Whitepapers

HP StorageWorks EVA Cluster Virtualized Storage for a Converged Infrastructure

<img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Capture" border="0" alt="Capture" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture_11.png" width="190" height="241" /> Executive summary Infrastructure Convergence is the key to successful IT transformation. Organizations are making a move to a Converged Infrastructure in order to gain higher returns from their IT investments while operating at lower costs under current constrained resources and budgets. One of the key elements to achieve total convergence is to pool your compute and storage resources via virtualization technologies. Recent trends show that many IT organizations are turning to a virtual server infrastructure to help address challenges of improving manageability, availability, and resource utilization. Though they have virtualized their server infrastructure, their storage infrastructure remains siloed or stranded. This partial implementation of virtualization only in the server infrastructure creates a series of storage challenges that nullifies the benefits of server virtualization. With your server virtualization solution in place, are you currently finding it difficult to manage your large and complex storage area network (SAN) infrastructure? Are you looking for cost-effective solutions that help you better manage your storage growth and make efficient use of your storage infrastructure? This white paper focuses on describing the main challenges faced by IT organizations that have adopted server virtualization but have not virtualized their storage infrastructure. It then describes how new flexible solutions like the EVA Cluster can be used to unleash the power of your physical storage, and provide you with a more effective storage solution that gets you better business results.

Read more about HP StorageWorks EVA Cluster Virtualized Storage for a Converged Infrastructure

HP Enterprise Virtual Array Cluster Best Practices

<img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Capture" border="0" alt="Capture" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture_10.png" width="190" height="241" /> Abstract This document defines the “Best Practices” for Enterprise Virtual Array Cluster (EVA Cluster). These best practices are strongly recommended based upon our field experience with the EVA Cluster solution and should be followed as closely as possible. The intended audience for this document is customers and administrators who configure and use EVA Cluster, testers, installers, and troubleshooters of the product. Introduction and philosophy of best practices The HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array Cluster is a bigger and faster product than a single EVA array. It comes with Command View software that makes it simple to manage, saving management time and money, and reduces configuration errors. You can help reduce errors and unnecessary expense by implementing a few best practices and enhancing your EVA Cluster for its intended applications. This paper highlights some basic configuration rules and tradeoffs for enhancing the EVA Cluster for cost, availability, and performance. Getting the most from your HP EVA storage has never been easier. EVA Cluster can offer ease of use for day-to-day operations. However, the breadth and flexibility of EVA Cluster capabilities coupled with the implementation as a fabric based storage solution introduces multiple opportunities for issues with performance and stability of the solution. This document is intended to describe practices that HP has learned from field experience that will help avoid issues with performance or stability. However, if a user chooses to operate beyond these best practices, this document describes tools to allow the administrator to pay extra attention to factors mentioned in this document, such as congestion of fabrics and saturation of array controllers. Careful monitoring can help to avoid issues. This document is a “work in progress,” questions, discrepancies areas that need to be clarified and areas where the recommendations do not meet your particular need should be directed to EVACluster@hp.com. It should be noted that this solution is different from the SVSP solution; there are different features highlighted and exposed for each of the products. Therefore this guide should only be used to reference the EVA Cluster solution, likewise refer to the SVSP best practices as a reference for that solution.

Read more about HP Enterprise Virtual Array Cluster Best Practices

Monochrome Professionals for Corporate Workflows – the Konica Minolta bizhub 423 Series

