Storage Switzerland is attending Storage Networking World (SNW) again this fall and as in shows past we will be providing quick notes on our conversations throughout the show.

Most of the emphasis in the SMB/SME space where Overland’s SnapServer lives, is on price and capacity. But as storage systems get larger and start supporting real consolidation management becomes an issue. Overland’s research showed that users wanted a system that they could set up and run without a training class. Even for those with expertise, administrators wear so many hats in these smaller companies they don’t have the time to perform traditional storage provisioning tasks. In that regard, it’s appropriate that Overland calls this “the storage system you don’t have to provision”.

The SnapServer DX is a full service storage system comprised of 1U or 2U array modules with up to 12 SAS/SATA drives (600GB) in each chassis, giving it a clustered capacity of 96 drives in 8 chassis (288TB total). Network connectivity is provided by two GbE ports (up to 6GbE ports per cluster), or an optional 10GbE port. The system supports file services with a variety of protocols, including CIFS, NFS, Apple AFP and FTP/HTTP on Windows, Linux, Mac and VMware. It also provides iSCSI block storage for database and server virtualization environments.

The SnapServer DX supports standard RAID levels, plus something they call “Dynamic RAID” which removes physical links between storage volumes and specific disk drives. Essentially a storage virtualization layer, it takes the provisioning decisions out of IT administrators, and allows for on-the-fly drive addition and replacement, as well as dynamic volume growth. This means administrators or users can simply create storage pools, size them as required and add physical capacity at any time. In addition, it supports snapshots and replication to another SnapServer for offsite backup or DR.

Storage Swiss Take

There certainly are no shortage of storage systems, especially in this end of the market. But Overland’s new NAS offering has a couple significant things going for it. It’s the right box operationally for the SMB/SME space. It provides block and file services, plus snapshots, replication and the kind of automated storage management that the IT people in these companies need. It’s extremely cost-competitive, with a price ~$200 per TB. It also scales as the SMB grows. Finally, an important feature that comes with these products is the service of a VAR or integrator since Overland doesn’t sell the DX arrays direct. This is a big benefit for users in this space who are typically short on technical resources and rely on the reseller channel to provide advice, solutions and service.