Fresh off a multi-billion-dollar reselling and co-branding
with storage giant EMC Corp.,
Dell Computer Corp.Monday unveiled three new network-attached storage (NAS) servers.
Released under the company’s PowerVault line are the 755N, 750N and 715N storage
servers, all of which are based on Microsoft Corp.’sWindows 2000 Advanced Server operating system. And Dell
recognizes the importance of hassle-free installation, as the NAS servers can be set up in less than 15 minutes with no network
downtime.
NAS storage is hard disk storage that is set up with its own network address rather than being attached to the department computer
that is serving applications to a network’s workstation users. By keeping this functionality separate from the department server,
programming and files can be served faster because they are not competing for the same processors.
These particular PowerVault servers were made to grant file sharing between Microsoft Windows, Novell NetWare, UNIX, Linux and Apple
Macintosh operating systems. They also come equipped with include Dell’s ActiveArchives technology, which creates and preserves
snapshots of stored data to fight data loss from network outages. To make them even more appealing to the enterprise, the servers
feature Local Area Network-free backup software. This paves the way for data backups to occur directly to locally attached
PowerVault tape systems.
The higher-end PowerVault 750N and 755N models were created to serve departments and workgroups within large enterprises, and can
scale up to over 7TB to meet increasing data demands. They come with integrated features, including a resource management utility
designed to better manage data, a full suite of interoperable anti-virus applications and a Fibre Channel tape backup solution for
data management within enterprise SAN environments. 750N and 755N are available immediately, with prices starting at at $8,700.
The PowerVault 715N targets the smaller end of the data spectrum. As a kind of “mini-me” of NAS servers, it is extremely compact and
is designed to fit in a standard server rack or on a tabletop. Designed with small businesses in mind, it scales to 400GB, the
product is targeted at small businesses or remote offices. The 715N will begin shipping this month, starting at $1,999.
In related Dell NAS news, Dell Monday pledged to resell EMC’s IP4700 enterprise-class NAS as part of their strategic agreement. The
product will be branded as the Dell/EMC IP4700.