EMC Takes Wraps Off New Clariion Storage Array

The new array also helps Dell Computer continue its aggressive push up into the midrange, thanks to that company's ever-cozier relationship with EMC.

The CX400, which follows EMC's CX600 release in August, should be good for anyone looking for a modular solution, said Mark Teter, director of enterprise storage solutions at Advanced Systems Group, a Denver-based solution provider.

Teter said he likes the CX400's upward and backward compatibility and scalability with the CX600. The CX400 can be configured for up to 4.3 Tbytes, compared with the CX600's 17.2 Tbytes. It offers two 800MHz Intel processors, up to 2 Gbytes of cache, up to 64 hosts per array and up to four host ports. A CX400 can be upgraded to a CX600, or a CX600 drive tray can be upgraded to become a CX400, said Joel Schwartz, senior vice president at EMC's Systems Division.

A key feature is the array's ability to work with the same management software as the CX600, as well as much of the software for EMC's high-end Symmetrix arrays, Schwartz said. The NaviSphere management application, which can be used to manage every Clariion array sold for the past 10 years, is included, he said.

Dell will use the CX400 and CX600 to continue its attack on HP and IBM in the enterprise, said Russell Bailey, manager of Dell/EMC product management at Dell. The CX400, with 180 Gbytes of raw capacity, installation, and three years of service and warranty, carries a list price of $60,000 from Dell and $66,000 from EMC.

Teter said Dell is a formidable competitor, especially in Windows environments where a customer, after working with a solution provider on the architecture, can then go online and order that vendor's arrays. "We're considering how much time we can spend with a customer in an all-Windows environment," he said.