Review: Storage Offerings Perfectly Suited For SMBs

Intel's channel program includes two levels: Premier and Associate. The only entry requirements are that VARs sign up to be registered resellers and buy through authorized distributors. There are no costs associated with joining the program.

Benefits offered include beta testing, demo units, rebates, spiffs, awards and co-marketing opportunities. An exclusive reseller Web site offers access to product and platform road maps and technical information, support, training opportunities, sales and marketing tools and promotions. Members receive e-mail notifications with links to new drivers, BIOS, utilities and firmware.

MicroNet PlatinumNAS 3.0
MicroNet Technology's PlatinumNAS 3.0 four-bay NAS unit is a little smaller than the Intel unit yet offers higher capacity. That's because the PlatinumNAS 3.0 is compatible with the latest 750-Gbyte SATA drives and therefore can be configured as a 3-Tbyte NAS serverwithout RAID, of course.

The PlatinumNAS 3.0 combines SATA hard-drive technology with a high-availability plug-and-play architecture for ease of use and economical storage for data-intensive applications. The appliance is an ideal solution for storing, sharing and managing digital data for small and midsize businesses and even home users.

The PlatinumNAS 3.0 is powered by an Intel XScale 64-bit network storage processor and features four discrete SATA 2+NCQ disk channels and 256 Mbytes of write-back/write-through error correcting cache memory. It can handle multiple simultaneous network services including SMB/CIFS, FTP, Webdisk and AppleShare, and it's compatible with Windows, Unix and Apple platforms, which enables users of different operating systems to share files and provides native support for Active Directory.

Like the Intel unit, the PlatinumNAS 3.0 features dual-channel Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, allowing multiple subnetworks and workgroups to access the appliance without slowing throughput. Dual-subnet capability provides simultaneous support for two separate networks so that different departments within a company can access the storage without being able to see each other on the network.

Also like the Intel unit, the hard drives in the PlatinumNAS 3.0 are hot-swappable, which prevents down time and also allows for RAID configurations that include a hot spare so that if one of the disks should fail, it can be replaced and the storage pool rebuilt with no loss of data or interruption of service. The PlatinumNAS 3.0 supports RAID levels 0, 1 and 5. Because RAID configurations diminish the total amount of storage, the PlatinumNAS 3.0 also can be configured in JBOD fashion where the entire 3 Tbytes of capacity is available for storage use. Of course, that's with no redundancy, which risks the loss of data in the event of drive failure.

The PlatinumNAS 3.0 is available in capacities of 1 Gbyte, 1.6 Gbytes, 2 Gbytes and 3 Gbytes. Loaded with four 750-Gbyte hard drives, it has an MSRP of $3,700. The 1-Gbyte unit costs $1,999, and prices for the 1.6-Gbyte and 2-Gbyte models fall between $1,999 and $3,700. Unlike the Intel SS4000-E, the PlatinumNAS 3.0 is not available as a barebones unit.

The PlatinumNAS 3.0 is tiny for its capacity, measuring roughly 6.5 inches wide by 7.5 inches high by 9 inches deep. Like the Intel unit, it features link and activity lights for the two NICs, along with power and activity lights for each hard drive. The hard drives can be locked in place, which is good to prevent inadvertent removal, but because thieves could always steal the entire unit, there's also a Kensington lock slot on the back.

Configuration, installation and maintenance are performed using a Web-based interface which can be accessed via VPN from anywhere in the world. Setup is easy and can be done in either DHCP or static IP environments. First, the user IDs are added along with appropriate passwords, then folders are created with access rights given according to user permissions.

MicroNet's channel program consists of three levels: distribution, direct and channel partners. Distribution VARs have no limitations, while direct VARs must have a revenue goal of at least $1 million, and channel partners must have greater than $1 million in revenue. Distribution VARs receive basic services, access to the complete product line and distribution access. Direct VARs have direct purchasing access, full pre- and post-sales support, advertising and marketing support and blind drop-ship of products. Channel partners can take advantage of co-op advertising, end-user rebates, lead generation and advertising and site linking. Margins average about 15 percent. Demo units are offered, and Web leads are driven toward valued partners. Rebates, spiffs and MDFs are available.

In summation, the Intel NAS device can be purchased as a barebones unit, while the MicroNet cannot. The Intel unit also costs less per Tbyte of storage, but the MicroNet unit has maximum capacity that is one whole Tbyte greater than the Intel unit. If price and flexibility are the main concern, the Intel SS4000-E is the better choice. If maximum storage capacity in the least amount of physical space is the prime deciding factor, the MicroNet PlatinumNAS 3.0 can be configured to hold 33 percent more data than the Intel unit.