3PAR Introduces Third-Generation Virtualized Storage Array

FREMONT, CA, Sep 02 (MARKET WIRE) --
3PAR(R) (NYSE: PAR), the leading global provider of utility storage,
introduced today the 3PAR InServ(R) T400 and T800 Storage Servers, built
on a third-generation 3PAR InSpire(R) Architecture that features the 3PAR
Gen3 ASIC with integrated fat-to-thin processing. With the delivery of
the new T-Class arrays, 3PAR has become the first storage vendor to
incorporate efficient, silicon-based thin technologies into system
hardware. The InServ T800 also set a new Storage Performance Council
Benchmark(TM) 1 (SPC-1) record(1), doubling the performance of the
previous generation of InServ arrays to become the fastest single-system
storage array according to published results on file with the Storage
Performance Council (SPC).

"Enterprise datacenter managers continually seek to decrease complexity
and increase utilization. To this end, virtualization technologies such
as thin provisioning are fast becoming 'must have' features to realize
greater efficiencies in the virtualized datacenter," said Brad Nisbet,
Research Manager, Storage Systems at IDC. "As a leader in bringing
software-based thin provisioning to the open-systems market, 3PAR's
endeavor to build thin technologies into hardware is a logical
progression that will increase the efficiencies of enterprise
organizations."

Thin Built In(TM) Design

The 3PAR Gen3 ASICs within the T-Class arrays feature a Thin Built In(TM)
design to increase capacity utilization while maintaining high service
levels. This design incorporates detection of allocated but unused
capacity ("zero-detection" capability) into the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC to offer a
silicon-based mechanism for fat-to-thin volume conversions. These
fat-to-thin volume conversions are intended to boost capacity utilization
by removing allocated but unused space from traditional volumes. 3PAR is
the first in the industry to commercially ship storage systems with
fat-to-thin capability designed into the hardware architecture of its
arrays.

The Thin Built In architecture of the T-Class arrays was designed to
preserve service levels and prevent disruption to production workloads
during migration of "fat" volumes from other storage platforms to new
"thin" volumes on the InServ. When fat-to-thin volume conversions take
place in specialized silicon, controller CPU and memory resources are not
diverted away from application workloads. This averts the negative
performance impact of a software-based fat-to-thin implementation.

InServ T-Class arrays featuring the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC with the Thin Built In
design are available today. 3PAR is developing additional software
functionality to make fat-to-thin volume conversions, which are not
currently supported in software, possible on the T-Class arrays with the
next release of the 3PAR InForm(R) Operating System.

Enhanced Performance

3PAR designed the InServ family of arrays to deliver high levels of
performance and consolidation simply and affordably, so that customers
don't have to overprovision capacity or resort to complex administration
to increase performance and improve utilization. To demonstrate the power
of the new InServ T-Class, 3PAR has posted record-setting SPC-1 results in
which the 3PAR InServ T800 achieved a total of 224,989.65 SPC-1 IOPS, an
SPC-1 Price-Performance of $9.30/SPC-1 IOPS, and a total ASU capacity of
77,824 gigabytes(1). With these results, the InServ T-Class more than
doubles the performance of the InServ S-Class to become the fastest
single-system storage array as measured by SPC-1 results on file with the
SPC.

The SPC (www.storageperformance.org) is a vendor-neutral standards body
focused on the storage industry. SPC benchmark results such as the SPC-1
are intended to provide a source of comparative storage performance
information that is objective, relevant, and verifiable. SPC benchmarks
are designed to be vendor and platform independent and are applicable
across a broad range of storage configurations and topologies. Any vendor
may sponsor and publish an SPC benchmark result provided their tested
configuration satisfies the requirements of the appropriate SPC benchmark
specification. The SPC-1 benchmark uses a single workload designed to
demonstrate the performance of a storage subsystem while performing the
typical functions of business-critical applications.

An IBM System p5 595 server was used to drive the SPC-1 benchmark load to
the 3PAR T-Class. "The IBM System p5 595 provides exceptional scalability,
making it superb to drive a high-end storage benchmark," said Scott Handy,
VP of Worldwide Strategy, IBM Power Systems. "The combination of IBM Power
Systems with the 3PAR T-Class enables customers to meet the performance
demands of their mission-critical UNIX applications."

The InServ T-Class arrays feature the only single-system storage
architecture to report 224,989.65 IOPS in a published SPC-1 result, which
was achieved with 83% capacity utilization and without complex
configuration or performance tuning. According to results on file with the
SPC, this makes the InServ T-Class the only modular array capable of
delivering performance in excess of 224,000 IOPS right out of the box,
without performance-enhancing techniques such as "short stroking," a
common practice whereby vendors leave physical capacity space unaccessed
in order to speed disk performance.

