iStor Launches IP SAN iS105 (£1,850 for the Chassis)

iStor Networks launched the iS105, a compact, five-drive desktop IP storage area network (SAN) solution designed for performance- and storage-hungry departmental work groups, creative agencies and small businesses.

The iS105 is one of the easiest shared storage solutions on the market, and can be installed and configured out-of-the-box in five mouse clicks. It is suitable for all departmental and small business server applications that demand a combination of high performance, ease of use and connectivity.

Ron MacLeod, VP of Sales at iStor Networks, said: "Data growth at smaller businesses keeps doubling every couple of years. Businesses are looking for simple and affordable shared storage solutions that can expand in line with their capacity needs without sacrificing performance. The iS105 is one of the first IP SANs designed to specifically meet these needs and comes in a small form factor that can fit easily in any office."

The new product is built on iStor’s proven 1GbE and 10GbE ASIC technology that delivers high performance in terms of throughput and IOPS (input/output per second). Lab tests have recorded the iS105 delivering up to 440 MB/S and greater than 80,000 IOPS.

A highly versatile storage solution, the iS105 can directly connect to up to four servers via four separate 1GbE connectors. It features five hot-swap caddies that can take the latest 2.5TB SATA drives, providing up to 12.5TB of raw data. The system provides full redundancy with support for RAID levels 0, 1, 5 and 10.

"Because the iS105 is based on a single-chip solution it avoids many of the interoperability and support issues commonly associated with entry-level IP SANs that rely on discrete components assembled from multiple, separate providers. This advantage enables the iS105 to outperform other solutions while coming in at much lower price point," added Macleod.

The iS105 also features as standard many of the features
offered in iStor’s enterprise IP SAN solutions including:

• virtualisation of the storage pool for easy capacity and volume creation;
• battery backed cache for extra protection;
• 1GB cache for performance; and
• compatibility for Microsoft Server 2008, FinalCut Pro, AJA and VMware.

With its ability to support up to 1024 iSCSI addresses, the iS105 IP SAN also suits security and CCTV applications that leverage IP cameras. In addition, its high-performance capabilities support rich media applications such as Pre- and Post-editing and large CGI (computer generated images) workstations and applications.

Available today from resellers, the iS105 starts at £1,850 plus VAT for the base chassis and can be populated with any combination of 3.5” SATA hard drives.