Scale Datacom’s Data Storage Blog

File this one under BIG: Dell-EqualLogic has just announced their latest array, the PS-5500E (development codename: Sumo).  The PS-5500E packs 48 x SATA II drives into 4U of rack space making it one of the densest iSCSI SAN arrays around.

Certainly there are other arrays on the market that offer this level of density (Nexsan, Xyratex etc.) but no one offers the level and breadth of features and tight host-side integration that Dell-EqualLogic does.  And because its completely virtualized, it plays well with all the other Dell-EqualLogic PS Series arrays, allowing you to build a true end-to-end storage platform.

Due to its intended role (replication DR and disk backup target, near line and archival storage tier), there are some particulars on the PS-5500E that make it unique among the rest of the PS Series family.  It is SATA-only (for now), RAID 50 is the only RAID setting and PS-5500E’s can only be in a tier w/ themselves (altho they can be in the same SAN w/ all other arrays).  You can add up to 12 in a single SAN, giving you a raw total capacity of 576TB!

Adding this new, ultra-dense tier of storage fills out the PS Series line and makes it an even more attractive enterprise-class iSCSI SAN solution.

There will be 2 drive options for the PS-5500E initially: 500GB (24TB Raw) and 1.0TB (48TB raw).  Give us a shout if you’d like to discuss this or any of the PS Series arrays further.

More info and Quote Request

A few months back our friends at Exagrid released the aptly named “Exagrid Deduplication Gateway for iSCSI” and had closely aligned themselves with the market leader in iSCSI storage, EqualLogic.

A slight name tweak now knows this box as the Exagrid iSCSI Backup Gateway (Data Sheet) which has a nicer ring to it. Make no bones about it, these guys want tape GONE.  And lets face it, tape is a pain in the ass neck.

Exagrid makes a pretty good case:

• Eliminates failed backups and restores
• Greatly reduces your backup window
• Works with your existing backup app
• Perfect for environments w/ 1-60TB backups
• Compression and dedupe backups in one package
• Optional WAN-efficient remote replication for DR

So, if you one of the 6000+ organizations that already have an EqualLogic SAN or are thinking of implementing one, this would be a great add-on to tie everything together from a backup perspective.

If you’d like to discuss this product or deduplication in general, please drop us a line.

Exagrid announced on Tuesday (aka my birthday) that they are bringing to market the world’s first data deduplication gateway for iSCSI storage. The creatively named ‘Exagrid iSCSI De-Deuplication Gateway’ will cut back storage requirements for backup by 10:1 to as much as 50:1, while promising a 30-90% reduction in backup and restore times.

And since we’re talking about iSCSI, can you guess who they’re marketing this heavily with? One guess….Yup: EqualLogic. De-Dupe has been on our wish list w/ EqualLogic for some time now and this new partnership with Exagrid, one of the clear leaders in the field, fulfills that wish.

If you currently have or are planning on implementing a Dell/EqualLogic PeerStorage SAN and intend to use it for disk backup, this gateway is worth a serious look.

More Info or Pricing: Click Here

American Megatrends…yes, the BIOS company. Turns out they make a line of IP SAN arrays. We sat in on an overview of their product and took a turn driving the GUI and I gotta say: WOW!

Their arrays come in 1U, 4-Bay (StorTrends 1100) and 3U, 16-Bay (StorTrends 3200) configs, support either SATA or SAS drives and can be had as NAS-only or NAS and ISCSI.

What’s truly amazing is the long list of features that’s included:

• Remote Replication (Synchronous and Acynchronous)
• Advanced Snapshots
• Information Lifecycle Management (ILM)
• Network Port Teaming
• Online capacity expansion and RAID migration
• Array Failover / Load Balancing

Sweet Fancy Moses! These guys need to hire a marketing person to get the word out. Luckily, thats where Scale datacom comes in. As an American Megatrends (aka: AMI) Partner, its now our job to spread the good word to anyone that may be in need of a cost-effective and feature-rich IP SAN and NAS solution.

Please give us a shout if you’d like to discuss in further detail and see the technology in action (they have an array online).