Konica Minolta especially developed its new A3 multifunctional products for modern offices in which colour output is not always required, but colour input is essential. Therefore, the bizhub models <a href="http://konicaminolta.com.au/products/66/802/bizhub-223.aspx">223</a>, <a href="http://www.konicaminolta.com.au/products/66/801/bizhub-283.aspx">283</a>, <a href="http://www.konicaminolta.com.au/products/66/800/bizhub-363.aspx">363</a> and <a href="http://www.konicaminolta.com.au/products/67/799/bizhub-423.aspx">423</a> offer comprehensive monochrome copying, printing and faxing together with versatile colour scanning functions. Combined with Konica Minolta’s software applications the new office systems are the ideal tools for efficient document capture and distribution workflows. This helps to save time and reduce costs for workgroups and departments in virtually any corporate environment, for example in accounting, controlling and personnel. “The new bizhub 423 family raises the bar for monochrome office equipment. Delivering award winning features of our office colour range, including high speed colour scanning, advanced security and seamless network integration. These products bridge the gap between monochrome and colour workflows,” said Reese Malcolm, Product Manager at Konica Minolta Business Solutions Australia. As true A3 MFPs the bizhub 423 series – comprising the models bizhub 223, 283, 363 and 423 – delivers full office communication with monochrome printing, copying and faxing as well as colour scanning. Output speeds range from 22 to 42 pages per minute, enhancing existing fleets with the appropriate capabilities. With its versatile scanning features the new bizhubs make separate scan stations obsolete. All four devices scan up to 70 originals per minute in both colour and monochrome. The standard scanning functionalities include scan-to-email, FTP, SMB, Box, USB and TWAIN. Of course the new multifunctional devices process all relevant formats, such as JPEG, TIFF, PDF, compact PDF, XPS and compact XPS.

Read more about Monochrome Professionals for Corporate Workflows – the Konica Minolta bizhub 423 Series

HP StorageWorks MPX200 Solution Architecture Whitepaper

<img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Capture" border="0" alt="Capture" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture_9.png" width="190" height="239" /> MPX200 Multifunction Router Solution Overview As mid-range and enterprise businesses grow and deploy physical and virtual servers and storage arrays, information required to manage, share, and protect data also continues to grow. The HP StorageWorks MPX200 Multifunction Router (MPX200) extends the Fibre Channel SAN investment with integrated multi-protocol support, allowing customers to incorporate iSCSI servers, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) servers with no additional storage arrays or management costs. MPX200 provides (with optional licenses) Fibre Channel over Internet Protocol (FCIP) connectivity for remote replication using HP Continuous Access software and online and offline data migration between heterogeneous storage arrays. The MPX200 (Figure1) has enterprise-class availability with dual hot-pluggable power supplies and router blades to satisfy no-single-point-of-failure requirements. Figure 1: MPX200 Multifunction Router There are two blade options available for the MPX200 Multifunction Router: • 10-1 GbE blades with two 10 GbE ports, two 1 GbE ports, and two 8 Gb/s FC ports • 1 GbE blade with four 1 GbE ports and two 8 Gb/s FC ports NOTE: The 10-1 GbE blade includes two 1 GbE ports. Simple, Scalable, and Secure The MPX200 provides a simple, scalable, and secure storage solution. It offers simultaneous Fibre Channel (FC) support, 1 GbE iSCSI, 10 GbE iSCSI, and FCoE support, providing modular multi-protocol SAN designs with increased scalability, stability, and return on investment. The MPX200 provides a secure storage solution for virtualized server environments. In addition, this solution enables customers to have the best of both worlds: low cost server connectivity using iSCSI and faster backups using Fibre Channel.

Read more about HP StorageWorks MPX200 Solution Architecture Whitepaper

Ricoh Storage and Management Solutions

<img style="border-right-width: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="Capture" border="0" alt="Capture" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture_5.png" width="190" height="239" /> Storing and managing information in the workplace has never been a bigger challenge. With companies struggling to keep track of both paper and electronic files, sound document management solutions are becoming a critical element to ensuring compliance and helping offices work efficiently. In addition, many companies lack the proper infrastructure to support a collaborative environment, which is essential to compete in a global marketplace. Fully Integrated With Your Existing Office To accommodate the growing need for reliable document storage and management strategies, Ricoh Document Solutions and Services has developed a suite of solutions that enhance your network capabilities while leveraging your existing hardware investment. Ricoh storage and management solutions help your IT staff better manage document flow while reducing the risks and physical storage constraints associated with paper filing. Unlike using e-mail servers or other in-house methods, these solutions are specifically designed to accommodate your need for sophisticated document archiving and storage. Easy search and retrieval mechanisms aid compliance and enhance security initiatives. In addition, hosted solutions offer an alternative to the expense of IT infrastructure and IT staffing needs for in-house storage methods, while providing a searchable, centralized repository.

