Background
A key hospital in Guangzhou has a Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) installed utilizing Dell rack-mount servers with fiber channel storage. Another key hospital in Shanghai also has a PACS installed utilizing IBM rack-mount servers with IBM storage controller and storage system.

Issues
Alongside the development of computer and networking technologies, demand for digital processing of medical images has started to increase. In the field of medicine, PACS is considered a highly efficient, reliable, scalable technology with huge storage volume capacity. It can facilitate high workflow, outstanding image processing functionalities, manageability and professional film digitalization technology. Its maximum gray-to-gray reaches up to 4096 (12-bit), maximum resolution 3990 X 4845, and the size of each film over 16MB.
In order to fully utilize the functionalities of PACS, a high performance computing platform with a high volume storage system is absolutely essential. The hospital's storage need can reach up to 2TB/year requiring a high resolution film processing speed of 1 second per film; the existing platform can no longer accommodate the increasing daily information processing demands. Especially during peak hours, the diagnosis time inevitably delays due to the reduced efficiency of the whole system. If the hospital add-on more servers to the system, not only will it create difficulties to the system management, it will also reduce system utilization as a whole causing cost-inefficiency.

Solution
　　
Galactic offers our Supercomputer Blade System which can directly installed based on the existing network of the hospital. The system's WINDOWS 2003 network load balance (NLB) and server cluster technologies with storage helps to alleviate data processing workload and storage expandability. The remote system management software of the Supercomputer Blade System provides functionalities such as real-time monitoring, resources distribution, system set-up and failure alarm to optimize PACS usage. User can remotely add or reduce the number of blades according to the actual workload at hand to achieve full network load balance.
In order to suit the needs of different customers, Galactic developed a patent technology – 'High Expandable Internet Supercomputer' where two standard 64-bit PCI-X I/O slots supportive of any PCI I/O standards are integrated onto the back panel. Customers need not purchase extra I/O accessories but can utilize existing resources thus saving costs. Galactic is the only manufacturer that utilizes such technology.

Low Investment, High Flexibility
The original storage system which came with our Supercomputer Blade System was a latest virtualized one. However, according to our Guangzhou customer's cost-saving needs, the storage was changed to one that uses SCSI channel. The switch was extremely simple, we need only to unplug the fiber channel adapter from the PCI slot on the back panel and replace it with a SCSI channel adapter. Then, fiber cables are changed to SCSI cables without the slightest modification to the system at all.

Minimized Investment, Existing Resources Reutilization
In the case of our Shanghai customer, we had simply installed their existing IBM storage controller into Galactic's Supercomputer Blade System. The fully operational IBM storage not only preserves important existing data and information, its reutilization also minimized investment for our customer.

Total Effect

Galactic's Supercomputer Blade System helped to improve diagnosis time by increasing the PACS processing capabilities by 400% (results provided by PACS supplier – Galactic's partner). Even under high network load situations, PACS efficiency maintained at a satisfactory level, thus resolving the problem of delayed diagnosis turnaround time during hospital peak hours.

As compared to conventional servers, Galactic's Supercomputer Blade System has the following advantages:
· Reliable hot-swappable functionalities – applied in blades, power supplies, cooling fans, I/O modules. Customers can expand the system timely and conveniently without affecting the assignments in hand.
· High compatibility – flexible I/O ports technology allowing compatibility between existing and add-on equipments to facilitate systems integration, resources reutilization and investment minimization.
· Low cost and low failure rate – unique chassis design as compared to the conventional rack-mount design to cut down 70% of cables thus reducing failure rate caused by external accessories.
Galactic and its partners is committed to offer our professional technologies and services to ensure customers' swift efficient technology upgrades and return on investments.