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Coraid EtherDrive® Ethernet SAN technology based on ATA over Ethernet (AoE) is a connectionless protocol that connects servers and storage directly across Layer 2 Ethernet.  It does not require TCP/IP like iSCSI or proprietary networks like Fibre Channel.  It also does not require user configured multi-path IO (MPIO) software.  Ethernet SAN packets are automatically sent over every available network path between the server and storage (without MPIO configuration). Ethernet SAN is very reliable too.  Each data packet is checked for bit errors and all packets are acknowledged. Ethernet SANs low latency allows dropped packets to be retransmitted immediately insuring high throughput and reliability.

Ethernet SAN is an extremely fast and simple method for sharing disk drives through a low latency network.  Since Ethernet SAN doesn’t need TCP/IP, it has less overhead, lower latency and automatically utilizes all network paths. Coraid’s EtherDrive storage products take full advantage of Ethernet SANs simplicity to deliver storage that will outperform Fibre Channel and iSCSI.

Price-performance

Starting as low as $500 per terabyte, EtherDrive arrays offer up to a 5-8x price-performance advantage over legacy Fibre Channel and iSCSI solutions.  In addition to reducing CAPEX, EtherDrive reduces storage OPEX by eliminating complex multi-pathing topologies and software, rigid topology design, and esoteric Fibre Channel configuration tasks. 

New Storage Paradigm

With storage cost consuming 25% to 45% of IT budgets, companies of all sizes are under constant pressure to find ways to reduce cost (CAPEX) and overhead (OPEX).  Coraid’s disruptive Ethernet SAN storage arrays dramatically simplify storage for consolidated and virtualized environments while enhancing performance and providing incredible cost efficiency.