Astute Networks, Inc. announced an update to its Edge Storage Foundation Suite (ESFS) to include support for network attached storage (NAS) and an enhanced graphical user interface (GUI) for the Caspian Edge Storage product platform.

The Astute Networks ESFS is an extensible storage and systems framework designed for leveraging the open standards of the Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) and creating the deployment simplicity and ease of use required by end-users in mission-critical environments such as defense and telecommunications.

With this update, Astute Networks is the first to provide an ATCA storage blade which features iSCSI block storage access with TCP/IP and iSCSI hardware offload as well as simultaneous network attached storage for file storage access.

The NAS functionality supports both Linux/Unix network file system (NFS) and Windows server message block (SMB) for simplified data sharing between operating systems. It also lessens the complexity of manual configuration of NFS and SMB with the integration of the ESFS management tools.

"With the recent enhancements to the Edge Storage Foundation Suite, our customers now have the flexibility to operate their storage in a heterogeneous environment, with all the benefits of ATCA functionality," said Dr. Simon Knee, vice president of software and architecture, Astute Networks, Inc. "By offering unified block and file access in a single blade, users can easily share data between operating systems and optimize their storage utilization."

In addition to the NAS functionality, the ESFS update includes an enhanced graphical user interface for simplified storage management. The secure-channel GUI enables users to easily monitor status of disk drives, network connections and storage volumes, configure RAID arrays, partition volumes, assign iSCSI targets and configure NAS file sharing through NFS or SMB.

"Our defense customers that operate their networks in the field require reliable storage systems that are easy to deploy and manage," said Bill Rick, director of federal sales, Astute Networks, Inc."Astute Networks' Edge Storage Foundation Suite offers high performance block and NAS filer functionality as well as a GUI that speeds configuration, carefully monitors and diagnoses storage operations and saves time and resources in mission-critical environments."