also reduce its prices on the 700 and the FAStT500. Theyll also offer users a bundle of the simplest IBM midrange product, the FAStT 200, with an 8-port switch from McData Corp. and with a Linear Tape Open (LTO) autoloader, sources said.
The E5600, announced by the Milpitas, Calif.-based LSI in October with 33TB capacity, 2G bps network connections, and 772MBps throughput is also sold by IBM storage rival Storage Technology Corp., as the D280 which began shipping in October.
NCR Corp. Teradata division plans this spring to announce the E5600 system as the core technology for its own product cycle makeover, which will also have server and software upgrades, a spokesman said. Teradata will change its branding of the product to NCR Enterprise Storage, from the current WorldMark Enterprise Storage 6840 moniker, he said.
Also, IP storage specialist Nishan Systems Inc. expects to certify its switches with the LSI system early next year, a spokesman said.