ORLANDO -- Overland Storage today introduced its first storage array for small- to mid-size businesses (SMBs) and distributed enterprises that can serve up both file- and block-level data over a single controller.
The new SnapServer DX Series is both a network-attached storage (NAS) and iSCSI storage area network (SAN) array, that also uses a standards-based layer of abstraction it is calling
"Dynamic RAID, which combines RAID 5 and RAID 6 to create a single pool of capacity across the array. The pool of capacity, once allocated to an application server, can then grow on an as-needed basis, Geoff Barrall, CTO of Overland Storage, said at Computerworld's SNW conference here.
Overland Storage's new SnapServer DX1 NAS/iSCSI array
When files or blocks are deleted, the capacity is automatically returned to the pool of capacity.
The DX series includes two lines, the DX1 (1U high or 1.75-in) and the DX2 (2U high or 3.5-in) model.
Utilizing separate 1U-high expansion units, the SnapServer can grow to 288TB. The DX2 model clocks in at 350MB/sec, according to Barrall.
Overland rates the DX1 for up to 100 end-users and the DX2 for up to 500 end-users.
The new array line also allows storage administrators to mix and match drives. The array's virtualization feature allows admins to hot swap drives, which allows them to grow capacity without disrupting of services, Barrall said.
"You can choose any drive size to start knowing you can add any other drive capacities over time," Barrall said.
The arrays come with two gigabit Ethernet ports. Expansion cards allow it to grow to six ports.
The SnapServer DX series is available today.
A model DX1 with 2TB of capacity has a suggested retail price of $1,699. A model DX2 with 8TB sells for $4,499. A 36TB DX2 system retails for $7,199.
Lucas Mearian covers storage, disaster recovery and business continuity, financial services infrastructure and health care IT for Computerworld. Follow Lucas on Twitter at @lucasmearian , or subscribe to Lucas's RSS feed . His e-mail address is lmearian@computerworld.com .
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