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Storage UPDATE, July 21, 2003

Storage UPDATE--July 21, 2003

This Issue Sponsored By

HP & Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/nas

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1. Commentary: Windows Storage Server 2003, Part 4

2. News and Views - IBM Ships Cisco IP Storage Solution

3. Announcements - Windows Scripting Solutions for the Systems Administrator - Take Our Brief Active Directory Survey!

4. Events - New--Mobile & Wireless Road Show!

5. Resources - Restoring Win2K to Different Hardware

6. New and Improved - Make Your Storage Environment Scalable - Create Full or Incremental Backups - Submit Top Product Ideas

7. Contact Us - See this section for a list of ways to contact us.

==== Sponsor: HP & Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show ==== Missed the Network Storage Solutions Road Show? If you couldn't make the HP & Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show, you missed Mark Smith talking about Windows-Powered NAS, file server consolidation, and more. The good news is that you can now view the Webcast event in its entirety at: http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/nas

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==== 1. Commentary: Windows Storage Server 2003, Part 4 ==== by Mark Smith, [email protected]

My previous three commentaries described the features, functionality, and common uses for Windows Storage Server 2003, Microsoft's optimized file server. Common uses I described included file serving, file server consolidation, Storage Area Network (SAN) integration, and backup and recovery. I want to explore a few more uses for Windows Storage Server and investigate its future and impact on the storage market.

This September, Microsoft's hardware partners will begin releasing Windows Storage Server-based Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices. One partner, Iomega, will introduce two models, 205 (160GB) and 305 (240GB), whose prices will start at less than $1000. Either Iomega model could serve as a small business server for a company with fewer than 10 employees and could incorporate today's most popular small business applications such as Intuit's QuickBooks Pro financial software and Microsoft Office 2003. The business could connect various desktops to the server through a Wi-Fi network and could sign with a reputable ISP that provides a T1 line for fixed-price phone services, high-speed Internet connections, and Web and email hosting services. This setup should cost well under $5000. And, because you can remotely manage Windows Storage Server across the Internet, a consultant could easily support this configuration for a small business that doesn't have on-staff IT personnel.

As I mentioned in my July 9 commentary, I believe that Windows Storage Server-based NAS devices will serve as front-end gateways to SANs. You can use Windows Storage Server's Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and Virtual Disk Service (VDS) features to control the underlying functionality of a SAN. DataCore's SANsymphony uses VSS and VDS to enable Windows Storage Server to invoke storage configuration, space allocation, and data replication services on a wide variety of SAN devices. Such capabilities let Windows systems administrators use an OS they understand instead of learning a new proprietary OS to run a SAN. If systems administrators can take advantage of SAN features (e.g., dynamic allocation of storage, LUN maintenance, hardware replication, snapshot management) from a Windows Storage Server-based NAS device, they're more likely to adopt the new NAS-and-SAN-fusion storage solutions.

According to IDC, Microsoft Windows Powered NAS (WPNAS) devices have garnered 41 percent of the market share for NAS units shipped. That figure is up 8 percent from the previous quarter If this trend continues, Windows Storage Server-based NAS devices will gain the majority market share in the next quarter. Four primary user decision factors are price, partner reputations, administrators' comfort with Windows Storage Server, and ease of use. If Windows administrators can buy a competitively priced NAS device from a major IT manufacturer (e.g., Dell, IBM, Iomega, Hewlett-Packard--HP) that uses a standard Windows Server OS (i.e., Windows Storage Server) and has a feature set that rivals its competitors, those Windows administrators will likely buy Windows Storage Server-based devices rather than proprietary OS devices. Microsoft's hardware partners will match prices with non-Windows–based NAS devices and win sales. In time, Windows Storage Server will be able to control most SAN functionality through VDS and VSS, making it easier for Windows administrators to take advantage of sophisticated storage features without having to learn a proprietary SAN OS. I plan to follow Windows Storage Server's progress to see whether it lives up to its potential impact on the storage market.

