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#1
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$20,000 SAN budget - not sure which to choose.
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 |
#2
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$20,000 SAN budget - not sure which to choose.
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 if you have interest to learn, you can have a DIY IP SAN with http://iscsitarget.sourceforge.net/ which save your big $$$ and accomplish your task. see its mailing list archive on how people use it to save $. 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 |
#3
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$20,000 SAN budget - not sure which to choose.
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 Have you considered refurbished equipment?? You can get an enterprise solution for the price of some of these lower end solutions. Usually the refurb solution can come with warranty and support same as new. We have some EMC machines that could fit your budget. I would be happy to go over some options with you you can call me 781 982 9664 ask for Paul Leeber if nothing else I can educate you on some of the features you want to look for when you make your purchase. I am sure this SAN won't be your last so why spend alot an get stuck into one type of technology regards -- PAUL LEEBER |
#4
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$20,000 SAN budget - not sure which to choose.
Thanks. I do have an interest to learn but there is not enough time. My
employer wants a quote in a few days and I cannot take a risk with something I no so little about. I would appreciate hearing what others have purchased for this price. Ming wrote: 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 if you have interest to learn, you can have a DIY IP SAN with http://iscsitarget.sourceforge.net/ which save your big $$$ and accomplish your task. see its mailing list archive on how people use it to save $. 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 |
#5
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$20,000 SAN budget - not sure which to choose.
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 |
#6
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$20,000 SAN budget - not sure which to choose.
Ned wrote:
Thanks. I do have an interest to learn but there is not enough time. My employer wants a quote in a few days and I cannot take a risk with something I no so little about. I would appreciate hearing what others have purchased for this price. Well, NAS solutions, for one, since you have not specified any requirements that would preclude using them (save possibly the VMware images - and even they may be manageable if they can be packaged as files). It should be far easier to install and manage, and your budget limit makes it clear that it could easily scale to whatever sizes $20K of SAN would buy you. - bill |
#7
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$20,000 SAN budget - not sure which to choose.
On Jan 23, 2:22 am, Bill Todd wrote:
Ned wrote: Thanks. I do have an interest to learn but there is not enough time. My employer wants a quote in a few days and I cannot take a risk with something I no so little about. I would appreciate hearing what others have purchased for this price. Well, NAS solutions, for one, since you have not specified any requirements that would preclude using them (save possibly the VMware images - and even they may be manageable if they can be packaged as files). It should be far easier to install and manage, and your budget limit makes it clear that it could easily scale to whatever sizes $20K of SAN would buy you. - bill I agree with Bill, Not because I work for a NAS company (we don't have anything at all for this price) but because he is right. None of the requirements you name require the performance profile of a SAN so you don't need the complexity and cost of management over time that owning a SAN entails. A NAS system will perform just fine for the applications mentioned and be a whole lot cheaper to buy and manage than an equivelently sized SAN. I also agree with the contributor who said don't let yourself be crowded into making a descision. It is you who will ultimately take the blame if the kit does not fit your requirement. Roland |
#8
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$20,000 SAN budget - not sure which to choose.
Thanks for your responses. I realize I did not give much detail about
my environment so I am posting some more information. From what I have read it seems as though a NAS may work just fine. If so, what would you recommend? Also, I keep hearing about the complexity of SANS, I currently manage everything on my network, is SAN very difficult? thanks in advance. NH We are a school district comprised of 8 buildings connected over a point to point GigE network (Full GigE from each school to the hub school). Total number of students is about 5,000. Total staff is about 600. Total number of severs is 25. We have GigE connectivity down to the desktop. We are running Exch. 2003, Oracle, SQL, SMS 2003, Epolicy Orchestrator, and several sever based applications for student, library, and transportation. All buildings have an existing SM and MM fiber optic infrastructure with plenty of extra pairs of SM & MM in each closet. Goals: Move file storage from distributed servers to a single location at the hub school. Remove tape as primary backup and use backup 2 disk over high speed connection (FC?) to a VTL located in the far end of the hub building. Archive to tape. Begin moving some servers to Vmware with a design that allows failover in the event of a server problem. Accomodate future projects such as streaming video, electronic document management, and anything else that might come along. On Jan 30, 6:44 am, wrote: On Jan 23, 2:22 am, Bill Todd wrote: Ned wrote: Thanks. I do have an interest to learn but there is not enough time. My employer wants a quote in a few days and I cannot take a risk with something I no so little about. I would appreciate hearing what others have purchased for this price. Well, NAS solutions, for one, since you have not specified any requirements that would preclude using them (save possibly the VMware images - and even they may be manageable if they can be packaged as files). It should be far easier to install and manage, and your budget limit makes it clear that it could easily scale to whatever sizes $20K of SAN would buy you. - bill I agree with Bill, Not because I work for a NAS company (we don't have anything at all for this price) but because he is right. None of the requirements you name require the performance profile of a SAN so you don't need the complexity and cost of management over time that owning a SAN entails. A NAS system will perform just fine for the applications mentioned and be a whole lot cheaper to buy and manage than an equivelently sized SAN. I also agree with the contributor who said don't let yourself be crowded into making a descision. It is you who will ultimately take the blame if the kit does not fit your requirement. Roland |
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