Mass randon storage devices and their application to a Medical Information System (MIS)

Abstract Critical requirements for an on-line mass random storage device for a Medical Information System (MIS) with a population base of one million people are multi-billion bit storage capacity, direct random access time under 1 second, data transfer rate of over 50,000 bytes per second, at least 98% reliability, and low cost per bit. The Kaiser-Permanente MIS uses 2 IBM Data Cells for on-line storage of patient computer medical records. The volume of medical data stored is rapidly approaching the 800 million byte capacity of the Data Cells. Based on a 2 year performance record, the Data Cells have proved to be only marginally reliable, and alternative state-of-the-art storage devices are being considered.