Hitachi Introduces 1-Terabyte Hard Drive GenNext

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is first to the mat with an announcement of a 1-terabyte hard disk drive. Industry analysts widely expected a 1TB drive to ship sometime in 2007; Hitachi grabbed a head start on the competition by announcing its drive today, just before the largest U.S. consumer electronics show starts next week.

According to Hitachi, the drive ships in the first quarter of 2007, and will cost $399--less than the price of two individual 500GB hard drives today. The drive, called the Deskstar 7K1000, will be shown this weekend in Las Vegas at the 2007 International CES, also known as the Consumer Electronics Show, as well as at the Storage Visions storage conference.

Hitachi will have three flavors of the 1TB drive; however, only the Deskstar version will be available at launch. The company also plans to offer a CinemaStar version of the drive, for use in DVR and set-top boxes, as well as an enterprise version with a certified mean time between failure rating. Both of those versions are expected in the second quarter of this year.

Industry Milestone

"No question, it's a milestone for the industry," says John Rydning, research manager for hard disk drives and components at IDC. "It's interesting that the industry is delivering a 1TB drive in the 51st year of the industry." The first hard drive, manufactured by IBM, shipped in 1956.

Hitachi notes it took the industry 35 years to reach 1GB (in 1991), 14 years more to reach 500GB (in 2005), and just two more years to reach 1TB.

The company hopes to be the first to market with a 1TB drive. The company is locked in competition with Seagate for those honors; Seagate reconfirmed its intentions to ship a 1TB drive in the first half of 2007, but it has not offered any further details.

Drive Details

Although the jump to 1TB was not unexpected, Hitachi is taking a cautious tactic to achieving 1TB. According to Doug Pickford, director of market and product strategy, "The approach we've taken with the design of this product, and with previous generation products, is that we've purposely relaxed the areal density. The previous generation [500GB] drive was 100GB per platter; and, it was possible to have up to 160GB per platter. About 250GB per platter is the next bump on the areal density curve, but we've backed off from doing that in order to achieve higher reliability at this time."

The Deskstar 7K1000 will be a five-platter drive, each platter capable of storing 200GB apiece. Like Seagate's Barracuda 7200.10 750GB drive, Hitachi's 1TB model uses perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) to achieve its high capacity point. The 7K1000 is Hitachi's first 3.5-inch hard drive to use PMR technology; last year, the company released 2.5-inch PMR-based hard drives.

Pickford says the drive will be intended for gaming and high-performance PCs, external storage devices, and PC upgrades. "The drive will be shipping in the first quarter to retail stores," says Pickford. "And we're expecting to ship some to external storage device makers as well."

The 7200 rpm Serial-ATA drive will have 32MB data buffer, larger than the typical 8MB or 16MB buffer seen on drives. It will be available in SATA 3.0Gb/s and Parallel-ATA 133 interfaces.

750GB Model Also Coming

In addition to the 1TB model, Hitachi is introducing and shipping a 750GB version of the drive as well. But the company focused its energies on achieving 1TB before its competitors. "We did that by design," says Pickford. "The feedback we got from the market was that if we could get to 1TB sooner, there would be a lot of value for our customers. We already knew that the mechanical platform was mature enough and able to handle the areal density that 1TB needed. So we decided to accelerate our efforts and get to a TB."

Getting to 1TB, adds Pickford, was more about finessing existing processes than inventing new ones. "It was very much in the execution, so you can have the right yields, the right stability, and right quality levels, and make sure it's achievable in the lab as well as in mass production."

Attractive Pricing

With a price of $399, the Deskstar 7K1000 comes in at an attractive price for consumers. That works out to $0.40 per GB--a competitive per-gigabyte cost for a hard drive today, and not much of a premium over previous models. By comparison, a 500GB hard drive today costs about $0.45 per gigabyte, as does Seagate's 750GB Barracuda drive (down from the $0.79 per gigabyte it cost when it launched last spring).

