EMC is taking iSCSI support to its mid-range Clariion
storage devices to provide customers more choice and a lower cost
alternative to Fibre Channel
The new Clariion models AX100i, CX300i and CX500i are basically the same as
Fibre Channel boxes from the line, right down to the pricing, said Tom
Joyce, senior director of platforms marketing at EMC.
The key differentiator of the new machines is native iSCSI
or Internet Small Computer System Interface support, which allows data to be
transferred among devices.
Though generally believed to be inadequate to suit the needs of the largest
enterprises, iSCSI is praised for its ability to lower costs of networked
storage for small- and medium-sized businesses, or even departments in large
enterprises.
iSCSI offers a less expensive means of device connection compared to Fibre
Channel, which is an older protocol still preferred for larger installations of gear, because it connects to Ethernet ports that already exist on an IP network
and doesn’t require host bus adapters for the servers it connects to.
Joyce said customers may use iSCSI to attach servers to internal storage or
direct-attached storage (DAS)
the costs of the HBA and switch ports. Or, he said, SMBs may decide to set
up a new storage area network (SAN)
using iSCSI.
Less expensive storage connection is important for companies who need to add
devices while adhering to a constrained budget.
In EMC’s line of thinking, this largely applies to SMBs who incur revenues
between $10 million and $100 million per year, though it is not
inconceivable that billion-dollar businesses could use iSCSI in departments
or remote offices.
Enterprise Strategy Group analyst Tony Asaro said the new Clariions could
usher iSCSI SANs into the mainstream, noting that 42 percent of SMBs are
planning to implement iSCSI SANs by 2006.
Asaro believes schools, government and large organizations with remote
offices will be the sweet spot for iSCSI. Gartner and IDC also believe iSCSI
could grow at a compound annual growth rate of 150 percent to 250 percent
over the next few years.
iSCSI support is not new to EMC machines. The company had already offered
support for the standard on its Symmetrix DMX systems, Connectrix switches,
Celerra and NetWin systems. By adding iSCSI to its Clariion line, it is
rounding out support for the method. EMC rivals Network Appliance and IBM are also
staunch iSCSI supporters.
Priced at $6,200, the AX100i is available now, based on serial attached expected to be available in the second quarter while the CX500i costs $68,075 and is available now.
(SATA)
The CX300i and CX500i allow customers to
mix Fibre with parallel and SATA disks. The CX300i, starting at $25,650, is
