Review: In Storage, It's One For All

In the past, solution providers had the option of pushing either block-based SAN products or file-based NAS devices to customers looking for the right solution. Now, more and more vendors are coming out with storage units that can handle both.

Unified storage combines both SAN and NAS in a single storage device, often also including iSCSI functionality. For this review, CRN Test Center engineers examined the Celerra NS20, a new entry-level multiprotocol storage platform from EMC.

While the Test Center's NS20 unit came from the qualification lab, it contained the general-availability code that was released to manufacturing. According to EMC, the system was as close as possible to the units that began shipping on Aug. 14, when the NS20 became generally available.

As an entry-level platform, the Celerra is ideal for installations requiring less than 20 Tbytes of IP storage capacity. The Celerra NS20 provides Network File System (NFS) and Common Internet File System (CIFS) file shares, and supports NFSv2, NFSv3 and NFSv4. The Celerra allows virtual provisioning, a feature that makes the unit's capacity seem bigger than it really is by allocating storage only when data is being written to the device. NS20 supports LDAP message signing and can join the CIFS server to a Windows domain using LDAP. Snapshots of the file system and iSCSI LUNs can be created for backup and data recovery. The Celerra also ships with eight optional Fibre Channel ports for host connectivity.

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While "entry-level" is often synonymous with being a fixed solution with limited configuration options, that's not the case with the Celerra NS20. EMC has delivered a unit with full NAS and SAN functionality that allows maximum flexibility. Solution providers can deploy the NS20 as a NAS device for home directories and Web applications or as a SAN for Microsoft Exchange or Microsoft SQL Server. EMC also designed the Celerra to work with applications running in a VMware virtual environment.

Deployment was very easy, partially because engineers received the Celerra NS20 system fully cable-tested and connected. LAN cables connected the blade servers and the control station to a switch, which engineers hooked up to the Test Center network.

EMC shipped the new install wizard, Celerra Startup Assistant; the management console, Celerra Manager and add-on management tools, including Celerra SnapSure, on the software CD that accompanied the unit. The CD opens up an installation interface listing Celerra Startup Assistant, Celerra SnapSure and Celerra Manager. Depending on the selected option, the interface then installs the appropriate application.

Engineers selected a Gateway E-9425R server as the client for the Celerra platform. Engineers used Celerra Startup Assistant to detect the NS20 and to configure the system for the network. At the beginning of the setup process, the software auto-detects NS20 on the network. If the NS20 is on a different subnet than the one the client server is on, the device will not be detected. The application performs a cable connectivity and health check. The root and sysadmin accounts are also created at this time.

Next: The Bottom Line EMC has eased installation by simplifying the whole process. By using the accompanying worksheet, engineers were able to collect all the necessary information, such as the IP address and host name to assign to the Celerra unit, the network subnet and gateway addresses and the blade server's domain name. The Celerra Startup Assistant consisted of seven wizard-type screens requesting configuration options that were listed on the corresponding section of the worksheet.

At the end of initial setup and configuration, the application offers to open one of the three optional configuration wizards, creating NFS exports, iSCSI LUN or CIFS shares.

The Celerra NS20 can hold from six to 60 Fibre Channel or SATA disk drives in up to four drive trays. The NS20 can support an all-Fibre Channel drive configuration for increased performance, an all-SATA configuration for larger capacity or a combination of both Fibre Channel and SATA drives for a balance between the two. In a mixed setup, however, the Fibre Channel and SATA drives must be in separate trays.

The Celerra supports both single and dual X-Blade 20 configurations. Dual X-Blade 20 can be deployed in either of two modes: "primary/primary" for high performance or "primary/standby" for hardware availability protection, such as failover.

A placemat of instructions helped demystify the myriad of cables that connect the blade servers with the control center. The cables are custom-labeled from the factory to indicate which ends plug in to which ports. EMC generally sends the NS20 in a shipping container with the unit in the same orientation customers would have on the rack, with some configuration and cabling done at the factory.

Celerra Manager provides wizards to ease management complexities. However, more experienced administrators can directly access all functions by right-clicking on menu items. The Manager application's primary screen lists various function wizards, such as for file systems, virtual provisioning and snapshots. The file system can have a fixed size or automatically grow until it reaches the specified maximum, and can be spread over several volumes in a storage pool. EMC SnapSure integrates with Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service, creating snapshots directly from Windows Explorer and Microsoft Office applications.

Solution providers can count on both product margins and services for revenue. EMC designed the unit to be installed by channel partners. With the price tag starting at $34,000, solution providers can expect opportunities in deploying the system as well as for maintenance.

EMC has four levels in its partner program, and each one has annual revenue targets. Currently, more than half of EMC's worldwide revenue is touched by the channel.

Celerra NS20's flexibility is an asset for solution providers, who can now offer a single platform that can support NFS, CIFS, iSCSI and Fibre Channel in an increasingly complex storage environment.