Don't expect to see hard drive prices enter a freefall, though. Says Pickford, "I don't think it will affect the market in a disruptive way. When we set this, we did try to take into account the price of other, lower-capacity drive products. Based on where the market was, we felt $399 was an appropriate price point to set for this technology, so it could achieve good market acceptance."

Although 1TB of storage on a single drive will be alluring to some users, IDC's Rydning sees only very specific demand for that much storage. "For consumers, we still think the big hard drives are mainly for niche applications," says Rydning. "There's going to be a certain minority of PC users and video recorder enthusiasts who will want to have the highest capacity available. And in those markets, a high-capacity drive is valued. However, the vast majority of PC users are still serviced by a one-platter, 160GB hard drive."

Consumers' increasing accumulation of digital personal data is, not surprisingly, driving the need for high-capacity storage. "As people amass their own personal memories, either in photographs or video, hard disk drive storage is one of the best, lowest cost ways to store and retrieve that type of data," says Rydning.

About TERABYTE

A terabyte (derived from the prefix tera- and commonly abbreviated TB) is a measurement term for data storage capacity. The value of a terabyte is based upon a decimal radix (base 10) and is defined as one trillion (short scale) bytes, or 1000 gigabytes.

The number of bytes in a terabyte is sometimes stated to be approximately 1.0995 x 10¹². This difference arises from a conflict between the long standing tradition of using binary prefixes and base 2 in the computer world, and the more popular decimal (SI) standard adopted widely both within and without the computer industry. Standards organizations such as IEC, IEEE and ISO recommend to use the alternative term tebibyte (TiB) to signify the traditional measure of 1024⁴ bytes, or 1024 gibibytes, leading to the following definitions:

• According to the SI standard and current usage, a terabyte (TB) contains 1,000,000,000,000 bytes = 1000⁴ or 10¹² bytes.

• According to traditional and binary arithmetic, a terabyte contained 1,099,511,627,776 bytes = 1024⁴ or 2⁴⁰ bytes. Ambiguity can be avoided by use of the standardized term for this quantity, the tebibyte.

The capacities of computer storage devices are traditionally advertised using their SI standard values.

Decimal
Value	SI
10001	k	kilo
10002	M	mega
10003	G	giga
10004	T	tera
10005	P	peta
10006	E	exa
10007	Z	zetta
10008	Y	yotta

Binary
Value	JEDEC		IEC
10241	K	kilo	Ki	kibi
10242	M	mega	Mi	mebi
10243	G	giga	Gi	gibi
10244	T	tera	Ti	tebi
10245	P	peta	Pi	pebi
10246	E	exa	Ei	exbi
10247	Z	zetta	Zi	zebi
10248	Y	yotta	Yi	yobi

For more Visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terabyte

Software Testing

Software testing is the process used to assess the quality of computer software. Software testing is an empirical technical investigation conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality of the product or service under tes, with respect to the context in which it is intended to operate. This includes, but is not limited to, the process of executing a program or application with the intent of finding software bugs. Quality is not an absolute; it is value to some person. With that in mind, testing can never completely establish the correctness of arbitrary computer software; testing furnishes a criticism or comparison that compares the state and behavior of the product against a specification. An important point is that software testing should be distinguished from the separate discipline of Software Quality Assurance (S.Q.A.), which encompasses all business process areas, not just testing.

Over its existence, computer software has continued to grow in complexity and size. Every software product has a target audience. For example, a video game software has its audience completely different from banking software. Therefore, when an organization develops or otherwise invests in a software product, it presumably must assess whether the software product will be acceptable to its end users, its target audience, its purchasers, and other stakeholders. Software testing is the process of attempting to make this assessment.

Software testing is used in association with verification and validation:

• Verification: Have we built the software right (i.e., does it match the specification)?
• Validation: Have we built the right software (i.e., is this what the customer wants)?

