Close
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Cloud
    • Cloud
    • Storage

    3Par, OnStor Develop Unique Twist on SAN/NAS Services

    By
    Karen Schwartz
    -
    September 20, 2005
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      3Pardata Inc. and OnStor Inc. have joined forces to develop a different way of scaling SAN and NAS services that aims squarely at the techniques used by much larger rivals like Network Appliance Inc. and EMC Corp.

      The resulting solution, called UtiliCat, combines the storage area network-based utility storage solutions of 3Par, of Los Gatos, Calif., with Fremont, Calif.-based OnStors enterprise NAS Gateway solutions, resulting in a unified storage offering that provides both SAN and network-attached storage services. The product scales from 2.5 to 384 terabytes and from one to eight NAS gateways in one cluster, while SAN controllers scale from two to eight. Native SAN connectivity ranges from four to 128 Fibre Channel ports.

      UtiliCats architecture is a fundamentally different way of scaling SAN and NAS services that centralizes everything around one capacity pool, allowing organizations to get much more out of their existing resources, said Geoff Hough, 3Pars director of product marketing.

      /zimages/1/28571.gifClick here for a review of an OnStor device that consolidates storage.

      Unlike NetApps filer-centric solution, which requires organizations to purchase additional filers as needs grow, UtiliCat offers an industrial-strength capacity pool and industrial-strength NAS services, Hough said.

      “You grow those within the same system, adding things as you need them—capacity on the NAS or SAN side, or bandwidth on the NAS or SAN side,” he said. “But you stay within the same environment, and its all load balanced within that environment.”

      UtiliCat, which is targeted toward companies with high compute and data needs or those with unpredictable growth patterns, offers automated load balancing and provisioning of up to 400 virtual file systems.

      In addition to automated load balancing and provisioning, UtiliCats modular SAN/NAS product offers automatic capacity provisioning and thin provisioning, allowing organizations to present one storage image while only purchasing storage in accordance with written data. And because of the products unique architecture and the way it scales, UtiliCat can scale without disrupting ongoing operations, Hough said.

      Although the product has real benefits, 3Par and OnStor may find gaining market share an uphill battle against entrenched providers EMC and NetApp, said David Hill, a principal at Mesabi Group LLC of Westwood, Mass. Those companies will continue to get the bulk of the business, but UtiliCat may gain converts of those that have specific needs or need additional functionality, such as the ability to add capacity on a dynamic basis without having to forecast demand accurately, he said.

      “You can accomplish the same goal using products from NetApp or EMC, but this is a little easier and more flexible. It could be useful for customers that need a little extra ease or functionality in one area or another,” he said.

      Although UtiliCats approach is different and beneficial, 3Par and OnStor likely introduced the product as a purely competitive move, Hill said.

      “3Par needed a NAS partner and OnStor needed a SAN partner, and each has something to contribute. They wanted to get in the game, and coming up with something a little different and combining technologies was the easiest way of becoming a competitor in this market,” he said.

      /zimages/1/28571.gifCheck out eWEEK.coms for the latest news, reviews and analysis on enterprise and small business storage hardware and software.

      Karen Schwartz
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.
      Get the Free Newsletter!
      Subscribe to Daily Tech Insider for top news, trends & analysis
      This email address is invalid.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Latest News

      Zeus Kerravala on Networking: Multicloud, 5G, and...

      James Maguire - December 16, 2022 0
      I spoke with Zeus Kerravala, industry analyst at ZK Research, about the rapid changes in enterprise networking, as tech advances and digital transformation prompt...
      Read more
      Applications

      Datadog President Amit Agarwal on Trends in...

      James Maguire - November 11, 2022 0
      I spoke with Amit Agarwal, President of Datadog, about infrastructure observability, from current trends to key challenges to the future of this rapidly growing...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Applications

      Kyndryl’s Nicolas Sekkaki on Handling AI and...

      James Maguire - November 9, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nicolas Sekkaki, Group Practice Leader for Applications, Data and AI at Kyndryl, about how companies can boost both their AI and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      IGEL CEO Jed Ayres on Edge and...

      James Maguire - June 14, 2022 0
      I spoke with Jed Ayres, CEO of IGEL, about the endpoint sector, and an open source OS for the cloud; we also spoke about...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2022 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×