Dell Updates EqualLogic Storage

Dell launched a refresh of its virtualisation-aware EqualLogic storage systems on 22 August, and at the same time tightened integration with VMware’s latest hypervisor, vSphere 5, for cloud-system management.

In fact, Dell’s got some other news to come in the virtualisation realm, and it’s not all about storage. The company is expected to make a major announcement next week during VMworld around cloud services.

High-end system

Dell, which unveiled its high-end EqualLogic PS7500 network-attached storage system (NAS) last June and is now shipping it (pricing starts at $32,700 (£20,000)), has updated its lower-end SAN (storage area network) offerings with a pair of new systems for both its PS4000 and PS6000 lines.

The PS6100 series, which can store up to 72TB in one array and 1.2PB in a cluster, is designed for midrange businesses. Pricing starts at $30,700.

The PS4000, aimed at remote offices in large companies, and small and midsize businesses, can hold as much as 36TB in a single array of machines. Pricing for the PS4100, the new machine in the 4000 line announced on 22 August, starts at $9,500.

The launch marks Dell’s first use of higher-performance 2.5-inch drives in the EqualLogic product line, which, Dell Executive Director of Storage Travis Vigil told eWEEK, provides greater density that enables users to store more in less space.

Performance improvement

Additionally, customers can gain up to 60 percent performance improvement on typical workloads with the EqualLogic PS Series, compared with the previous-generation EqualLogic arrays, Vigil said, basing his statement on Dell’s internal metrics.

Vigil said that EqualLogic firmware version 5.1 now includes thin-provisioning awareness for VMware vSphere to help users save recovery time and help mitigate the risk of potential data loss. Dell is one of VMware’s largest global resellers.

Thin provisioning is a method of storage resource management and virtualisation that lets IT administrators limit the allocation of actual physical storage to what applications immediately need. It enables the automatic addition of capacity on demand up to preset limits so that IT departments can avoid buying and managing excessive amounts of disk storage.