Dot Hill Launches High Capacity Ultra56 AssuredSAN Hybrid Storage Array

New Solution, Designed for Carrier and Other Rugged Environments, Delivers High Density Storage With Hybrid Flash Array Functionality and RealStor 2.0 Application Workload-Aware Intelligence


NEW ORLEANS, Nov. 17, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- SC14 -- Dot Hill Systems Corp. (Nasdaq:HILL), a trusted supplier of innovative carrier and enterprise-class storage systems, today unveiled the Dot Hill Ultra56™ AssuredSAN®, a new hybrid flash storage array based on an ultra-density chassis that supports both NEBS Level 3 carrier and MIL-STD government requirements and up to 1.34 petabytes (PB) of raw capacity. The Ultra56 AssuredSAN includes the same dual active, redundant 4004 controllers as other Dot Hill storage arrays, affording up to 6400MB/s of sustained read performance and complete meta-data compatibility within the Dot Hill family of storage solutions. It is the only high density storage product on the market today that meets the extremely demanding requirements of telecommunications carriers, service providers and tactically deployed government installations.

A photo accompanying this release is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=29099

The Ultra56 is well suited for environments requiring extreme reliability and density as well as applications ranging from big data, cloud, high performance computing to wireless and cellular infrastructure. Built to carrier grade specifications, the Ultra56 is tested and compliant with the stringent NEBS Level 3 shock and vibration requirements and is available with both AC and -48V DC power options.

On display in booth #3153 at SC14, the Ultra56 is available with Dot Hill's RealStor™ version 2.0 application workload-aware intelligence software, which maximizes performance and simplifies management of hybrid storage arrays. Incorporating Dot Hill's high performance AssuredSAN 4004 storage controllers, the Ultra56 delivers proven 99.999 percent data availability and features platinum-rated power supplies. Ultra56 hybrid flash arrays support any combination of SSDs and hard disk drives to best suit application needs. With hard drives of 6TB in capacity, up to 336TB raw capacity per chassis can be achieved. Three Ultra56 expansion enclosures can be added for a total of 1.34PB of storage within a single array. Performance is exceptional with sustained reads of up to 6400 MB/s, large block writes of up to 5300 MB/s writes, and small block random reads of up to 100,000 IOPS from HDDs or SSDs. All devices are hot-swappable and the system is designed with two front removable device drawers for easy service and maintenance.

"Enhancing our portfolio of 'Ultra' solutions and leveraging our Ultra48 design for small form factor drives, we've designed a unique chassis for large form factor devices with the Ultra56," said Bill Wuertz, senior vice president of products and solutions, Dot Hill. "With all the requisite features, as well as outstanding performance and high capacity, the Ultra56 is well-suited for our growing base of vertical market and service provider customers. This solution, which includes RealStor 2.0 application workload-aware intelligence, provides Dot Hill partners with a significantly differentiated offering for high performance computing and ruggedized applications."

"The extreme density, reliability, and simply elegant serviceability of the Ultra56 make it a great solution for telcos, service providers, and government organizations with massive storage requirements and throughput-hungry application workloads," said Brian Garrett, vice president ESG Lab, Enterprise Strategy Group. "The super-sized capacity of the Ultra56 hardware platform, combined with the simply smart intelligence of RealStor 2.0 software, is ideally suited to ride the next wave of data-intensive workloads including cloud, big data, and the internet of things."

Ultra56 Architecture and Solutions

Ultra56 systems provide up to 1.34PB of total capacity when expanded with up to three Ultra56 JBODs. The Ultra56 leverages the highly reliable AssuredSAN architecture which features hot swappable drives, power supplies, fans and controllers. Unique to the Ultra56 are two front-facing drawers for easy access to and replacement of devices. The drawers themselves are warm swappable components of the systems. The Ultra56 is also backed by a best-in-class 37 month "bumper to bumper" warranty that covers all hardware components including interface transceivers.      

A hybrid configuration leveraging RealStor 2.0 with the Ultra48 for SSDs or small form factor drives for metadata, and the Ultra56 for high-capacity storage fits many customer scenarios, delivering both inexpensive performance and affordable capacity.

Pricing and Availability

Dot Hill Ultra56 Fibre Channel/iSCSI and SAS arrays are shipping through select OEMs and will be generally available through authorized Dot Hill partners in January, 2015, with street prices starting around $70,000 for a 336 terabyte capacity solution in 4U rack space. The RealStor 2.0 base license is included standard with all Ultra56 models. The premium RealTier autonomic real-time tiering feature is available via a licensing key and upgrade charge. For details, go to http://www.dothill.com/storage-software/.

About Dot Hill

Leveraging its proprietary Assured family of storage solutions, Dot Hill solves many of today's most challenging storage problems – helping IT to improve performance, increase availability, simplify operations, and reduce costs. Dot Hill's solutions combine breakthrough software with the industry's most flexible and extensive hardware platform and automated management to deliver best-in-class solutions. Headquartered in Longmont, Colo., Dot Hill has offices and/or representatives in China, Germany, India, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

For more information, visit us at www.dothill.com.

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Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ from those expressed or implied by the statements. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties that Dot Hill may face, please consult the Forms 10-K and 10-Q most recently filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Dot Hill. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they were made and Dot Hill undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect changes in circumstances. Dot Hill is not responsible for statements made by third parties, such as ESG.

The photo is also available via AP PhotoExpress.

Contact: 
Steve Sturgeon
Lutz PR (for Dot Hill Systems)
858-472-5669
steve@lutzpr.com
 
Company Contact:
Ruth Macdonald
Dot Hill Systems
303-845-3364
ruth.macdonald@dothill.com
Ultra56 AssuredSAN