Storage Industry Reacts to HPE-Nimble Deal

The data storage industry is undergoing a wave of consolidation in early 2017, due in part to Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE).

In January, HPE snapped up SimpliVity, a storage company from Westborough, Mass. that specializes in converged infrastructures. Yesterday, HPE announced it is in the process of acquiring Nimble Storage, a provider of all-flash and hybrid-flash storNimble Storage's portfolio complements and strengthens our current 3PAR products in the high-growth flash storage market and will help us deliver on our vision of making Hybrid IT simple for our customers," remarked Meg Whitman, president and CEO of HPE, in a March 7 announcement.

Rohit Kshetrapal, CEO of Tegile, a fellow provider of all-flash and hybrid storage arrays, noted somewhat of a product overlap between 3PAR and Nimble.

"The most immediate impact of HPE’s acquisition of Nimble will be on the channel storage market," Kshetrapal told InfoStor. "Both Nimble and 3PAR product lines go after a similar set of customers and workloads, so HPE will need to draw a distinctive line between which technologies and products they embrace and also figure out how to bring them together effectively, as both have radically different functionality, operating environments and user experiences."

In the meantime, the industry should brace for some upheaval.

"Until this dilemma is solved – and it will take quite a bit of time – the lack of guidance for HPE and Nimble resellers will create confusion in the channel," continued Kshetrapal. "Events like these are an opportunity for companies that offer broader platforms to expand their customer base. We saw this when Dell and EMC merged, and although we’re only on day two, we’re already seeing it with Nimble and HPE."

Also see: DROBO 5C Review

It's also an opportunity for HPE's storage rivals. "The phones are ringing off the hook," Kshetrapal reported.

Patrick Rogers, vice president of marketing and product management at Cohesity, an enterprise data protection and management company, paints a bleak picture for vendors focused on traditional IT environments.

"Nimble's acceptance of HPE's buyout offer demonstrates that the climate is not hospitable for standalone on-premises storage providers. Anticipation that future growth will be challenging made the HPE buyout very attractive to Nimble's Board or Directors," said Rogers in an email statement sent to InfoStor.


Businesses are increasingly turning to flexible, cloud-enabled solutions for their enterprise storage needs. "Future storage market growth and customer attention will be directed towards software-defined, multi-cloud-capable architectures. Large enterprises in particular seek web-scale technologies to support their constantly growing data storage requirements spanning both private and public clouds," Rogers added.

Lenovo's Data Center Group, in light of its recent partnership to "transform the data center" with Nimble's help, released a statement assuring customers the acquisition will have little effect on its storage strategy.

"Lenovo announced the alliance with Nimble in October 2016 and the relationship was in its early stages. As such, there is virtually no impact on either our customers or product portfolio," asserted the company in an email to InfoStor.

"Going forward, we will expand our efforts to bring the compelling benefits of flash-based storage to our customers, both in traditional data center infrastructure and next-generation IT solutions. In fact, we plan to introduce new flash storage offerings later this year," Lenovo said.age systems, for $1 billion.

NUMARK MIXTRACK

Numark has released its new entry-level controller called the Numark Mixtrack Platinum.  The NUMARK MIXTRACK Platinum builds upon the Mixtrack Pro 3 by adding new LCD displays at the center of each platter to give lots of Serato DJ playback info as well as 4-deck control, and gain controls for each channel.  The Mixtrack Platinum also has full metal jog wheels to give it more durability and a more solid feel for DJ’s.  The Mixtrack Platinum has the 16 backlit pads and comes bundled with Serato DJ Intro for basic DJ playback.

Setup & First Impressions

Numark has released its new entry-level controller called the Numark Mixtrack Platinum. The Mixtrack Platinum builds upon the Mixtrack Pro 3 by adding new LCD displays at the center of each platter to give lots of Serato DJ playback info as well as 4-deck control, and gain controls for each channel. The Mixtrack Platinum also has full metal jog wheels to give it more durability and a more solid feel for DJ's. The Mixtrack Platinum has the 16 backlit pads and comes bundled with Serato DJ Intro for basic DJ playback. Check out our full review video above for the rundown on the Mixtrack Platinum. Then scroll down to see the unboxing and review summary for more info.

Pros

• Great Price for Good Feature-set (4-Decks, Full FX controls, Filter/Gain, & Pads)
• Jog Wheel Info LED Display
• Long Pitch Sliders for Manual Beatmatching

Cons

• No additional Inputs or Outputs

LUXA2 P1-PRO 7000mAh Outdoor Power Bank Review

I can't really recall the number of times when i took my smartphone out of my jacket only to find out that it was almost out of battery and if you happen to be reading these lines then it's a safe bet that this has happened to you as well (as with most people i suppose). Over the years we've seen many solutions for that from larger 3rd party batteries which can replace the one your smartphone comes with from the factory and even extra battery packs that double the battery capacity of your smartphone by attaching to its rear (this was especially popular amongst iPhone owners). Portable batteries however have taken the market by storm not only because you can find models out there that can recharge even a large tablet up to 3 times or more (and a smartphone up to 10 times or more) but also because they can be used to recharge and even power pretty much any portable device in the market currently. LUXA2 has released quite a few portable batteries but the P1-PRO Outdoor Power Bank (like GOAL ZERO VENTURE 30 RECHARGER ) is their most rugged model to date.

