Features - Storage Innovations:

DYNAMIC NETWORK FACTORY ANNOUNCES 100TB LINUX-BASED NAS FAMILY

Dynamic Network Factory Inc announced the Linux-based StorBank family of Network-Attached Storage systems, with configurations starting under $1,200. RAID storage is supplied by affordable Serial ATA, Parallel ATA and high-performance Ultra320 SCSI or Fibre Channel drives, in systems that can scale up to 100TB or more.

The StorBank family is divided into two basic product lines. The flagship M-series features modular head units, which ensure tuned performance, scalability and can be designed for a variety of highly reliable, fault-tolerant configurations. The M1 is an entry-level 1U unit, while the M4 makes room for six bays of additional storage, be it SCSI for database use, or additional SATA for raw storage. Each module is matched with RAID subsystems that can meet a variety of storage needs, and the operating system is always offloaded onto a separate two-drive mirror for maximum performance and uptime. The non-modular product line offers affordable slim 1U to 3U integrated solutions in capacities up to 4TB.

The StorBank M4-SA16000F is a highlight of the StorBank product family, allowing hybrid subsystems to be incorporated under a single module. As a precursor to Dynamic Network Storage Factory's HSN (Hybrid Storage Network) technology, one can combine SCSI, Serial ATA and fibre subsystems under the M4 NAS module to serve composite storage needs. Consequently, it is no longer necessary to sacrifice database performance for raw throughput on large files, as each use can be assigned to an appropriate subsystem. A mixed network environment can also be accommodated, with pure SAN functionality operating side-by-side with NAS file sharing, or even iSCSI.

Core NAS engine hardware ranges from a highly affordable Pentium 4-base, to dual Xeon systems with up to 16GB of DDR memory. The StorBank NAS Linux-based operating system combines a range of functions into one easy to use package. Features include a journaling file system for faster recovery from system faults, and integrated snapshot technology that gives easy access to point-in-time images of volumes. The powerful, customized StorBank Linux kernel ensures superior NFS performance and integration, but also allows users to make shares available to Microsoft and Apple Macintosh client machines. Most importantly, the open nature of Linux ensures a high level of user control where others mask their product in obscurity.

StorBank products support a variety of RAID levels, including 0, 1, 0+1, 3, 5, 30, 50 and JBOD. Redundancy and hot-swap capabilities are also widely integrated in the product family. Drives are always removable, and many modular NAS engine systems contain at least two hot-swappable power supplies, hot-swappable cooling fans and sophisticated environmental controllers.

"Whether the goal is maximum performance, maximum storage capacity or even some of both, the StorBank family is sure to contain a suitable product that cuts no corners with reliability," said Mo Tahmasebi, president and CEO of Dynamic Network Factory.