A consolidated IP SAN data storage system with a capacity of 1TB using iSCSI technology and the V-Switch 3000 from international storage system specialist SANRAD, has been installed and commissioned by Square One Solutions Group in the first phase of a contract for Grinaker-LTA Process Engineering at its Sunninghill headquarters.
The system comprises four hosts connected via the SANRAD iSCSI V-Switch 3000 to 1TB of SATA/FC storage.
"Redundancy is obtained in the storage sub-system by using a RAID5 configuration and by running dual path FC links to the V-Switch," says Donovan Drew, Gauteng Sales Manager at Square One Solutions Group, a SANRAD value-added reseller.
"The second phase will enable Grinaker-LTA Process Engineering to add an iSCSI-based library to the IP SAN in order to achieve LAN-free backups that will not delay or impede computer system functionality to other users on the company's LAN."
Grinaker-LTA Process Engineering is now able to quickly and easily store complex CAD applications and engineering drawings in the SAN. The company's IT manager, Ian van der Merwe, says solution offerings from various mainstream storage system vendors were examined before the contract was finally awarded.
"Our choice was influenced by the fact that the SANRAD route offers a cost-effective solution that delivers all of the functionality that FC SANs provide."
According to Luca Ambrosi, Square One's national Practice Manager for Storage, iSCSI IP-based SAN storage solutions are making headway in the South African market with SANRAD V-Switches introducing all-in-one iSCSI storage networking for full availability and seamless management of stored information across standard Ethernet networks.
"With this technology, we are able to offer complete storage continuity solutions that are easy to deploy with excellent performance at much lower cost than traditional FC-based SAN systems.
"The iSCSI V-Switches combine a truly interoperable, multiple-port iSCSI gateway with comprehensive storage services for full block-based data access, network volume management, storage continuity and traffic optimisation. With these products we can deliver a new dimension in the availability of vital business information using iSCSI IP SANs," says Ambrosi.
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