Read more about Ricoh Storage and Management Solutions

Digital Color Printing for Mid-Volume Direct Mail Applications

<a href="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture_3.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Capture" border="0" alt="Capture" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture_thumb_1.png" width="174" height="238" /></a> Marketing executives and managers from various industry sectors in the U.S., including financial services, healthcare, banking, manufacturing, and others who received direct mail postcards with an offer to participate in a brief online survey related to direct marketing responded equally to cards produced on a high-speed mid-volume cut-sheet inkjet device and cards produced on production class full-color toner-based equipment. -More than 40% of the respondents believe that printing is the most effective media for business communications, and nearly 90% of all respondents prefer to receive full-color direct marketing materials. -Above and beyond response rate, two-thirds of the respondents indicate that the cost of printing is the most important criteria of a direct marketing campaign. -Inkjet produced cards generated about 4% fewer responses (or -.03% in response rate) than cards printed with color laser equipment—a difference that is generally considered statistically insignificant. -For this mailing, based on the running cost of the equipment, the cost per response for postcards produced on the inkjet equipment is 62% less less than the response rate of cards produced on full-color electrophotographic equipment. <ol> INTERQUEST, Ltd. was commissioned by RISO, Inc. to conduct a study comparing the response rates to direct mail postcards printed on a RISO full-color inkjet printer with the same cards produced on a production class full-color electro photographic copier/printer. INTERQUEST independently managed all phases of the study, including the selection of respondents, the printing and mailing of the postcards, and the tabulation and analysis of the results. </ol>

Read more about Digital Color Printing for Mid-Volume Direct Mail Applications

The Solid Advantage

<img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Capture2" border="0" alt="Capture2" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture2.png" width="190" height="238" /> Introduced over thirteen years ago, Xerox’s exclusive solid ink technology is not only a viable, affordable option for those companies looking to add color to their business documents, but it has also become a competitive force in the industry. Other companies have tried to compete with Xerox’s long history of color expertise, but none have come close to matching the convenience and quality offered by solid ink technology. Solid ink adds value to businesses. It is the only printing technology that can create brilliant, vibrant prints on a wide range of media. It is the easiest technology on the market to use. It is the only technology that produces minimal waste. And, with a low entry price and cost per page, solid ink printers truly give customers the most value for their money. This white paper takes a closer look at the technology that continues to make Xerox stand apart from the rest. Today’s Business Office Office color printers need to address a broad range of applications and serve diverse teams. While one group may demand flawless rendering of complex PostScript® files and detailed photographs, another team may want fast printing of text documents or quick business presentations. The need for color and versatility is everywhere. Considerations include: • How can I get black & white and color at the same time? • What does the typical user need to know to successfully use the printer day in and day out? • How quickly can consumables be replenished? • How many users can share the printer before print times become unacceptably long? • How well does the driver software integrate the printer into the user’s workflow? • If the printer is shared among groups, can it account for usage?

Read more about The Solid Advantage

White Paper: Embedded Software Architecture SDK

<a href="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture1_0.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Capture1" border="0" alt="Capture1" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture1_thumb_0.png" width="190" height="241" /></a> Summary Ricoh's Embedded Software Architecture SDK (SDK/J) allows in-house developers, independent software vendors (ISVs) and systems integrators (SIs) to deliver customized Java-based solutions hosted on Ricoh MFPs and LPs. This robust software platform enables third parties to combine their own solutions with Ricoh's industry-leading hardware and extends Ricoh's leadership as the preferred document solution partner. This document describes the history, architecture, usage models, and development tools of this advanced technology from Ricoh. History Ricoh has lead the office equipment industry in providing solution platforms tailored for different customer requirements and segments. Since 2000, Ricoh adopted a standard UNIX-based architecture across its entire LPs and MFPs line. At that time, Ricoh had the future in mind and used these underpinnings to deliver a C-based solution development kit in 2002. Today Ricoh is augmenting this C-based API with a Java-based platform. Java was selected to support the rapid expansion of webbased solutions and services, to leverage the large number of engineers using the language, and toexploit the machine-independent Java architecture.

