DataCore plays SANmelody
Vendor aims storage network software at budget-sensitive SME market
Enterprise storage vendor DataCore Software has unveiled a low-cost storage network software product aimed at SMEs, and announced the signing of its first distributors.
The firm has claimed that its SANmelody software turns a standard Windows server into a disk server, creating what appears to users as direct-attached storage (Das) but is effectively a low-cost network-attached storage system.
"SANmelody is a new line that looks like Das and uses a standard server," Chris Lentz, DataCore's product manager for EMEA, told CRN.
"You don't need the skill set [for San support]. You have to configure the servers for accessing it over Ethernet, but beyond that there's no change and no disruption."
SANmelody uses the same I/O engine as DataCore's high-end SANsymphony.
It requires an Intel server running Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition with a network interface card and 512MB of available Ram.
According to DataCore, there is no restriction on supported disk drive types. So, for instance, low-cost serial ATA disks can be used in SANmelody servers, rather than more costly SCSI devices. Each server can deliver a total capacity of up to 500GB.
InTechnology has been named as UK distributor to supply both SANmelody software and packaged hardware.
Among the resellers appointed so far, SunGard subsidiary Kingswell, Kramer and Crew, S-Store and TriSys will support SANmelody for various market segments and hardware.
Rick Terry, managing director of Kingswell, said a key advantage of SANmelody for the budget-sensitive SME sector is its ability to divorce software from Raid arrays, so there is no need to throw the management software away when disks are replaced.
"It's quite a change in how users [manage] storage, and opens up a market sector that has not been available before. How big that market is we don't know yet," Terry said.
European DataCore OEMs supported by distributor Comprobo include NCE Computer Group, Transam Microsystems and Fortuna Power Systems.
The system will also be sold online, priced at $1,200, although this option will not be immediately available in the UK.