CLARiiON

CLARiiON. A family of mid-range storage area network disk arrays developed and marketed by EMC Corporation. It became one of the most successful and widely deployed storage platforms in the industry, known for its dual-controller architecture and robust software suite. The product line evolved over nearly two decades before being consolidated into the unified EMC VNX series.

Overview

Introduced in the mid-1990s, the CLARiiON platform was designed to compete in the rapidly growing market for networked storage. It helped popularize the concept of Fibre Channel storage area networks for mid-tier enterprises. The systems were frequently deployed in Microsoft Windows and UNIX environments, supporting critical applications from Oracle Database to VMware virtual infrastructures. Its development and marketing were central to the growth of EMC Corporation beyond its mainframe computer roots, establishing the company as a dominant force in open systems storage.

Architecture

The foundational CLARiiON architecture was based on a dual-active RAID controller design, providing high availability and performance. These controllers, often referred to as Storage Processors, managed communication between host servers and the physical disk drives. Data was stored on a mix of drive technologies, including Fibre Channel and later Serial ATA and Serial Attached SCSI disks. The physical enclosure was connected to hosts via protocols like Fibre Channel Protocol and, in later models, iSCSI. This modular design allowed for significant scalability in both capacity and performance.

Product Models and Evolution

The product line saw numerous generations, beginning with the FC5000 series. Major subsequent families included the CX series, such as the CX300 and CX700, which became industry standards. This was followed by the AX series and the final generation, the CLARiiON CX4 series. Each iteration brought advancements in processor technology, supported higher drive capacities, and introduced new connectivity options. The evolution culminated with the integration of technologies from Data General's AViiON line, following EMC Corporation's acquisition of that company.

Software and Management

CLARiiON's capabilities were significantly enhanced by its software ecosystem. The primary management interface was Navisphere Manager, a Java (programming language)-based application for configuration and monitoring. Key data services included SnapView for local snapshots, MirrorView for remote replication, and SAN Copy for data migration. For Microsoft Exchange Server and SQL Server environments, specialized tools like EMC Replication Manager were offered. This software suite competed directly with offerings from IBM and Hewlett-Packard.

Market Position and Competition

Throughout its lifespan, CLARiiON was a definitive mid-range storage array, competing fiercely with products like the HP StorageWorks EVA and IBM System Storage DS8000 series. Its success was a key factor in battles against NetApp in the NAS and unified storage space. The platform's widespread adoption in VMware environments made it a staple in enterprise data centers globally. Its eventual merger with the EMC Symmetrix-based technology line to form the EMC VNX marked the end of the CLARiiON brand but solidified its technological legacy.

Category:Computer storage devices Category:EMC Corporation Category:Data storage