Read more about White Paper: Embedded Software Architecture SDK

HP StorageWorks P4500 SAS SAN vs. Dell EqualLogic PS6000XV: Feature and Functionality Comparison

<a href="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture1.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Capture1" border="0" alt="Capture1" align="left" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/Capture1_thumb.png" width="190" height="241" /></a> Executive Summary Hewlett-Packard (“HP”) commissioned VeriTest, the testing service of Lionbridge Technologies, Inc., to compare features and functionality between the HP StorageWorks P4500 SAS SAN Solutions and the Dell PS6000XV storage arrays. The 3-node HP P4500 SAN, a Virtualization SAN with an HP P4500 expansion node, has a current list price of $96,600.00. The 2-node Dell PS6000XV currently has a list price of $110,000. The goal of this study was to evaluate these devices in terms of high availability, capacity utilization under various common usage scenarios, and ease of upgrading the storage solution to meet future storage requirements. Both HP and Dell provide a scalable iSCSI based solution, each claiming the following benefits: scalability, flexibility, cost effectiveness and high availability. Lionbridge developed a test methodology that compared these benefits between the two vendors to help end users better understand the real-world differences experienced with each product under test. Both solutions are based on a scale-out technology, combining multiple nodes into a cluster and thus presenting a common storage pool. For these comparable prices, the configurations below are what were available for each product. Therefore, the hardware configurations were not identical with regard to number of nodes and disk spindles. The HP P4500 SAN configuration consisted of a three (3) node cluster running SAN/iQ version 8.1.00.0047.0 with RAID5, and 2-way replication. Each node contained 12 450GB 15K RPM SAS drives with a total raw capacity of 16.2TB.

Read more about HP StorageWorks P4500 SAS SAN vs. Dell EqualLogic PS6000XV: Feature and Functionality Comparison

Xerox Technology EA (Emulsion Aggregation) Toner

<img title="2010-06-15_230316" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="241" alt="2010-06-15_230316" src="http://www.officeproductnews.net/files/20100615_230316.gif" width="190" align="left" border="0" /> Background Information Technology advances sometimes come in unexpected places. To most of us, the black powder we have been adding to copiers and printers for the last sixty years doesn’t seem to have changed very much. It certainly looks the same. But looks can be deceiving. As a result of sixty years of research and thousands of patents, today’s toners flow better, store better, fuse better, and develop more efficiently, resulting in cleaner, better looking prints. But under the surface, other technological advances in toner design have also enabled better, less expensive, and safer photoreceptor and fuser materials not to mention faster and cleaner operating machines. The newest advancement in toner technology is EA toner. What is EA Toner? EA Toner is chemical toner prepared by Emulsion Aggregation, or a chemical process used to “grow” very small, uniform particle sizes from even smaller (sub-micron) size toner components. The EA process can deliver the desired size and narrow particle size distribution required for excellent color image quality. This small size and the relative uniformity of all the articles in a particular “batch” of EA toner is more predictable than the conventional mechanical process of pulverizing extruded plastic for toner. It is also less energy intensive. Emulsion refers to the synthetic chemical process to form latex toner resin and aggregation means to bring the toner ingredient’s particles together to form the desired particle size and spherical shape. How is it different from other toners? The conventional toner manufacturing process, consists of starting with just the right plastic, melt mixing in pigment and special ingredients, and pulverizing the resulting block of composite plastic to a fine powder. Finally, the powder still has to be processed to remove oversized chunks and ultra fine particles. This multi-step process results in non-uniform angular particles with a somewhat wide size and shape distribution. As amazing as the resulting toners were, to step up to the challenges that each new generation of xerography required, the manufacturing process still limited engineers in creating toner with all the capabilities they wanted.

Read more about Xerox Technology EA (Emulsion Aggregation) Toner

Main menu