SDA India is an online resource for Software, Development,IT, Architecture, Open Source, Mobile, Security, Databases, Delphi, C, OS, Asp, .Net, Php, Xml, Java

Acting immediately on its recent EqualLogic acquisition, Dell announced a new line of EqualLogic iSCSI storage area network (SAN) arrays targeting larger companies that are implementing virtualization technologies to consolidate servers and data storage systems.

The Dell EqualLogic PS5000 Series of arrays includes controllers, disks, and chassis with 16-bay enclosures that are scalable to store up to 192TB of data and execute up to 60,000 transactions at once, said Brad Anderson, senior vice president of Dell's business product group, at an event.

The PS5000 lineup comes in three degrees of suffixation: PS5000E for entry level, using 1TB SATA drives for 16TB max capacity; PS5000X for mid-level, using 10k RPM SAS drives for 6.4TB max capacity; and PS5000XV for mid-upper-something or other, using speedier 15k RPM SAS drives for 4.8TB max capacity.

As with all EqualLogic products the boxes are combined into a virtualized pool and additional PS5000s can be added to a maximum of 192TB. There is built-in replication and integration with Microsoft's VSS for data protection. The replication is accompanied by snapshot capability and both are application-aware to the extent of being able to create consistent snapshots and replicas and restores for things like SQL Server and other mainstream Microsoft applications.

The PS5000 is positioned above Dell's entry-level iSCSI PowerVault MD3000i Series and Fibre Channel-based AX Series storage products, and below the high-end CX Series that incorporates both Fibre Channel and iSCSI technology.

Dell gets the AX and CX products through its partnership with EMC. Dell executives, facing questions about how the EqualLogic and EMC storage products will be positioned against each other, said the EMC systems are targeted toward customers who have standardized on Fibre Channel. "It's a very complementary product lineup," Anderson said.

Pricing for the storage devices begins at USD 19,000, which includes the management software, Dell said. They are available immediately through channel partners. The new arrays come just five days after Dell completed the USD 1.4 billion acquisition of network storage vendor EqualLogic.

The acquisition was part of Dell's new strategy to expand hardware and IT services to large enterprises and SMBs. EqualLogic has offered solid iSCSI arrays with virtualization management capabilities in the past and the new product is no different. With Dell, EqualLogic products will be largely distributed -- though it may take a few months until Dell's staff is fully trained to support the products.