In a few years we may all be kicking back, drinking our lemonade on the front porch and reminiscing about the good ole days…..”Remember nightly full backups? Boy whatta pain in the a** those were…”. Until then, here’s a good article from Kevin Suttle from Storage Magazine on just that very thing…

I recently helped a Fortune 100 client evaluate continuous data protection (CDP) products and was asked if full nightly backups to tape were still needed given the advent of disk-based technologies like snapshots and CDP. Trying not to sound like a consultant attempting to please everyone, I answered “It depends.”

Snapshots and CDP provide excellent ways to recover data from a specific point in time when no known data loss or corruption existed. But it can take a while to discover a file or database error, and snapshots aren’t typically kept for a long time. That’s why full backups to tape are a vital complement to point-in-time backup tools, and will remain so in any comprehensive data protection strategy. The tricky part is to decide how to mix and match backup methods to best meet recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs), and stay within your storage budget. …full article

Source: Kevin Suttle - Storage Magazine - Dec 07

In the meantime, let us know if you’d like to dicsuss your options as far as CDP, snapshots and the like for 2008.

In the world of mass storage, too much is never enough….and in rack-space-challenged environments, density is king.

PAC Data’s PAC F5404E addresses both of those concerns, packing an impressive 96 drive bays (96TB using 1TB drives) into 8U of real estate. The dual-controller main array houses half of that and a SAS-connected expansion JBOD with dual I/O controllers the other half.

If you’re familiar with Overland Storage’s Ultimus 4800 then this will be deja vu as the F5404E is the same box: Overland and PAC both OEM from Xyratex. The only difference is the logo graphic on the GUI….and the price, which is lower on the PAC-branded variant.

PAC also owns the post-sales technical support which is huge as they are top-notch when it comes to customer satisfaction.

The array uses dual active-active RAID controllers, has redundant power, cooling and drives.

If you’d like technical or pricing info, just shoot us a line.

Constant Data Protection (CDP) has been on the fringes for some time and and is really starting to get the spotlight it deserves. Customers are amazed when we explain what CDP is and does….many simply didn’t even know the technology existed…..well, it does and SonicWall’s line of CDP appliances are making CDP a snap to implement.

CDP is exactly what it says: constant data protection. Every time a file is changed its backed up. Even open files can be backed up if so desired. This covers the likes of MS Office docs, Exchange, SQL databases, Active Directory, QuickBooks to name a few. Look, tape restores stink, disk-backup is better, snapshots closed the gap even further….but only CDP is truly constant and, with remote replication, almost eliminates the need for tape at all.
SonicWall’s line of CDP appliances (1440i, 2440i, 3440i and 4440i) ensure your company’s data can be instantly restored from any point in time. And based on user-preferences they can store multiple versions of each file so users can go back and restore from any point in time: minutes, hours, days or more.

Central management, reporting, 256-bit AES encryption, bare-metal restore and remote replication to a second appliance are all included, making these appliances a fantastic value.

Contact us to discuss how SonicWall’s CDP solution can help cure your backup (and restore) blues…..or simply buy one here

Our friends at NeoScale have gone and won themselves another award. This time the prestigious 2007 Tomorrow’s Technology Today Award from Info Security Products Guide in Silicon Valley for their encryption key management system, CryptoStor KeyVault.

Data encryption is one of the hottest topics in IT today and for good reason…there is big money to be made in stolen customer and company data and apparently no shortage of crooks. NeoScale is semi-uniqiue in that they are vendor-agnostic and an open system w/ readily available API’s…oh, and they’re FIPS 140-2 Level 3 compliant.

Here’sthe full press release

Contact us today to discuss how NeoScale’s CryptoStor line of encryption appliances can help safeguard your data.

Nice article on ComputerWorld.com about how business continuity solutions in the mid market are affordable options now. Things we love like constant data protection (CDP), Windows VSS and our friends at EqualLogic are all named as budget-friendly ways to keep your business up in the face of disaster.

With technology constantly improving and prices continually coming down, rock-solid yet affordable business continuity solutions are now within the budgets of most small to midsized organizations.
Give us a shout today if you’d like to discuss business continuity solutions for your organization. From CDP, snapshots, and remote replication to disk-based backup and accelerated wide-area data services we can help tailor a solution that meets your needs and budget.