Dell devices make adding net storage easier
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AUSTIN, TEXAS - Dell promises network managers will be able to easily and quickly consolidate and manage storage on their heterogeneous networks with three new network-attached storage servers the company is expected to roll out this week.
The Dell PowerVault 755N, 750N and 715N network-attached storage (NAS) servers, based on Microsoft's Windows 2000 Advanced Server operating system, replace Dell's entry-level PowerVault 701 and 705 servers and midrange 735 servers. They can be installed on existing networks in as little as 15 minutes, the company says. The devices operate on Windows, NetWare, Unix, Linux and Macintosh networks and include software that protects against data loss and network downtime.
NAS servers are becoming a popular way to quickly add storage to a network. According to market research firm IDC, the NAS market will grow 63% yearly from 2000 to 2004, nearly doubling the sales of storage-area networks (SAN).
Dell's new products include ActiveArchives software, which creates images of stored data that can be used to guard against loss from network disruptions. They also contain LAN-free back-up software, allowing backups of data without disrupting network operations.
One Dell customer says the new features will be welcome.
"We have an older 735N we use as an online software library that we never want to lose," says Paul Mabry, manager of network systems engineering at Morgan Keegan, a large investment firm in Memphis, Tenn. "We'll be putting a PowerVault 755N in our disaster-recovery center and use ActiveArchives' snapshot capability to duplicate the information on the 735 because it's mission-critical."
Morgan Keegan's hot-site disaster recovery center is 25 miles away. The PowerVault will connect to a Fibre Channel loop that connects the company's network.
The PowerVault 750N and 755N are designed for departments and workgroups within large companies and can scale to more than 7 terabytes of data. They support clustering for greater availability and fault tolerance.
One of the most important features of Dell's NAS devices is that they are Microsoft-certified to run SQL Server 2000. Many users want to use their NAS servers to host database or messaging applications.
"Database vendors are saying they are perfectly comfortable with running their databases on file-serving NAS architectures rather than block-oriented SANs, so Microsoft SQL Server certification is a natural fit," says Tony Prigmore, an analyst with the Enterprise Storage Group. Other vendors, including Network Appliance, have certified their file servers to run Oracle databases.
The PowerVault 715N is scalable to 400G bytes and is designed for small businesses or remote offices.
These NAS devices compete with similar products from Compaq, Maxtor and Quantum. They are the first devices to support Novell's e-Directory software used in NetWare.
The PowerVault 750N and 755N are available immediately starting at $8,700; the PowerVault 715N will begin shipping later this month starting at $2,000.
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