TechInsight Magazine
The days of storage technology moving at a slow and steady pace are over. With the rise of NAND flash-based SSDs, progress is pressing forward as fast as data through a 6 Gb/s SAS port. But don’t think that just because conventional magnetic storage can’t keep up in the raw throughput department that its days are numbered. There is a trio of technical tidbits that you’ll want to monitor through 2011 to ensure customers are getting the best experience possible from their hard drives and SSDs.
By now you’ve already heard about Intel’s innovative Sandy Bridge architecture, first unveiled early in 2011 on the second-generation Core processors. Now Intel is making the same advanced functionality available in a family of products aimed at single-socket servers and powerful workstations. If you thought the improvements introduced on the desktop were exciting, just wait until you see how Intel is enhancing performance, simplifying integration, and enabling popular usage models like virtualization and 
The Smart Server Solution. Intel’s Xeon E3-1200-series comes packed with performance-enhancing features like Hyper-Threading and second-gen Turbo Boost to accelerate any workload.professional graphics applications.
When Intel introduces a new architecture, it does so strategically. The Nehalem design first debuted in the high-end desktop space with Core i7. Gradually, it migrated to the dual-socket server and workstation markets as Xeon 5500, Core i5 mainstream desktops, Xeon 3400 single-socket workstations, Core-based notebooks, and quad-socket Xeon 7500. When the company shifted manufacturing from 45 to 32 nm, it launched the entry-level desktop Core i5s and i3s first, followed by more complex six-core CPUs for the single-socket workstation and dual-socket server spaces.
Nurture Your Knack For Networking
Too often, we take wired networking for granted. Our motherboards include gigabit Ethernet as a basic value-added feature, and with theoretical throughput limits as high as 125 MB/s, we never 
Gigabit Still Has It. Adding a dual-port gigabit controller like Intel’s E1G42ET to an existing server is a great way to expand connectivity and improve performance through teaming.really consider life beyond that already-swift transfer rate. Sure, the networking world progresses along methodically, but there was a time not too long ago when 10/100 Ethernet was standard and gigabit-class connectivity sold at a premium. Now, 10 gigabit performance is available to businesses with a need for more throughput, and it’s only a matter of time before this technology goes mainstream, too.
Wow, That’s Small: Everything about Intel’s DH61AG is engineered for a tiny Z-height, from horizontal SO-DIMM slots to a low-profile I/O panel and mini PCI Express slots.
Differentiation is an important part of any VAR's strategy. Even if they're not your top sellers, solutions that stand out get customers looking at everything else you build. But don't think you need to attract eyes with large gaming boxes loaded with flashing lights. Sometimes, the smallest machines are the most intriguing.
Intel's DH61AG motherboard serves as a foundation for truly diminutive (and yet deceptively powerful) media-oriented PCs. The company's H61 chipset sits in the center of this Thin Mini-ITX platform. Notice the proper Thin. Here the word describes a particular form-factor; it's not just being used to generalize about the DH61AG's low profile.
