Buffalo Technology Offers Easy-to-Expand iSCSI to the Channel - The World of SAN:
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One
element that helps to make the device unique is the integrated SAN
support. Unlike NAS devices, which act much like a file server. The
TeraStation Pro II iSCSI provides access directly to storage via an
iSCSI connection, using SCSI commands transmitted over the network.
Devices that access the unit will need to be integrated using the iSCSI
protocol, or will have to connect to the storage provided by an
intermediary device, such as a FileServer or SAN management appliance.
The SAN concept offers many advantages over NAS. First off, SAN is more
tightly integrated into a server-based network, taking advantage of all
of the storage management capabilities offered by a modern Server OS
and benefiting from the integrated security schemas offered by that OS.
What’s more, SAN communicates data in blocks, which is much more
efficient than a NAS system that forces client systems to access data
files, instead of elemental storage blocks.
Initial
purchasers have some choice on what configuration to go with; those
looking for maximum value can choose a 1 Terabyte unit that retails for
around $1,000, while others seeking the maximum amount of storage can
go for broke with the 4 Terabyte unit which retails for around $2,400.
Of course, the 1 terabyte unit can be expanded by installing larger
disks, while the 4 terabyte unit is pretty much as large as the unit is
going to get with current drive technology. The unit is also available
as a 1U rack mount device, making it a good fit for a data center.
A
major advantage offered by the SAN capabilities of the TeraStation Pro
II iSCSI device comes in the form of additional expansion. To increase
storage available to the network, new devices can be added and then
incorporated into a single storage array. That allows administrators to
increase capacity by simply adding additional units and incorporating
those units into an existing SAN storage array.
For
solution providers, the TeraStation Pro II iSCSI storage solution
proves to be the quickest and easiest path to introduce SAN into a
small network without incurring any price penalties and capacity dead
ends. What’s more, SAN helps to create a whole world of storage
opportunities for the savvy solution provider, ranging from enhanced
business continuity to storage virtualization technologies and, better
yet, helps the solution provider to move away from commodity NAS
products into a realm where add-on services and expansion opportunities
abound.
