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R E V I E W

First-Class NAS

August 21, 2003
By Steven Schuchart Jr.

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Executive Summary | Web Links

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	In this article
	Introduction
	Dell PowerVault 775N
	Excel Meridian Data NetStor MVD
	Hewlett-Packard HP StorageWorks NAS B3000
	First Intelligent Array POPnetserver 8000
	Procom Technology NetForce 1800
	Executive Summary \| Web Links
	How We Tested
	Report Card

Network-Attached Storage

So you don't need an all-out storage-area network, but your network has outgrown its capacity beyond simple, direct-attached storage. Network-attached storage devices fill the gap, providing reasonably priced storage with specialized operating systems that can manage data with a wide variety of protocols.

We tested five midpriced NAS devices for this review--Dell's PowerVault 775N, Excel Meridian Data's NetStor MVD, Procom NetForce 1800, Hewlett-Packard's StorageWorks NAS B3000 and First Intelligent Array's POPnetserver 8000--all of which range from about $15,000 to $30,000. They offer NFS (Network File System), Windows shares and HTTP shares, and usually can be configured in 15 minutes. Try that with your average SAN.

Our Editor's Choice, Dell's PowerVault 775N, is a well-customized unit that uses the Microsoft Windows Server Appliance Kit, has the best mix of features and performance, and is near the low end of the price range.

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