Xyratex is a provider of disk drive manufacturing equipment and data storage subsystems with headquarters of Xyratex International in Havant, United Kingdom and U.S. headquarters in Fremont, CA. Xyratex has two business divisions serving distinct storage markets. They are the Networked Storage Solutions (NSS) Division and the Storage Infrastructure (SI) Division. The Networked Storage Solutions Division designs and develops data storage enclosures, integrated application platforms and clustered file system solutions for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). The Storage Infrastructure Division designs and develops capital equipment for hard disk drive and component manufacturers.
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Traded as | NASDAQ: XRTX |
| Industry | Data Storage |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Area served | Worldwide |
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Xyratex began as part of IBM in 1966. They conducted business as a manufacturing and development operation for network and storage systems until December 1994, at which time they separated from IBM in a management buy-out. The company began selling capital test equipment to the HDD industry in 1995 and in 1998 established a second division to sell storage subsystems to OEMs. Key milestones include an IPO in 2004 (NASDAQ: XRTX); developing many industry innovations including the first SBOD (switched bunch of disks) and millionth test slot in 2005 and reaching over a billion dollars in sales in 2008. The company has grown both organically and through acquisition including the following:
July 2005: nStor Technologies, Inc.[1]
July 2010: OSC, a developer of recording head slider and head gimbal assembly automation and metrology equipment[2]
July 2010: ClusterStor, a developer of cluster file solutions based on the Lustre clustered file system[3]
December 2010: MRS, a developer of media burnish, glide and certify products[4]
The NSS division is an active member of several leading industry associations, including: Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) , SCSI Trade Association (STA), and Storage Bridge Bay (SBB).
The SI division is a member of the International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association and regularly participates in industry events such as the annual DISKCON USA conference and tradeshow.[5] In November 2010, Xyratex was announced as one of the founding members of the Advanced Storage Technology Consortium.[6] This consortium was created to allow collaborative joint research initiatives for companies in the hard drive industry, with the intent to ultimately yield an increased understanding of future technology challenges and potential solutions.
The Networked Storage Solutions (NSS) division designs and manufactures a range of data storage devices for the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) community.
• Modular Storage Enclosures are modular units that reside behind server, or appliance heads, to provide primary array storage, expansion storage, enable application systems (via Integrated Application Platforms), or scale-up capacity. These units are building blocks that provide a wide range of options, covering capacity, performance, form factor and IOPS.
• Integrated Application Platforms incorporate industry standard server functionality with data storage enclosures. These platforms enable an OEM’s application to be run in the system without the need for an external server. Platforms include either standard Intel motherboard technology or SBB compatible, Intel based embedded server modules.
• Clustered File System Solutions leverage Xyratex's alleged expertise in clustered file systems, integrated application platforms and modular storage enclosure design resulting in an integrated Lustre[7] storage solution that is engineered specifically for high performance computing.
The Storage Infrastructure (SI) division designs and manufactures capital equipment for the hard drive industry. This division offers test and process equipment in various portions of the hard disk drive and hard disk drive components manufacturing process.
• Drive Processing Systems are large and fully automated process test systems that complete the final qualification and testing of hard drives. The Optimus product provides solutions for 2.5” hard drives, while the XCalibre product provides solutions for 3.5” hard drives.
• Media Write Technologies are complete servo track writers with key subassemblies designed using a modular approach. These products enable media writing and self-servo writing - two significant methods of servo track writing.
• Optical Inspection Technologies are utilized in a line of substrate inspection systems, including the Titan product, which represents a modular design that combines high sensitivity, integrated, defect detection optics with high speed automation.
• Head Automation Technologies are available for HDD recording head slider and head gimbal assembly automation and metrology equipment due to Xyratex acquiring the assets and development teams of Optical Systems Corporation (OSC).
• Automation solutions are included in all major stages of substrate, media and final HDD processing requirements, including disk handling and tracking, cassette transport with intelligent routing, disk stacking, and process management firmware.