[SUMMARY] A-1000/D-1000 Network Attached?

From: Manesh, Nasser (CAP, PTL) (Nasser.Manesh@penske.com)
Date: Thu Jun 29 2000 - 09:25:24 CDT


Thanks to John Malick, Nelson Caparroso, Mark LaCanne, Kevin Korb, Janis
Lykakis and Ravi Kuppanna for their responses.

A-1000/D-1000 are host-attached via a wide SCSI differential, not networked
attached. A-1000 uses hardware RAID, D-1000 uses software RAID through
Sun's DiskSuite or other software. Nelson suggested that I build my own NAS
device, which is a good suggestion, just I do not have the time (I have
included his email). And apparently a good place to look in for NAS
solution is NetworkAppliance (www.netapp.com). They are in this business
for some 6 years, building "filers" which are fileservers. Janis wrote some
info on NAS side, which I have included too.

==== Nelson:
why don't you just 'build' yourself a NAS device for less bucks? there was a
post a few days back about a fella contemplating on a SUN Fileserver and a
Netapps Filer (NAS device and a LINUX Fileserver as a NAS device). If I were
in his shoes I'll build myself a LINUX based NAS device - quad cpu
motherboard, dual or quad Pentium 866, Mylex RAID controller, SCSI
enclosures, redundant PS and GIGABIT ethernet = a screamer of a
fileserver/NAS device!

As you will find out, most NAS solutions are actually just strupped down
*NIX hosts with RAID and storage and fast networking. Even SUN's new NAS is
a scaled down Solaris box!

=== Janis:
Only one week ago, Sun introduced!! Network attached storage products
(in the Netherlands).
The first one is based on the 1000 raid5 system and will only hold 800GB
data. They will talk NFS and SMB(CIFS).

Their new t3 disk building blocks will we combined with the network
filer and will store about 10TB, but:
1) that will take a while.
2) Is isn't proven technology. Neither of the SUN NAS solutions is
proven technology. Sun started too late that they had to look into NAS.
They've been looking into SAN (Storage Area Network) for too long. That
technology was not ready in time because there were no FCAL switches.

We've been looking into new storage solutions and are probably
going to buy Netapp filers from Network appliance. They've had
network attached storage for more than 6 years now!! That IS proven
technology.
www.netapp.com

Their current biggest filer holds 1.3TB. A new softwarerelease which is
available NOW will bump it up to 2.3TB.
Late this year they'll release a new filer that will hold 8.3TB.

=== Original post:
I have never used Sun storage solutions, so I have a very basic question
that I could not (at least cleary) answer from Sun web pages. Are A-1000s
or D-1000s Networked Attached, or they should be connected to a host?

And let me put it this way: Any suggestions for Netswork Attached Storage
to be used on a Sun network? I have a case where I do not need a lot of
processing power, so I want to stick to Ultra10s and Ultra60s, but the
storage they offer is not enough and I need some extra storage.

Any suggestions appreciated, and I'll summerize. THANKS!

> Nasser K. Manesh
> UNIX System Administrator/Webmaster
> Penske Technology Services
> Email: nasser.manesh@penske.com
> Voice: (610) 796-6527
> Fax: (610) 796-4387
>
>

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