Windows IT Pro Storage UPDATE--Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003--January 8, 2007

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Backup and Recovery Survival Guide
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==== 1. Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 ====
by David Chernicoff, [email protected]

At the end of 2006, Microsoft formally released the first version of its future storage platform, Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 (WUDSS). With the product's purpose to provide a single storage platform suitable for SAN, NAS, NFS, and traditional Server Message Block (SMB) storage, WUDSS is designed to provide an easy-to-implement storage solution that will be delivered as an OEM package to users.

WUDSS builds on the existing technologies available in Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 (which currently remains available as an OEM product) but adds functionality and improves the usability of the product. With WUDSS, users will first notice what Microsoft calls Out-of-Box Experience. This is basically a task screen that links administrators with the tools to walk through all the necessary steps to get the Storage Server up and running. For those that have labored through configuring NFS on Windows, the new interface will come as a pleasant surprise--simplifying what has often been an onerous task.

To view the rest of this article, click here:
http://www.windowsitpro.com/articles/index.cfm?articleid=94794

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==== News from the Industry ====
by Blake Eno, [email protected]

1TB Hard Drives Shake Up Storage Industry

As the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) gets underway today, it's hard not to think about the storage technologies being showcased and the technology to come see in the future. There has been a lot of talk around 1TB hard drives and it looks like Hitachi Global Storage Technologies will be the first. The company plans to ship its first 1TB drive, the Deskstar 7K1000, at a suggested retail price of $399 in first quarter 2007. This hard drive will be showcased at CES this week. Seagate Technology also plans to release a 1TB hard drive in the first half of 2007.

There's no doubt that the emergence of 1TB drives will shake up the storage industry. But for you right now and the rest of the year, how important are 1TB drives? Or, are there other storage technologies down the road that you look forward to? To share your thoughts with me and others, go to
http://forums.windowsitpro.com/web/forum/messageview.aspx?catid=46&threadid=83383&enterthread=y

==== New and Improved ====
by Blake Eno, [email protected]

SAN Connectivity Kits

QLogic announced a new family of SAN Connectivity Kits for the EMC CLARiiON AX150 networked-storage system, which makes it easier for small-to-midsized businesses (SMBs) to buy, install, and manage SANs. The kit includes a 4GBps QLogic SANbox 1404 Fibre Channel switch, two or four 4GBps Fibre Channel SANblade HBAs, software, cables, and connectors. EMC CLARiiON AX150 can support up to 10 host servers and scales from 750GB to 6TB of capacity. For more information, contact QLogic at 800-662-4471 or EMC at 508-435-1000 or visit them on the Web at:
http://www.emc.com
http://www.qlogic.com

CDP for 64-bit Applications

TimeSpring Software announced TimeData continuous data protection (CDP) software for 64-bit applications running on the Windows platform, which includes Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange Server, and Windows SharePoint Services. TimeData continuously automatically captures all data as it changes in real-time to an onsite or offsite repository and provides the ability to recover any or all lost, corrupt, or deleted documents. TimeData CDP software is immediately available for SQL Server and NTFS. SharePoint and Exchange support are expected to be available first quarter 2007. For more information, contact TimeSpring Software 408-834-8966, 888-375-7634, or visit them on the Web at:
http://www.timespring.com

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==== Windowsitpro.com Resources ====

For more Storage-related resources, visit
http://www.windowsitpro.com/go/storageresources

Events and Resources

Are you an Oracle professional who has cross-platform responsibilities, or do you need to transfer your skill set to SQL Server? If so, register for free to attend the Cross Platform Data online event January 30-31 and February 1, 2007. In a seminar featuring SQL Server/Oracle experts Andrew Sisson from Scalability Experts and Douglas McDowell from Solid Quality Learning, you'll learn key concepts about SQL Server 2005, including how to deploy SQL Server's BI capabilities on Oracle, proof points demonstrating that SQL Server is enterprise-ready, and how to successfully deploy Oracle on the Windows platform.
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