Compaq Update
CPQ to go after storage area networks
nwfusion.com
<<However, Compaq, like the other vendors in the storage space, is still several years away from developing the products necessary to build a true SAN, an analyst said.
"SAN is a marketing promise," said Jonathan Eunice, an analyst at Illuminata Inc., of Nashua, New Hampshire, adding that most users aren't ready for SANs yet because implementing them will require a very different way of managing and conceiving storage.
What is available now is linking of storage units to servers with Fibre Channel, he said. But tying one or two servers to a storage disk unit falls short of the SAN promise. In a genuine SAN, "you'll get to the storage without thinking about the server that's between you and the storage," Eunice said. A real SAN would involve networking equipment like switches and hubs to make disk units independent from any server, he said.
"We're still very much in the early days," Eunice said. "You need to break that link between the storage and the servers."
Compaq also plans to take advantage of Digital's expertise on services, offering advise to customers on how to plan, implement and operate their storage systems, said Compaq's Schultz. Compaq is even considering providing outsourcing services, he said.
Compaq will be successful in integrating its storage products with Digital's if it embraces and respects the expertise of the StorageWorks division, which was one of Digital's "gems," Eunice said.>>
|