LUXA2- is a Taiwanese based designer and manufacturer of award winning portable accessories. Established in 2009, LUXA2 is committed to creating the best user-experience by consistently designing and innovating each and every product from concept to reality. LUXA2 believes that simplicity is the ultimate sophistication; and it is with this belief that our product designs are not only simplistic in nature but also incorporates functionality and premium aesthetic appeal at affordable prices. We promote not just products but total solutions. LUXA2s’ products are sold worldwide in major consumer and electronic retailers and online via www.luxa2.com and www.ttbuy.com.tw. Headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, the LUXA2 team possesses many talented specialists from all around the globe ranging from: sales mavericks, marketing aficionados, design wizards and R&D demons which are all lead by a top-gun management team. With offices in the USA, China, Australia and Germany, LUXA2’s presence on the global stage is ever-increasing to ultimately bring our mission of creating a simple, unique and luxury lifestyle to customers, and ultimately, a uniquely you.

The P1-PRO features a nice compact aluminum housing which under its hood has two 3500mAh lithium-polymer rechargeable batteries that add up to a total of 7000mAh (enough to fully recharge most 7" tablets in the market currently). However it's the silicon/rubber bumper that separates it from the rest of the LUXA2 line since thanks to it you don't have to worry about dropping, misplacing your USB cables and getting dust in the USB ports. Of course i would prefer to see an entirely rugged IP certified housing just like some other manufacturers have released in the market but i can't say that i know that many people who'd prefer it over a smaller and certainly nicer looking model (although portable batteries are obviously more useful outdoors). 7000mAh is also nothing impressive but at least i hope that the P1-PRO delivers at least that much.

Solar cell

Solar cells were first used in a prominent application when they were proposed and flown on the Vanguard satellite in 1958, as an alternative power source to the primary batterypower source. By adding cells to the outside of the body, the mission time could be extended with no major changes to the spacecraft or its power systems. In 1959 the United States launched Explorer 6, featuring large wing-shaped solar arrays, which became a common feature in satellites. These arrays consisted of 9600 Hoffman solar cells.

By the 1960s, solar cells were (and still are) the main power source for most Earth orbiting satellites and a number of probes into the solar system (for example: GOAL ZERO YETI 400 SOLAR GENERATOR KIT ), since they offered the best power-to-weight ratio. However, this success was possible because in the space application, power system costs could be high, because space users had few other power options, and were willing to pay for the best possible cells. The space power market drove the development of higher efficiencies in solar cells up until the National Science Foundation "Research Applied to National Needs" program began to push development of solar cells for terrestrial applications.

In the early 1990s the technology used for space solar cells diverged from the silicon technology used for terrestrial panels, with the spacecraft application shifting to gallium arsenide-based III-V semiconductor materials, which then evolved into the modern III-V multijunction photovoltaic cell used on spacecraft.
Price reductions

Improvements were gradual over the 1960s. This was also the reason that costs remained high, because space users were willing to pay for the best possible cells, leaving no reason to invest in lower-cost, less-efficient solutions. The price was determined largely by the semiconductor industry; their move to integrated circuits in the 1960s led to the availability of larger boules at lower relative prices. As their price fell, the price of the resulting cells did as well. These effects lowered 1971 cell costs to some $100 per watt.

In late 1969 Elliot Berman joined Exxon's task force which was looking for projects 30 years in the future and in April 1973 he founded Solar Power Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Exxon at that time.[12][13][14] The group had concluded that electrical power would be much more expensive by 2000, and felt that this increase in price would make alternative energy sources more attractive. He conducted a market study and concluded that a price per watt of about $20/watt would create significant demand. The team eliminated the steps of polishing the wafers and coating them with an anti-reflective layer, relying on the rough-sawn wafer surface. The team also replaced the expensive materials and hand wiring used in space applications with a printed circuit board on the back, acrylic plastic on the front, and silicone glue between the two, "potting" the cells. Solar cells could be made using cast-off material from the electronics market. By 1973 they announced a product, and SPC convinced Tideland Signal to use its panels to power navigational buoys, initially for the U.S. Coast Guard.

