EqualLogic to Add Thin Provisioning

NASHUA, N.H. -- EqualLogic, a leading provider of enterprise-class iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions, today expanded the portfolio of software features included in its PS Series storage arrays. A key new feature, thin provisioning, extends the value of the EqualLogic peer storage architecture by improving utilization and scalability while helping IT organizations reduce their total storage costs, according to leading IT analysts.

Thin provisioning is a method of storage resource management and virtualization that lets IT administrators limit the allocation of actual physical storage to what applications immediately need. It enables the automatic addition of capacity on demand up to pre-set limits, so that IT departments can avoid buying and managing excessive amounts of disk storage.

“Insatiable storage growth, coupled with staff shortages and budget constraints, make thin provisioning a strategically important feature, which is currently offered by only a handful of vendors,” said Stan Zaffos, research vice president at Gartner. “Thin provisioning’s profound benefits for IT organizations include improved staff productivity, higher end-user satisfaction rates, increased storage utilization, more accurate capacity forecasts, and smaller environmental footprints – all of which mean reduced costs. For this reason, Gartner recommends including at least one storage system that offers thin provisioning on any shortlist.”[1]

Thin provisioning extends EqualLogic’s existing peer provisioning features that automate the key functions needed to configure, manage and scale storage by further cutting administration times for volume and capacity growth. This makes the buy-as-you-grow storage model of the modular PS Series more seamless for servers and applications. EqualLogic’s thin provisioning capability provides extensive flexibility and user safety controls. These include the ability to turn thin provisioning on and off as needed for any volume.2 This allows users to affordably test the most suitable applications and volumes for thin provisioning, with the knowledge that they can return to “normal” provisioning online. The PS Series includes proactive, user-defined threshold alarms and controls on automatic space allocation that minimize the possibility of a “run” on storage that could fill capacity of a thinly provisioned SAN.

“EqualLogic’s continued inclusion of simplified software features puts more control in my hands and makes running the firm’s IT operations much easier,” said Alan Hunt, operations manager at law firm Dickinson Wright. “EqualLogic has taken their time to build thin provisioning right, with useful controls and safety measures that make administrators like me more at ease with the technology. Thin provisioning is particularly useful for me, because it allows me to auto-grow my Windows boot volumes when booting-from-SAN, without any disruption to the servers or applications.”EqualLogic Inc.