Close, but no cigar
A while ago I lamented that Sun's low end storage offerings were somewhat lacking. Well, today Sun announced the StorageTek 2500 Array, which looks like it might be a great product. But it's still a way-too-expensive overkill for entry level needs. (In fact, it looks very much like the big brother of what I envisioned in my original posting.)
Sun, please release two truly entry-level, inexpensive, 1U high JBOD storage array: one using SAS disks, and the other using SATA (by inexpensive, I mean costing less than the entry-level servers one would connect the arrays to!). I'm talking about the modern day equivelent of the Netra D130 storage array: just a metal box, a power supply or two (hot swappable preferably), and any necessary relatively dumb interface electronics. No cache, no hardware RAID.
I think the combination of an entry-level server using ZFS on Solaris 10, plus one (or more) of these arrays would be a competition killer.
posted by Rich Teer @ 15:11
4 comments
4 Comments:
I'm completely agree. Why can't they just make something simpler like Dell MD1000 or Sanbloc-50. Anyway, ZFS do a good job in RAID, I don't need anymore hardware RAID. And furthermore, SAS backplane suppose to be compatible with SATA. Why can't they make their enclosure can take both SATA and SAS.
I totally agree with Rich on this. Sun servers especially the x86 line are priced very attractive. Yet you bleed to death buying an array like the 6120. The new boxes like 2530 (SAS connect) are still more expensive than most workgroup servers.
I think that you might be able buy the expansion trays as a JBOD it might lower the price point a bit - two examples follow:
XTA2501R01A1F1500 US-LIST $8,940.00 Sun StorageTek(TM) 2501 SAS Expansion Array, Rack-Ready Expansion Tray, 1500GB, 5 * 300GB 15Krpm SAS drives, 1 SAS I/O Module, 2 * redundant AC power supplies and 2 * redundant cooling fans; Includes 1 * 1m SAS host cable
XTA2501R01A2D365 US-LIST $5,415.00 Sun StorageTek(TM) 2501 SAS Expansion Array, Rack-Ready Expansion Tray, 365GB, 5 * 73GB 15Krpm SAS drives, 2 SAS I/O Modules, 2 * redundant AC power supplies and 2 * redundant cooling fans; Includes 2 * 1m SAS host cables
As Rich indicated once Sun lowers the price of the storage expansion chasis to less than the server systems themselves (i.e. a fully loaded Sun Fire X2200 M2 Server 4GB RAM 2x2220 dual core Opterons at US-LIST $4,379) so if we can get a SAS JBOD from Sun at about $4K we might see great things - like maybe ZFS really taking off.
Seconded.
I've been hoping for something like the 2500 but, as you say, without the RAID and preferably SATA. SAS is super, but super expensive and for "workgroup storage", sort of a weird choice.
I feel the same way about the X4x00 series, though, so maybe I am just a crazy person.
Absolutely agree on this. Sun needs a entry lvl storage sollution. At the moment it seems that even apple has a better sollution with there XServe RAID.
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