NEC Debuts DR for Virtualized Servers

NEC introduced June 16 a new storage area network disaster recovery package it calls “system continuity” software designed specifically for virtualized systems.
ExpressCluster can run on Microsoft Windows or Linux operating systems and in virtualized, physical or mixed virtual/physical x86 server platforms, George Wu, NEC director of software business, told eWEEK.
For SAN, LAN and WAN environments, ExpressCluster features: automatic system recovery; real-time data protection; unified management of all protected applications and data stores; standard operating system and application support; low-bandwidth network; and active/active configuration support, Wu said.
ExpressCluster supports all the leading hypervisor virtualization platforms, including Microsoft Hyper-V, Xen Hypervisor and VMware ESX, Wu said. It features enhanced data protection with a hybrid disk resource option providing local high availability and remote disaster recovery within a single solution, Wu said.
The new SAN supports Microsoft Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008 and Exchange 2007, Wu said.
“The x86 server world is being transformed by the rapid adoption of virtualization technology, and high-availability software offerings must now address the need to protect customers’ applications whether they are running on physical servers or on virtual servers,” said Jean S. Bozman, an IDC analyst.
“This means that high-availability software solutions need to be able to reach across physical and virtual server deployments and to work well with replication products that protect data across locations and geographies, in order to ensure a comprehensive solution that supports HA for server workloads-and business continuity for the enterprise.”
ExpressCluster SAN for hypervisor is priced starting at $1,995 per physical hypervisor host server. It is sold exclusively through VARS and other channel partners.