"With more than 1.6 million jobs and 23 million unique visitors to our
site each month, performance is critical to our business, but so is
simplicity and ease of use," said Ali Shahzad, Storage Architect at
CareerBuilder.com, the largest online job site in the United States. "The
3PAR T-Class offers the kind of performance we require, right out of the
box."

Innovative 3PAR InSpire Architecture Featuring the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC

3PAR's unique and tightly clustered InSpire Architecture was designed to
ensure high and predictable levels of performance for all workloads --
even under failure conditions -- as well as high utilization rates for
purchased resources. Central to the InSpire design is a high-bandwidth,
low-latency backplane that unifies cost-effective, modular, and scalable
components into a highly available and autonomically load-balanced
cluster.

The 3PAR Gen3 ASIC in each 3PAR Controller Nodes acts to communicate and
move data between controllers across this passive, full-mesh backplane.
Each application workload is distributed and shared across all system
resources in a massively parallel fashion. This approach differs
substantially from other quality of service schemes based on the purchase
and ongoing management of dedicated (not shared) and often underutilized
system resources.

The 3PAR Gen3 ASIC was also designed to alleviate performance concerns and
cut traditional array costs by allowing the InServ to deliver mixed
workload support. With the InServ, transaction- and throughput-intensive
workloads run without contention on the same storage resources. This is
made possible through parallelizing data movement (with the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC
and associated Data Cache) and metadata processing (using Intel(R) CPUs
and associated Control Cache) within each Controller Node.

In addition, the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC supports 3PAR Fast RAID 5, a unique
capability through which 3PAR customers have reported achieving high
levels of performance with 33% less storage capacity. The abundant memory
bandwidth and built-in RAID 5 XOR engine within the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC allows
3PAR's Fast RAID 5 to deliver performance levels comparable to RAID 1
without the higher data protection overhead.

Building Block for Cloud Computing

As organizations build out their virtualized infrastructures to support
the delivery of enterprise IT as a utility service via cloud and
self-service computing models, they are turning to server virtualization,
blade servers, and utility storage technologies. With its distinct
architectural advantages, Thin Built In hardware, and superior
performance, the InServ T-Class is purpose-built to meet the needs of
these virtualized datacenters.

"With mounting interest in cloud and self-service computing as delivery
models for enterprise IT as a utility service, it's increasingly important
for organizations to build cost-effective and sharable virtualized IT
infrastructures based on utility computing architectures," said David
Scott, CEO of 3PAR. "With its unique, 'Thin Built In' architecture, the
T-Class is a storage building block designed to do just this."

A wide array of companies are enabling a virtualized platform for cloud
and self-service computing with 3PAR Utility Storage, including Brocade,
Data Domain, Emulex, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, QLogic, Red Hat, Riverbed,
Symantec and VMware. A 3PAR T-Class partner quote sheet is available at
(http://www3par.com/documents/3PAR-tcpe-qs-08.0.pdf).

About 3PAR

3PAR(R) (NYSE: PAR) is the leading global provider of utility storage, a
category of highly virtualized, tightly clustered, and dynamically tiered
storage arrays built for utility computing. Organizations use utility
computing to build cost-effective virtualized IT infrastructures for
flexible workload consolidation. 3PAR Utility Storage gives customers an
alternative to traditional arrays by delivering resilient infrastructure
with increased agility at a lower total cost to meet their rapidly
changing business needs. As a pioneer of thin provisioning -- a green
technology developed to address storage underutilization and
inefficiencies -- 3PAR offers products designed to minimize power
consumption and promote environmental responsibility. With 3PAR,
customers have reduced the costs of allocated storage capacity,
administration, and SAN infrastructure while increasing adaptability and
resiliency. 3PAR Utility Storage is built to meet the demands of open
systems consolidation, integrated data lifecycle management, and
performance-intensive applications. For more information, visit the 3PAR
Website at: www.3PAR.com.

(1)3PAR InServ(R) T800 Storage Server SPC-1 result details are available
at:
http://www.storageperformance.org/results/benchmark_results_spc1#a00069

Copyright 2008 3PAR Inc. All rights reserved. 3PAR, the 3PAR logo, Serving
Information, InServ, InForm, InSpire, and Thin Built In are all trademarks
or registered trademarks of 3PAR Inc. All other trademarks and registered
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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3PAR U.S. Contact
John D'Avolio
Triggerfish Consulting for 3PAR
415-642-4049
Email Contact

3PAR U.K. Contact
Federica Monsone
A3 Communications for 3PAR
+44 (0) 1252 875 203
Email Contact

Copyright 2008, Market Wire, All rights reserved.

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