Keeping big arrays of disks cool has always been a challenge and one of the keys to making them reliable. When disks are in use all day, every day – as many are – the temperature inside the enclosures are bound to rise, increasing the risk of malfunctions. Vibrations within the systems, and motion from the disk drives themselves, can also cause disk crashes.
In its latest UltraStar Data102 drives, WD provides two great features that address these challenges. ArcticFlow circulates the air in a different way to ensure all disks in the array get cooled evenly – instead of some getting cooler air and some hotter. This also means that fan speeds can be reduced, making for less vibration. WD also cuts down on shaking by mounting each drive and fan on their own platforms – a feature it calls IsoVibe.
- New airflow system keeps disk arrays cooler
- Anti-vibration feature further enhances reliability
- Return rates cut by 62%
These improvements have cut return rates on the UltraStar Data102 arrays by 62% compared to previous generations, says WD. There is a great video on the technology here:
and you can find full details, availability, and pricing on all WD disk drives and arrays on InTouch.
