NAS Device. In the race for Best NAS Device, Microsoft Windows Storage
Server 2003 R2, a NAS solution that shipped to Microsoft's OEM partners earlier
this year, emerged as the winner. This dedicated file and print server offers
several features that obviously appealed to our readers: iSCSI support, a Web-based
UI, multipath I/O support, and data recovery built on Microsoft Volume Shadow
Copy Service (VSS). Paul Thurrott wrote in "What You Need to Know About Microsoft's
Storage Product Plans" (April 2006, InstantDoc ID 49172): "Microsoft basically
took Windows 2003 R2 and removed some of the non-storage-related capabilities,
then optimized the system for file serving. The great thing: You can use tools
you already have to manage your Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 device."
See associated figure
SAN Array. Leaping into first place from last year's third-place win,
EMC's CLARiiON family of networked storage systems garners the Best SAN Array
award. Known for midrange storage, CLARiiON systems are geared for a range of
situations and budgets. Supporting SAN, NAS, and iSCSI connectivity, the CLARiiON
family of systems offers local, remote, synchronous, and asynchronous information
protection with the ability to manage, configure, and monitor your storage situation.
David Chernicoff noted in the Web-exclusive article "Storage Perspectives" (March
2006, InstantDoc ID 49590) how important the small-to-midsized business (SMB)
storage marketplace has become in the storage industry. He singled out EMC as
well as its CLARiiON AX series disk array, for giving SMB users "a mature storage
system on which to base their storage needs."
See associated figure
Quota Management Software. Two Microsoft products blew the competition
away to tie for the Best Quota Management Software award. Microsoft Windows
Server 2003 R2 and Windows Storage Server 2003 R2, a dedicated file server that's
part of Windows 2003, dovetail with each other to provide storage and storage
management. Storage Server R2's new features include file-server performance
optimization, Single Instance Storage (SIS), and index-based search. Windows-2003
R2's new features include improved file and print services that make storage
and backup more efficient, and enhanced quota management using directory quotas
to keep tabs on disk space and regulate its usage. Using these two products,
administrators can see how storage is being used and can manage usage by setting
quotas, screening files on the server, and scheduling and running reports.
Storage Management Software. For the second year, Raxco Software's PerfectDisk
for Exchange has earned the title Best Storage Management Software from our
readers. Storage management is a crucial area for Microsoft Exchange users and
administrators. PerfectDisk for Exchange was created to maximize Exchange's
performance by automatically consolidating server space. It defragments and
re-indexes Exchange data stores, recovering unused disk space and returning
it to the OS. Besides emphasizing the software's administrator friendly features
and easy-on-the budget price, Raxco describes PerfectDisk for Exchange as offering
"industrial-strength defragmentation" and says PerfectDisk for Exchange can
defragment a disk in one pass. Another feature of this solution is its automated
scheduling capabilities.
See associated figure
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