Testing methods

Software testing methods are traditionally divided into black box testing and white box testing. These two approaches are used to describe the point of view that a test engineer takes when designing test cases.

Black box testing treats the software as a black-box without any understanding as to how the internals behave. It aims to test the functionality according to the requirements.^[14] Thus, the tester inputs data and only sees the output from the test object. This level of testing usually requires thorough test cases to be provided to the tester who then can simply verify that for a given input, the output value (or behavior), is the same as the expected value specified in the test case. Black box testing methods include: equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, all-pairs testing, fuzz testing, model-based testing etc.

White box testing, however, is when the tester has access to the internal data structures, code, and algorithms. White box testing methods include creating tests to satisfy some code coverage criteria. For example, the test designer can create tests to cause all statements in the program to be executed at least once. Other examples of white box testing are mutation testing and fault injection methods.

White box testing methods can also be used to evaluate the completeness of a test suite that was created with black box testing methods. This allows the software team to examine parts of a system that are rarely tested and ensures that the most important function points have been tested. Two common forms of code coverage are function coverage, which reports on functions executed and statement coverage, which reports on the number of lines executed to complete the test. They both return a coverage metric, measured as a percentage.

In recent years the term grey box testing has come into common usage. This involves having access to internal data structures and algorithms for purposes of designing the test cases, but testing at the user, or black-box level. Manipulating input data and formatting output do not qualify as grey-box because the input and output are clearly outside of the black-box we are calling the software under test. This is particularly important when conducting integration testing between two modules of code written by two different developers, where only the interfaces are exposed for test.

For more Visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Software_testing

Tally 9

Tally 9 is the world^!s first concurrent multi-lingual business accounting and inventory management software. Tally has been designed specifically for Indian business owners like you, who have always wanted to maintain accounts in an Indian language of your choice.Tally 9 is so technologically advanced that it can operate in almost all Indian languages concurrently! That means, you can maintain accounts in any Indian language, view it in another and print it in yet another language of your choice... at the same time!

Tally 9 empowers business owners to manage business smoothly. Designed keeping in mind the needs of the Indian businessman, it has several key additions in terms of functionalities.

You can send separate documents to suppliers, business associates, customers etc., in their language, while maintaining accounts in your language. In effect, you can conveniently transact business across the length and breadth of India, and language will no longer be a barrier.

Freedom from dependence on accounting professionals is yet another clear benefit that Tally 9 enables… right from day one! You can let your accountant enter information in any Indian language that he is comfortable with and you can review it in your preferred language –at just the click of a button.

Backed by the heritage of incredible simplicity, Tally 9 takes one more significant step towards ensuring that concrete business advantages are realised from accounting on computers.

The advanced technology empowering Tally 9 allows you to:

What Does Tally 9 Offer?

• Single-User Edition (TallySilver)
• Multi-User Edition (TallyGold).
• Best suited for small business at amazingly attractive prices!

Tally 9 - Best For Business Accounting

• Complete Book-keeping
• Books, Registers and Statements of Accounts
• General Ledger
• Outstandings Management, including Credit Limits
• Accounts Receivables and Accounts Payables
• Flexible Voucher Numbering
• Flexible Classification of Account Heads
• Drill Down Display
• Date based Reporting
• Voucher and Cheque Printing
• Columnar Reports
• Bank Reconciliation

Tally 9 - Best For Business Financial Management

• Funds Flows
• Receivables Turnover (Payment Performance of
  Debtors)
• Branch Accounting
• Flexible Period Accounting
• Consolidation of Companies
• Budgeting and Control
• Cost Centres & Profit Centres, with Multiple Cost Categories
• Variance Analysis
• Ratio Analysis
• Scenario Management including Reversing Journals and Optional Vouchers

Tally 9 - Best For Statutory Returns

• VAT Statutory Returns
• VAT Composition Returns
• Service Tax
• Tax Deducted at Source (TDS)
• Fringe Benefit Tax (FBT)
• Excise for Traders

What Makes Tally 9 The Best?

