EqualLogic Extends Its iSCSI Arrays Up to 6.4TB

EqualLogic, a provider of iSCSI SAN solutions that
simplify storage for IT, announced the highest density product in
its high-performance line of Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) storage arrays.
The EqualLogic PS3700X provides an option for IT organizations to
balance capacity and performance requirements for priority workloads
such as Microsoft Exchange Server, SQL Server, Oracle databases and
server virtualization projects.

With 6.4 terabytes of raw storage, the PS3700X provides 33 percent
more capacity than its predecessor, the PS3600X. The new offering
brings the cost per gigabyte below $10 while delivering performance
based on EqualLogic’s virtualized and load-balanced architecture and
Seagate’s new 10,000 rpm 400 gigabyte Cheetah NS disk drives.

“We looked at EqualLogic after running an iSCSI SAN from a larger
vendor who was unable to resolve a critical hardware issue in a timely
manner,” said Paul Inboriboon, director of tech. infrastructure at the
Alzheimer’s Association. “We tested the new EqualLogic SAS array and
kicked the tires for performance and management. Our interaction with
their support was great. EqualLogic’s SAN is so much easier to use than
our previous storage, which still shows the inherent complexities of
its core Fibre Channel design. The PS3700X provides a solid platform
for our one-terabyte file server cluster, and we plan to move our 2,500
Microsoft Exchange mailboxes over to it in the next month or two.”

The PS3700X seamlessly and automatically integrates with all other
EqualLogic PS Series storage arrays, so an EqualLogic SAN can be scaled
for performance and capacity through a single, simplified point of
management. EqualLogic’s unique storage virtualization and load
balancing automatically optimize performance and capacity across
multiple storage arrays.

Similar to all of EqualLogic’s SAS-based products, the PS3700X has a
16-drive chassis with fully redundant, hot-swappable enterprise
hardware modules and embedded software functionality such as automatic
load balancing, thin provisioning, application-aware snapshots,
replication for disaster recovery, self-managing multi-path I/O
software and consistency sets. The ease of deployment, self-management,
automation and embedded enterprise features of the PS Series reduce the
time and money businesses spend managing storage.

“Over the last few years, we’ve had success partnering with
EqualLogic to sell their SATA-based storage arrays,” said Bret Jackson,
vice president of sales for Incaption, a solution provider focused on
networking, security and storage based in Colorado. “We look forward to
continuing the EqualLogic relationship, particularly with the newer SAS
product line. A number of our engineering firm customers are deploying
and evaluating the PS3700X and the PS3900XV for VMware virtualization
environments and Microsoft Exchange 2007 and SQL Server projects.”

A single EqualLogic SAN can be segmented by performance level into
multiple tiers, so an individual storage pool can be dedicated to
serving the most demanding applications. Additionally, EqualLogic’s
peer storage architecture with online data movement and thin
provisioning lets managers adjust their storage implementation without
disruption whenever needs dictate.

“EqualLogic remains committed to delivering the latest and most
cost-effective drive technologies to our customers in highly reliable
storage systems that include a comprehensive management software
package at no extra cost,” said Kevin Wittmer, director of product
marketing at EqualLogic. “Addressing the market trend towards ‘greener’
data centers, the PS3700X improves the terabyte-per-kilowatt ratio for
a more economical power profile, while delivering self-optimized
performance.”

The PS3700X is currently shipping and available for purchase through EqualLogic resellers. U.S. list price is $60,000.

EqualLogic