Bake-Off: Network-Attached Storage

HP ProLiant DL320s Storage Server
HP's ProLiant DL320s Storage Server snatched first place on the combined strength of its channel program, I/O performance and features. Priced at $6,666, it was the second most expensive offering in this comparison, but it's worth it for environments where performance matters.

The ProLiant DL320s test system was a 2U enclosure with 12 250-Gbyte SATA drives, providing up to 3 Tbytes of storage. SAS drives are also supported. The ProLiant DL320s Storage Server comes in several size configurations, including 1.7 Tbytes, 3 Tbytes, 3.6 Tbytes, 6 Tbytes and 9 Tbytes. It can easily support 25 to 200 users.

Since the DL320s does not come in units lower than 3 Tbytes for SATA disks, the price-per-capacity is presented at 3 Tbytes for this system only.

The ProLiant DL320s Storage Server ships with the Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 RC2 operating system preinstalled and preconfigured. When powering it on, the system runs the Rapid Startup Wizard, which collects network configuration information. Once the wizard is complete, the system is available over CIFS, Samba, NHS, HTTP, FTP, WebDAV, AppleTalk and NetWare file protocols. Reviewers used the Storage Manager interface to create a new 2-Tbyte RAID 5 volume spanning all 12 drives.

For all practical purposes, this is a regular Windows server—but one that has been optimized to be a storage device. The registry has been tweaked to deliver files faster and data duplication features have been added. It comes with a dual-core Intel Xeon 3070 2.67GHz processor, 2 Gbytes of memory (expandable up to 4 Gbytes), a DVD drive and dual hot-plug power supplies. VARs can install security applications and third-party storage applications to complement HP's Storage Manager tool. It can also function as a print server.

To simulate drive failure, reviewers pulled the drive out of the chassis at random. The system logged the problem and immediately rebuilt the array so data was not lost.

HP performed better on large, multifile directories. It took 2:19 minutes to read and 2:11 minutes to write 1.2 Gbytes of data and 7:59 minutes to read and 6:11 minutes to write about 3 Gbytes. It was consistently faster on the writes than on the reads.

HP's PartnerOne program is broad and offers recurring revenue opportunities for solution providers.

Netgear ReadyNAS NAV+
Netgear ReadyNAS NAV+ nabbed second place on the strength of its channel program and its deep feature set. The ReadyNAS matched more expensive competitors feature for feature at a significant cost-savings.

It is a desktop solution that packs a large wallop into a small case. The price-per-capacity, $1,599 for 2 Tbytes, is solidly in the midpoint compared with the other four products.

The ReadyNAS NV+ supports RAID 0, 1 and 5 as well as its own X-RAID (Expandable) configuration.

The device has four hot-swappable drive slots and an integrated backup manager that allows for one-button backup to an external USB hard drive or remote server. It is expandable via three USB 2.0 ports. The ReadyNAS NV+ can support up to 20 concurrent users and can also be configured as a DHCP server and a print server. It has an informational LCD panel concealed behind a mirror on the front that is only visible when lit.

The unit comes preconfigured in X-RAID to expand storage capacity when drives are changed. Reviewers manually reset the system to create the RAID 5 volume. Although the administrator console is browser-based, the RAID configuration is done through a client application called RAIDar. This application is easy to use, but it's an extra program that solution providers need to remember. Drive failure was simulated by pulling out a drive. When the drive was replaced, the system needed to rebuild the array, which took a little more than four hours.

The intuitive administrator console allows all kinds of ReadyNAS management, going so far as to allow recalibrating the fan and show temperature readings down to each disk.

On performance, the ReadyNAS took 53 seconds to read and 1:11 minutes to write 1.2 Gbytes of data and 16:48 minutes to read and 10:25 minutes to 3.2 Gbytes of data. At 69 dB, noise levels were comparable to the other units tested, but seemed much louder as it was a desktop unit. It drew only 58 watts of power.

ReadyNAS is built with the future in mind. As higher-storage capacity disk drives hit the market, it will be able to accommodate them, all the way to the theoretical four 16-Tbyte hard drives that will max out the system's storage capacity at 64 Tbytes.

Netgear's PowerShift partner program offers margins of 17 percent to 22 percent. The vendor also offers extra discounts for bundling networking and security products into a sale.

Next: Adaptec Snap Server 520