HP-FL/SCSI Positioning Multiuser SCSI HP-FL Interface type Industry Standard Proprietary CPU Target Entry Level to Mid-range Mid-range to High-end (9X7LX/807/817/837/etc.) (9X7/8X7/960/980/ 870/etc.) Disk Configurations Small to medium Large Devices supported Many (DAT, CD-ROM, etc.) Disk only Pricing Less expensive Price premium Cable lengths Short (6 meter max) Long (500 meter max) Feature set Basic Enhanced Disk mirroring No Yes CPU switchover No Yes Performance Optimized for file access Optimized for OLTP and small configurations and large configurations The positioning of the interfaces is as follows: Single-ended Multiuser SCSI - provides an excellent replacement for HP-IB -- supports multiple devices, not just disks -- cable lengths are adequate for small disk configurations - has powerfail, an important feature for multiuser systems - because of its restricted cable lengths, it is not possible to build very large disk configurations with single-ended SCSI (see manuals for details). HP-FL - very long cables allow for larger, more flexible configurations - fiber optic cable is immune to electromagnetic interference and does not emit radio frequency energy - supports powerfail - software has been written to take advantage of HP-FL's configuration flexibility, providing: -- disk mirroring to protect against disk failures -- SPU switchover in cases of SPU failure - has been designed to use the interface very efficiently, to allow for high I/O rates with little bus contention. NOTE: Performance data to verify performance differences between HP-FL and SCSI is not yet available. Recommendations: - If the customer is building small to medium disk configurations, and does not need disk mirroring or SPU switchover, SCSI should meet the need. - If the customer is building a large disk configuration or needs one of the availability options, HP-FL should be purchased. Comments on the Competition: Like HP, the competition (Sun, DEC, IBM, etc.) offers two disk interface choices with multi-user/server systems: proprietary and SCSI. Like HP, the competition has two pricing tiers, with SCSI being significantly cheaper than proprietary solutions. SCSI is an industry standard interface with a limited feature set and a low price/megabyte. SCSI is an excellent solution for entry-level to mid-range systems where special features are not required and low-cost is important. Proprietary interfaces offer more features at a premium price, and are typically required to meet the needs of mid-range to high-end systems. The price of proprietary interfaces is always higher than SCSI, due to added functionality. Please note that HP is competitive in terms of SCSI and proprietary disk pricing. HP's FL disks are one of the lowest priced proprietary disk solutions in the industry, while HP's multiuser SCSI pricing is competitive with multiuser system competitors. Disk pricing is just one component of the total solution. HP's new business systems servers offer significantly higher price/performance levels than the competition. Always sell the total solution. Questions and Answers: Q. Why are the new SCSI disks so much cheaper than the older HP-IB and HP-FL disks? A. There are three major factors that make the newer disks cheaper than the older ones: - First, the new SCSI disks represent the latest generation disks, which offer higher capacity and lower cost/megabyte. HP is passing the benefits of this newest generation of disks on to its customers. - Second, the SCSI disks do not have the extra layer of proprietary interface in them that HP-IB and HP-FL disks have (which enables HP-FL to offer a richer feature set), so it is less expensive to build them. This cost savings is also being passed on to the customer. - Third, as noted above, HP's SCSI and proprietary solutions are competitive with comparable products from our competitors. Q. Are there plans to provide a new HP-FL solution based on the latest disk technology? A. Yes. HP-FL follow-on products based on disk array technology will be available in 1992. These products will offer high availability and high capacity for high-end solutions. A press release issued by CSY on July 30th discusses HP's disk array plans, and a short article describing some of the product features and benefits of HP's disk array will appear in Computer News in the August timeframe. Q. What will the price of the new disk arrays be? A. Pricing has not yet been determined. You can expect that there will be a price premium over SCSI, reflecting the added value (and added expense) of the HP-FL interface. Rest assured, however, that the solution will be very price competitive with comparable products from our system competitors. Q. Are there plans to provide a new HP-IB solution based on the latest disk technology? A. No. SCSI will be HP's low-end interface of choice for the foreseeable future. There are no plans to provide a new HP-IB disk subsystem. Q. How long will the older HP-IB solutions be available? A. HP will ship these products (new) through fiscal 1992. At that point, we will evaluate demand and parts availability and give warning to the actual discontinuance. We expect the HP-IB products to be active in the used marketplace as well. Q. Will there be any trade-in programs toward the new SCSI disks? A. There are currently no plans for trade-in promotions/programs toward these products. Q. I want the new SCSI disks, but they are not supported on my system. Why not? A. HP felt the highest priority for their customers was to provide the system price/performance of the latest systems as soon as possible. Those systems were expedited, and provided on system specific operating system releases. The new SCSI disks will be supported on the next general release of MPE-XL (4.0) and HP-UX (9.0). Q. Will the new disks be supported on MPE-V systems? A. Currently, there are no plans to support the new SCSI disks on MPE- V systems. However, HP is investigating the need for SCSI on MPE- V. Q. Are there any plans to lower the price on existing HP-IB and HP-FL disks? A. No. There are no plans to lower the price on existing disk subsystems. The older disks are based on older disk technology and have the costs of a proprietary interface in them. HP is maintaining their price at current levels to remain adequately profitable. The current pricing levels of HP's proprietary solutions are competitive with comparable products from our competitors.