The Sun Fire X4500 system, code-named Thumper, accommodates 48 drives. Right now, these can provide a capacity of 24 terabytes, but\r\nforthcoming 1GB drives will double that capacity.\r\n
\r\nThe hybrid system also has two AMD Opteron processors. The X4500 starts at $32,995 but costs $69,995 for a model fully loaded with disks. This\r\nview of an X4500 without its top cover shows the drives, which are mounted vertically in four banks of 12 across the top of the system.
Bill Detwiler is the Editor for Technical Content and Ecosystem at Celonis. He is the former Editor in Chief of TechRepublic and previous host of TechRepublic's Dynamic Developer podcast and Cracking Open, CNET and TechRepublic's popular online show. Previously, Bill was an IT manager in the social research and energy industries. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Louisville, where he has also lectured on computer crime and crime prevention.
