On 20 Jan 2007 04:48:19 -0800, "Ned" wrote:

What's the best SAN solution I can get for $20K?
Planned uses include storage for student data (we are a school
district)
VMware server virtualization (store virtual machines here for failover)
Email Archiving
Possible Electronic document storage

I realize my knowledge is limited and that I am over simplifying this
but I would appreciate hearing opinions from others:

I received the following quotes from Dell & EMC:

Dell -EMC AX150i
Uses only SATA II drives (up to 12)
Interface: iSCSI or FC Dual storage processors
Scalability: Single enclosure only (does not scale)
Price: $13,000 with (3) 500GB SATA drives
Total cost: $13,000
Pros: Cheaper iSCSI interface no expensive FC hardware needed
Cons: SATA drives (not as reliable as SCSI) slower 1GB iSCSI connection


Gateway Computer - Xyratex E5402E AKA Gateway E-842R
Uses up to 146GB SAS 15K RPM drives and/or SATA II drives (up to 12)
Interface: Dual 4GB FC interfaces (no iSCSI support)
Scalability: Can be daisy chained with multiple enclosures
Price: $13,000 with (9) 146GB 15K SAS drives and (3) 500GB SATA II
drives
Additional Cost: $3,600 for Brocade Fabric switch (will need 2 of these
for redundancy)
Additianal Cost: FC HBA's $2,000
Total Cost: $19,000
Pros:Mature FC technology, can mix fast reliable SAS with cheap high
capacity SATA II drives
Cons:Cost, possible learning curve with FC

Thank You
Ned


I can't say I'd recommend either of those, though I can at least
confirm that the Brocade switch cost seems appropriate. The HBA's
seem a little high, I would expect them to be about US$1200.

You did not mention performance requirements, if any. Backups.
Multi-host access. etc. So it may be hard for people to give you
recommendations or even comment on the list you provided.

Personally, I'd stay away from EMC. Most of their products, imo,
suck. The exception is the DMX line, which is rock solid and fast,
but still EMC. I just hate those guys so take my opinion for what it
is, opinion (but with experience).

I would HIGHLY recommend staying away from purchasing something like
this on a timeline. If the employer is so darned fired up about
timeline they should have started earlier. It would be well worth it
in the long run to spend time on the initial details and planning. If
not, you will spend alot more money later on.

My personal preferences for storage in this line are Nexsan and STK
(engenio rebrand I believe). Good, solid stuff with decent support
and low cost in their class. The STK line is fairly high performance
so it might be overkill. The Nexsan is very cost effective in my
experience and works fine.

~F