GOAL ZERO GUIDE 10 PLUS SOLAR KIT

JOOS Orange
High-grade mono-crystalline solar cells make the Orange up to 20 times more powerful than other chargers tested: We simultaneously charged the internal battery and an iPhone while using juice-Hoovering Skype on a sun-blasted Colorado trail. It even squeezed enough power out of a drizzly Olympic National Park day to recharge a smartphone overnight. A waterproof polycarbonate shell absorbs kicks, dust, and dunks. Tradeoff: It’s heavy and tough to lash to a pack. $149; 1 lb. 8 oz.;

[fastest]
GOAL ZERO GUIDE 10 PLUS SOLAR KIT

On a bluebird day, the Goal Zero’s dual postcard-size monocrystalline panels fully charged its battery pack in about two hours. The pack holds four removable, rechargeable AA or AAA batteries for use with non-USB gadgets. A lightweight nylon mesh skin has cord loops that make it easy to connect to packs, tents, and trees. However, low-light performance suffers: Scattered clouds slowed charging time; thick cloud cover stopped it dead. $160; 12.8 oz.;

[lightest]
Solio Bolt
This R2D2-cute charger is a lightweight, easy-to- pack insurance policy: “When I lost my way in deep snow, the sun was going down, my topo was smeared, and my phone was dead,” says a Cascades tester. “I set the Bolt out for an hour and got enough juice to power up a GPS app and find my way out.” Caveat: The Bolt’s lower grade (and cheaper) polycrystalline cells need direct sun, and minor obstructions (like pack straps) can halt charging. $60; 5.3 oz.;

5 Important Tips to Pick Web Hosting Provider for Your Business

If you are launching your first business website, you will need to choose a suitable web host first. The host is where your website is essentially stored online so that people can access it. Selection of web hosting provider is an important decision that should not be taken lightly. Picking a wrong provider that has slow response time or, even worse, cannot keep the website up and running can have a significant negative impact on your business. Use the tips below to find the best web hosting provider that fits your business needs.

Type of Hosting Provided

There are various types of web hosting services provided. One of the most common, and usually the cheapest, is shared hosting. However, this also tends to be the least secure because you are sharing your server with other websites. It is also usually the slowest option.

A better option would be using a dedicated server, where you don’t share the server with any other website. Or you might want to use cloud hosting, which has many benefits for business websites.

Brickwork Pointing Contractors

Pointing and repointing brickwork and stonework can be a very time consuming task and although it may look easy it takes a bit of experience and patience to get a finish that compliments the brickwork to its full potential.

We would recommend seeking the services of local brickwork pointing contractors with the experience and professionalism to achieve the best result. However if you wish to go down the DIY route, we have included a quick guide below to instruct you on how to go about repointing your brickwork.

Firstly you will need to remove any mortar that is loose or damaged. There are many methods available for removing the old mortar, one of which can be achieved using a plugging chisel or small bolster. Very loose stuff can simply be raked out with a screwdriver or similar. This can be time consuming and there are other methods and tools that can make this job easier.

We would advise to take the joints to 10mm minimum and then follow up by using a wire brush to remove any loose dust.

Mixing the ideal mortar for the job is crucial to the application and the end result.

The mortar mixture can be made from straight cement: fine sand mixture using 1 to 6 ratio. At this point you can add dry hydrate which gives the mixture less tendency to shrink during setting and will also aid in working with the mortar mixture. If you wish to add dry hydrate, you would need to work on the ratio of cement 1 dry hydrate 1 fine sand 6. There are mortar dyes available if you are trying to match an existing pointing.

When working the mixture into the joints we recommend wetting the joints so as to minimalise the absorption of moisture into the bricks.

Using the edge of the trowel, press the mortar into the joint leaving the mortar protruding from the brickwork/stonework.

From the mortar left protruding the bricks, there are a number of different styles you can apply to the mortar.

Flush pointing

This style of pointing is as the name explains and sits flush with the face of the brickwork, which is created by wiping over the finished pointing with the trowel.

Weathered pointing

In weathered pointing the mortar slopes outward from the upper brick to the one below. This pointing method is suitable for all brickwork, and as the name explains this method of pointing is best suited for bad weather conditions. To achieve this finish you need to complete the flush pointing method to remove any excess mortar and then using the edge of the trowel, press in the upper edges creating a slope in the mortar. Mortar will most probably protrude the brickwork at the bottom of the slope and can be cut flush using the trowel edge. To create a smooth finish you can use a smooth strip of metal bent at the end and run across the mortar, alternatively you can purchase a tool called a frenchman. Just before the mortar completely dries, lightly brush it across its top to brush away any odd scraps of mortar.

Bucket handle / Half round pointing

Fill the joint flush with the surface as per the flush pointing method above, then strike the joint to achieve the desired finish. There is a shaped tool available, called a brick jointer, but it can be done with the rounded end of a tube and then moved across the mortar when still wet. Using this tool, tend to the vertical joints before making long, continuous joints along the horizontal joints.

Raked pointing

This finish is similar to bucket handle pointing, but is a deeper hollow finish without the curve. Raked pointing is unsuitable for exposed walls, because the angles are not appropriate to deflect rain. Using a special tool called a chariot, run along the wet mortar. As in the bucket handle pointing, rake out the vertical joints first and then make long, continuous strokes along the horizontal.

'V' joint pointing

Again similar to the hollow pointing finish. This method differs by creating a definite line in the middle of the mortar joint. This style of pointing compliments new brickwork and again allows rain to easily run off the face of your brickwork.