InformationWeek

With cluster-in-a-box computing, a standalone Windows NT or Windows 2000 Aviion server relies on a special implementation of Microsoft Cluster Server software to eliminate single points of failure. With the new enhancements, depending on the package, users can buy cluster-aware or conventional Aviion servers bundled with EMC's Remote Data Facility (which supports data mirroring), its TimeFinder software (which supports data replication), or both.

Bundled storage options range from Data General's own Clariion offerings to EMC's high-end Symmetrix hardware and its Celerra networked file server. Also available is a cluster-aware version of an American Power Conversion Corp. uninterruptible power supply. The offerings variously reduce downtime from hours to minutes, or minutes to seconds, says Data General. At the highest end of the lineup, companies gain global protection of their business via the use of switching technology and clusters with EMC's software; Data General says this takes downtime from seconds to zero.

"High availability isn't just an option anymore," says Bob Guilbert, director of software marketing at EMC's DG division. "The combination of clustering and data replication allows us to fail over information between servers."

Richard Fichera, an analyst at Giga Information Group, says the Data General products should remove high cost and complexity from high availability. "This appears to be a real smart thing," says Fichera. "They're offering it at different price points and removing some of the hardware and software incompatibility issues." The software takes care of the technical integration, he says, so all that's left is "for somebody just to determine the backup policies."