Dell To Enter Enterprise Storage Space
This is from the InformationWeek Daily 8/27/99 e-mail newsletter; I have not seen it at their Website as of this a.m.
Steve
-TOP STORIES-
- Dell To Enter Enterprise Storage Space
Dell Computer Corp. revealed yesterday that it's poised to
enter the enterprise storage space. Though it won't butt
heads with EMC, HDS, and IBM when it comes to enterprise
storage involving mainframe data, it will soon offer a
storage system for Windows NT and Unix comparable to that of
any other vendor. Dell's presence in the market will likely
bring enterprise storage prices down to commodity levels.
Dell is readying a storage area network (SAN) solution that
can scale up to 16 terabytes of capacity, according to
Michael Lambert, Dell's senior VP of enterprise systems.
Before this, Dell's high-end storage capacity was 4
terabytes.
The new architecture includes four 4-terabyte storage
systems attached via multiple fibre-channel switches to as
many as 20 NT servers, which initially will come either from
Dell or Compaq. Dell will sell a fully loaded PowerVault SAN
for less than $1.3 million, as much as 20% lower than the
cost of competing enterprise storage systems. The PowerVault
SAN with NT servers will eventually support data from Sun
Solaris servers and, later, other versions of Unix.
According to Lambert, Dell has had the network storage
capability for a while, but wanted to make sure such high-
end storage systems would fit its direct-sales model. After
testing the four-server, 4-terabyte PowerVault solution with
hundreds of customers, Lambert says the company is ready to
make it generally available. "We made sure we didn't jump
into the deep side of the pool and drown," he says. "Now the
biggest thing we need is the software to understand it all."
Dell will count on software partners for SAN management and
other advanced storage features such as remote mirroring,
says Lambert. - Martin J. Garvey
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