MS adds iSCSI support to Exchange 2003

Users now able to configure systems incorporating iSCSI and NAS storage hardware

Microsoft has added additional storage support to Exchange Server 2003 to allow customers to configure systems incorporating iSCSI and NAS storage hardware.

With iSCSI support in Exchange 2003, customers are able to use the growing number of products that conform to the storage protocol, designed to transport block-level storage traffic over IP networks, Microsoft said.

The firm added that the additional support will enable customers to deploy and maintain Exchange 2003 database files on NAS devices, providing opportunities for storage consolidation.

"Exchange Server customers have been asking us for the ability to use iSCSI and NAS storage devices in an Exchange environment," said Kevin McCuistion, director of Exchange marketing at Microsoft.

"These new storage products for Exchange 2003 bring exciting benefits to our customers and are especially valuable in small-business and remote-office scenarios."

Bill North, research director for storage software research at IDC, said the sale of storage software accelerated in the fourth quarter of 2003.

"The storage resource management market benefited from the wider adoption of more integrated software to manage complex networked storage environments, while the backup and replication markets were propelled by increased storage hardware spending and disaster recovery and regulatory compliance initiatives," he said.