• Simplicity in usage
• Speed in navigation
• Power of information management
• Flexibility in adapting to your business
• Concurrent multi-lingual capability
• No codes for convenience
• Real-time reporting
• Online help for user friendly experience

Tally 9 - Best For Advanced Business Financial Management

• Multiple Companies
• Multi Currency Accounting
• Multiple Financial Years
• Comparison of Data using Multi-Columnar Reporting
• Memo Vouchers
• Post-dated Vouchers
• User-defined Voucher Types
• Sales and Purchase Extracts
• Cash Flows
• Daily Balances & Transaction Values
• Interest Calculations
• Percentage based Reporting

Tally 9 allows you to get the information you require in the format you need. Just create your format in any ODBC compliant software like MS-Word or MS-Excel, and pull data from Tally. To create any report you want. Like Audit Reports and Schedule VI forms. Or internal reports. You can even generate your export documentation by pulling data from Tally.

• MailTally Harness the power of the Internet! Tally 9 uses the SMTP protocol for e-mail. Now, e-mail invoices to your customer. Or your purchase order. In fact, e-mail any Tally report or document as easily as you print! Even reminder letters and statement of accounts need not be printed and posted. Simply e-mail them. It is not only postage cost that you save, you save on so much of your valuable time.

• E-Tally You can improve your company's efficiency by sharing information with your extended enterprise: your customers, your bankers, your business partners and other associates. Now publish all reports and documents from Tally 9 to a secure part of your website, using either FTP, HTTP or secure HTTP protocols, in HTML format. You can use this feature to inform customers the new price-range and stocks available for sale. Or publish reports that your CEO can access, while traveling, using any internet browser.

• XML Tally Tally 9 enables you to exchange information with non-Tally systems, using XML. You can now share data across locations, amongst business associates and partners, and make your workflow seamless. You can now collaborate with others and share information like never before.

• On-line Help Tally 9 has built in Context Sensitive Help. Press the Help button while in Tally, and it will bring up the relevant topic.

• "Scenario" management The new "Scenario" Management capability allows you to plan, as well as analyse your business performance, under varying assumptions. You can get different views of your accounts and inventory information by selectively including Optional Vouchers and/or Reversing Journals and Memos. Use this feature for forecasting and planning. Prepare reports including provisional figures without affecting actual accounts using reversing journals that automatically reverse. This is useful for reporting interim statements.

• Print Preview This facility helps you check printed report formats and layouts before actual printing takes place.

• Direct Access to the Internet Tally 9 allows you direct access to Web Browsing from within Tally.

• Tally 9 Cutting Edge technology

Tally 9 has achieved major technological breakthroughs to enable you to benefit from collaborative technology such as protocol support for HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, SMTP, ODBC, and Raw Sockets with data interchange formats like XML, HTML, SOAP, SDF and related formats, rule-based collaboration supporting export, upload and synchronization.

USB Drive

A USB Device is a NAND-type flash memory data storage device integrated with a USB (universal serial bus) connector. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, much shorter than a floppy disk (1-4 inches or 25-102 mm), and weigh less than 2 ounces (56g). Storage capacities range from 64MB to 16GB^[1] or more. Some allow 1 million write or erase cycles and have 10-year data retention,^[3] connected by USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 or both. USB Memory card readers are also available, whereby rather than being built-in, the memory is a removable flash memory card housed in what is otherwise a regular USB flash drive, as described below.

USB flash drives offer potential advantages over other portable storage devices, particularly the floppy disk. They are more compact, faster, hold more data, are more reliable for lack of moving parts, and have a more durable design. Additionally, it has become increasingly common for computers to ship without floppy disk drives. USB ports, on the other hand, appear on almost every current mainstream PC and laptop. These types of drives use the USB mass storage standard, supported natively by modern operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux, and other Unix-like systems.