Seagate claim TWO fundamental drive design segments:
o Proceedings of 2nd Annual Conference on File & Storage Technology (FAST)
o March 2003
o Seagate Whitepaper
http://www.seagate.com/content/docs/pdf/whitepaper/D2c_More_than_Interface_ATA_vs_SCSI_042003.pdf
It details a host of engineering differences between desktop & enterprise class drives.
o TWO fundamental designs - Enterprise & Desktop
o Enterprise drives are mechanically different to Desktop drives
---- Enterprise *drives* target higher reliability & performance
---- Desktop *drives* target higher capacity & cost competitive
o Drive application segment goes *beyond* interface
---- Raptor = Enterprise segment, Cheetah = Enterprise segment
---- former uses SATA, latter SCSI - *both* are Enterprise segment
o What's a "good" SATA? A Raptor 10,000rpm? Well that's an Enterprise drive.
o What's a SCSI HD? A Cheetah 10,000rpm? Well that's an Enterprise drive.
Distinction is the *drive design* segment - enterprise or desktop.
Indeed drive design segment is spreading into the 2.5" market:
o Hitachi now produce an enterprise class & laptop class 2.5" 7200rpm HD
o Enterprise class (EK) version = continual use rated, laptop class = is not
No, it's based on two points:
1) Two drive design segments exist
---- Desktop & Enterprise
2) Current *market offerings* bias the former - at the moment
---- most SATA drives are desktop drives - irrespective of the interface
---- some SATA drives are *enterprise drives* - irrespective of the interface
-------- a Raptor is a *drive* designed for enterprise use
---- most SCSI drives are enterprise drives - irrespective of the interface
Seagate's point - and WD with Raptor - is that Drive-Design-Differs:
o Yes the Raptor has an SATA *interface*
o However the Raptor is an *Enterprise drive* in terms of design
A potential problem is in the implementation of a SATA system:
o SATA Desktop solutions exist - Highpoint
o SATA Enterprise solutions exist - 3ware
SATA or SCSI alone doesn't mean delineate Enterprise or Desktop.
That ignores the cost:benefit of Raptor + 3ware = cheap multi-TB.
o Raptor doesn't win just because of Cheap + Multi-GB + SATA
o Raptor wins because it is Enterprise-Class *as well* = Substitution
SATA drives may not be engineered like SCSI - you have to compare
underlying drive technology re apples to apples, enterprise to enterprise.
o The interface doesn't determine the class of drive
o The design of the drive determines its class
Ok, some will still argue SCSI is a superior enterprise interface to SATA.
That is likely to be a depreciating argument - as SATA & mkt offerings change.
I do think SATA is a mess - but mainly from the low-end implementation:
o Desktop ATA drives using a SATA bridge chip
o Desktop ATA controllers which are just that - desktop use
o SATA connectors aren't well latching
o SATA should have launched with multi-drives per channel
SATA *was* urgently needed - as anyone who has implemented 18" ATA
cable length limits with an 8-port 3ware card re routing & drive-bay distance.
Enterprise can come in a SATA interface - Raptor & 3ware prove it.
I hope that's clearer - there *is* a desktop v enterprise drive design difference.
Most SATA drives are *desktop drives*, Raptor is an *enterprise drive*.
Ok, perhaps Seagate are lying their ass off and we've been overpaying thro
the nose for years for Enterprise class drives which were the same as Desktop.
Perhaps, however enterprise drives seem to outlast desktop in the same task.
Therein is the marketing & engineering win for Raptor over other SATA drives.
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