http://www.microsoft.com/storage

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==== 2. News and Views ==== by Keith Furman, [email protected]

IBM Ships Cisco IP Storage Solution

IBM announced that it's the first storage vendor to offer a new IP Storage Service Module from Cisco Systems. The company is now offering the Cisco MDS 9000 IP Storage Services Module, which is designed to simplify and lower the cost of expanding Storage Area Networks (SANs) to midrange and long distances. IBM already offers Cisco's MDS 9000 family of multilayer switches. The Cisco MDS 9000 IP Storage Services Module supports both Internet SCSI (iSCSI) and the emerging Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) protocol. Other companies are expected to offer the module shortly.

The ability to use either iSCSI or FCIP for storage connectivity within data centers or across local networks, metro networks, and WANs lets customers choose between the two competing IP Storage technologies. FCIP lets users expand existing Fibre Channel SANs to use the IP protocol. "By enabling customers to take advantage of both their existing Fibre Channel fabric and IP networking infrastructures, IBM and Cisco are helping customers drive down the cost of storage networking," said Luca Cafiero, senior vice president and general manager of the Switching, Voice, and Storage Technologies Group at Cisco.

http://www.cisco.com http://www.ibm.com http://www.storageadmin.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=39578

==== 3. Announcements ==== (from Windows & .NET Magazine and its partners)

Windows Scripting Solutions for the Systems Administrator You might not be a programmer, but that doesn't mean you can't learn to create and deploy timesaving, problem-solving scripts. Discover Windows Scripting Solutions, the monthly print publication that helps you tackle common problems and automate everyday tasks with simple tools, tricks, and scripts. Try a sample issue today at

http://www.winscriptingsolutions.com/rd.cfm?code=fsei263xup

Take Our Brief Active Directory Survey!

Windows & .NET Magazine would like to know how your organization uses Active Directory. Your feedback will be kept absolutely confidential, so take our brief survey today!

http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?SR9V871GEDPDXA8232G9XG8S

==== 4. Events ==== (brought to you by Windows & .NET Magazine)

New--Mobile & Wireless Road Show! Learn more about the wireless and mobility solutions that are available today! Register now for this free event! http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/wireless

==== 5. Resources ====

Restoring Win2K to Different Hardware Forum member Panic has tried to restore Windows 2000 to different hardware and gets a blue screen error after the Win2K logo screen appears. Panic believes the problem might be the IDE controller driver and wonders whether there's any way to replace the driver. To lend Panic a helping hand, visit: http://www.winnetmag.com/forums/rd.cfm?cid=46&tid=60896

==== 6. New and Improved ==== by Carolyn Mader, [email protected]

Make Your Storage Environment Scalable

Advanced Digital Information Corporation (ADIC) released Scalar i2000, its next-generation data center tape library that supports SCSI installations and Fibre Channel Storage Area Networks (SANs). Scalar i2000 features native partitioning of one library into multiple logical libraries, mixed media operation, native Fibre Channel connectivity, self-guided diagnostics, and policy-based alerts. Scalar i2000 also provides as many as 48 drives and as much as 670TB of storage capacity. Pricing starts at $83,000. Contact ADIC at 425-881-8004 or 800-336-1233. http://www.adic.com

Create Full or Incremental Backups

Host Interface released Double Image 5.0, backup and restore software that lets you use a Windows Explorer-type interface to create full or incremental backups. You can verify target files while you copy the data. The software also lets you restore entire backups, create unique restores, and access individual backed-up files. Double Image also lets you run multiple backups simultaneously. The software costs $59.95 and runs on Windows 2003/XP/2000/NT/Me/9x systems. Contact Host Interface at 425-746-4361 or [email protected].

http://www.hostinterface.com

Submit Top Product Ideas

Have you used a product that changed your IT experience by saving you time or easing your daily burden? Do you know of a terrific product that others should know about? Tell us! We want to write about the product in a future What's Hot column. Send your product suggestions to [email protected].

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==== 7. Contact Us ====

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Copyright 2003, Penton Media, Inc.

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