Pogo Linux StorageDirector Z Integrates NexentaStor 2.0

Pogo Linux, Inc. announced the availability of the StorageDirector Z250, Z350 and Z450, the newest storage appliances in Pogo’s managed-storage product line.

     
Storage Director Z450

These new systems launch with two major improvements over past offerings – support for Intel’s Xeon 5500 series processors, and an upgrade to the newly released NexentaStor 2.0. The price holds firm, staying under $10,000 for 22TB (terabytes) of managed storage and expansion possibilities to over 100TB. Building on the success of the original StorageDirector product line – marrying the hardware storage expertise of Pogo Linux to the NexentaStor ZFS-based unified storage appliance software – the StorageDirector Z continues to lead the pack as the storage solution for customers who want enterprise features at a greatly-reduced price. With the addition of NexentaStor 2.0 and Intel’s Xeon 5500 series processors, the StorageDirector offers increased performance and supports new features such as active/active high-availability clustering.

With the inclusion of the ZFS-based NexentaStor 2.0 from Nexenta Systems, Inc. into the latest StorageDirector products, customers now have access to a rare feature in a commodity storage solution – true active/active failover between system pairs. This feature, until now only available in solutions which cost at least 5x as much, provides a level of uptime and reliablity previously unavailable at this price point. NexentaStor 2.0 also includes many feature updates, useability upgrades, and increased support for iSCSI management and Windows backups.

Under the hood, the StorageDirector Z series has been upgraded to the new Intel Xeon 5500 series processors and chipset. The 5500 series is a major step forward by Intel, featuring a new memory configuration using DDR3 memory and the Quickpath Interconnect. DDR3 memory allows for increased bandwidth and lower latency. This, combined with the point-to-point connections of the Quickpath Interconnect, translates into faster and more efficient communication between processors and memory. In addition to being a faster architecture, the Intel Xeon 5500 series also offers increased power savings. Compared to previous generations, the new architecture provides a big improvement in performance per watt.

The StorageDirector now includes the option of Nexenta’s gold-level support package. Gold support includes an extra level of personalized service, with 24/7/365 phone help from a Nexenta support engineer, in addition to standard email support. Additional hardware support options are also available, including on-site support and 24/7/365 service. Gold-level support, and the optional initial configuration assistance option, provides users with the support they need to get up and running – and stay that way.

"With the increased performance the new Intel platform provides, and the update to NexentaStor 2.0, the StorageDirector Z series is the perfect option for customers looking to free themselves from expensive proprietary storage solutions," said Erik Logan, President of Pogo Linux. "With features like active/active failover, faster performance and improved support options, the StorageDirector provides the features customers want at a price they are very comfortable with."

The StorageDirector Z250, Z350 and Z450 have a raw capacity of up to 10TB, 14TB or 22TB of data, respectively. In addition, SAS expansion disk enclosures can be added, enabling a single system to easily grow to well over a 100TB. With the use of additional iSCSI targets and build-in initiator, there are no limits to the size of the name space that can be created. Prices for the systems start at around $7,000 for a 10TB Z250, $8,500 for a 14TB Z350 and $10,000 for a 22TB Z450 (raw storage).

"The release of the StorageDirector series based on the Intel Xeon 5500 series of processors is a clear demonstration of the benefits of OpenStorage with NexentaStor 2.0. Unlike legacy storage customers, users of the StorageDirector from PogoLinux can experience today’s high performance hardware and are not at risk of continuously falling behind the relentless march of Moore’s Law," said Evan Powell, CEO of Nexenta Systems.