EMC'S Latest Presents iSCSI Network Storage To The SMB Space

While the storage demands of enterprise environments tend to dwarf those of SMBs, the data that's stored by each business is equally important. For many years, enterprises could tap EMC's expertise in network storage, while smaller companies had to settle for inferior solutions that merely fit their budgets. Fortunately for SMBs and the solution providers that serve them, EMC has developed a new product line and channel program that addresses the specific needs of smaller companies. EMC's Clariion AX150 combines its Clariion RAID array architecture with high-capacity Serial ATA II disk drives to deliver a cost-effective network storage solution. This is EMC's first product offering that uses SATA II disk technology.

The AX150 is a 2U rack-mountable unit that can house up to 12 500-Gbyte SATA II drives for a total capacity of 6 Tbytes. The SATA II interface provides a throughput of up to 3.0 Gbps for superior performance in a cost-effective solution. The AX150 also takes advantage of SATA II's Native Command Queuing, or NCQ, which allows a hard drive to process multiple commands at once.

The AX150 network storage device is compatible with Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris. Both versions are available with iSCSI or Fibre Channel interfaces.

The AX150 is available in eight different models. Single-controller models come standard with three hard disks, and dual-controller models come with four disks. All models will house up to 12 drives. The single-controller iSCSI and Fiber Channel units cost $5,600 when populated with three 250-Gbyte disks. The same models populated with three 500-Gbyte drives cost $6,650. Dual-controller iSCSI and Fiber Channel units loaded with four 250-Gbyte disks cost $8,100, while the same models loaded with four 500-Gbyte drives cost $9,500. Individual 250-Gbyte and 500-Gbyte drives cost $450 and $750, respectively.

The single-controller AX150 offers RAID 5 and RAID 1/0 data protection with a battery-backed cache. It can support two direct-attached servers or up to 10 network-attached hosts using a switch. Dual-controller units are designed to support business-critical applications with dual processors, a mirrored cache, dual hot-swappable power supplies and redundant cooling for comprehensive data protection with high availability. To help ensure proper hardware configurations, EMC requires that a rack-mount UPS be purchased with all dual-controller AX150s. The UPS is critical, as it allows the array to shut down in an orderly fashion to prevent data loss in the event of a power failure. Available in 100-, 120- and 230-volt versions, the UPS costs $570.

Setting up an AX150 is easy. Solution providers must install the latest supported version of Microsoft iSCSI and configure the network settings for each NIC or iSCSI host bus adapter (HBA) that will be connected to the storage system. Next, EMC's Navisphere Server Utility and PowerPath software must be installed on each server that will be connected to the array. Finally, each server being connected to the array must be configured to recognize the new storage. With an AX150 in place, SMBs can focus on core business activities knowing that their data is just as secure as that of an enterprise organization.

EMC is serious about bringing products to the SMB market, as evidenced by its new Velocity SMB channel program. The program offers attainable goals for each of its two partner levels. Tier-one partners must attain $130,000 in hardware or $30,000 in software yearly sales, while tier-two partners must aim for $65,000 in hardware or $15,000 in software yearly sales. The Velocity SMB program offers partners appropriate products, solutions and prices for SMB market. EMC also offers partners discounted software for personal use, dedicated sales and marketing support and pre-sales technical assistance.