A new iSCSI V Switch that supports the entire Microsoft Windows operating environment including the recently released Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2000, Windows XP, Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft SQL Server is set to deliver highly available, scaleable and easy to manage IP SAN solutions for Microsoft's enterprise-class and mid-tier customer base in SA.
Developed by SANRAD Incorporated, a leader in intelligent iSCSI SAN solutions and a member of Microsoft's iSCSI development programme, the V Switch is supplied and supported in SA by the JSE-listed Square One Solutions Group, which provides fully integrated intelligent IP-based storage solutions across the SME, mid-tier and enterprise markets.
"The switch is IETF RFC compliant and ideal for companies installing IP-based storage area networks for Windows," says Square One's storage business solutions specialist, Luca Ambrosi.
"In combination with Windows Server 2003, which has new and enhanced storage features and capabilities for improved data availability, the V Switch will be an ideal solution for customers needing performance, security, investment protection and reliability within a networked storage architecture. By using Windows and an iSCSI V Switch, users can consolidate servers and diverse storage systems in an easy-to-manage storage area network (SAN)."
Ambrosi says a new messaging service set up at the University of Michigan using three Windows dual node clusters connected using iSCSI to a pair of fault-tolerant iSCSI V Switches develops close to a terabyte of multi-pathed and mirrored Fibre Channel disk storage and provides voice mail storage space for the entire campus.
"The system configuration complies with specifications tolerating less than 10 minutes of downtime a year, which equates to 99.999% availability and is testament to the huge potential of combining Windows-clustered servers and iSCSI V Switch technology. The combination enables simple volume configuration, storage allocation and the addition of more disk drives and servers without having to interrupt critical applications.
"Co-operation between Microsoft and SANRAD is resulting in powerful data availability and storage management tools with which Square One can provide highly efficient and cost-effective solutions for mid-range and enterprise organisations building or extending a SAN."
The SANRAD iSCSI V Switches introduce all-in-one iSCSI storage networking, guaranteeing the full availability and seamless management of stored information across standard Ethernet networks and affording a complete storage continuity solution that is easy to deploy with excellent price/performance.
"They combine a truly interoperable, multiple-port iSCSI gateway with comprehensive storage services for full block-based data access, network volume management, storage continuity and traffic optimisation, delivering a new dimension in the availability of vital business information using IP-SANs," concludes Ambrosi.
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