Review: HP Makes SMB Storage An All-In-One Affair

That's why the HP StorageWorks All-in-One Storage Systems, intended for SMBs and branch offices, are designed for easy deployment and management. They make it easy for solution providers to get into disk-based network storage without having much storage expertise.

Solution providers say HP's product line provides a strong, responsive storage offering that's backed by HP reliability, "a true Fortune 100 solution offered to the small business," in one partner's words.

Once the All-in-One Storage System is installed, end users can manage and protect their data without having to pay much attention to the equipment. The appliances provide shared storage for application servers via iSCSI SAN, file serving for end users via NAS and data backup and protection functionality. Data protection functionality includes disk-based snapshots and integrated data protection software.

Two models of the All-in-One Storage System are available: the entry-level AiO400 and the more advanced AiO600.

Both run Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 Standard Edition and offer CIFS and NFS file serving support. They have an iSCSI interface for easy integration with existing TCP/IP networks. They feature integrated HP Data Protector Express tape backup software and a SCSI host-bus adapter for connection to tape drives. Data also can be replicated to another system via Microsoft DFS-Replication, which allows for enhanced recovery.

Also, both models feature a DVD recorder drive for installing software and transferring data to optical media. Any software that can run on Windows Storage Server 2003 R2, including antivirus, backup and security tools, can be installed.

The entry-level AiO400 is a 1-Tbyte, 1U rack-mount appliance that houses four 250-Gbyte hot-plug Serial ATA drives. It can support 200 Microsoft Exchange mailboxes under average workload. The AiO400 is powered by a 3GHz dual-core Pentium D 930 processor with 1 Gbyte of memory standard, expandable to 4 Gbytes. A built-in four-port hardware RAID controller offers RAID 0/1/5/10 functionality. It has two PCI-X 133MHz expansion slots and embedded dual-port Broadcom 5751 and 5721 Gigabit Ethernet controllers. It does not have a redundant power supply or fans.

The unit comes with a three-year warranty on parts and one year for on-site labor. The starting price for the AiO400 is $4,999.

The AiO600, the model examined by the CRN Test Center, is a 5U tower or rack-mount unit with redundancy. It can easily support 500 Exchange mailboxes under an average workload. The AiO600 is powered by a 2.67GHz Intel dual-core Xeon processor with 1 Gbyte of memory standard, expandable to 4 Gbytes. It features three x4 PCI-Express slots with x8 connectors, one 64-bit 133MHz 3.3V PCI-X slot, and two 64-bit 100MHz 3.3V PCI-X slots.

The RAID controller is a Smart Array E200i with 128 Mbytes of memory; it offers RAID 0/1/5/6/10 functionality. Network connectivity is provided by an embedded NC373i Multifunction Gigabit NIC with a TCP/IP offload engine and a dual-port NC7170 Gigabit NIC. The AiO600 also features redundant power supplies and fans, and its warranty is for three years with on-site labor.

The AiO600 is available in three versions: a 1.5-Tbyte SATA unit, a higher-capacity 3-Tbyte SATA unit and a higher performance 876-Gbyte SAS unit. Pricing for the AiO600 starts at $6,459.

The HP StorageWorks All-in-One Storage Systems are managed through the All-in-One Storage Manager, a utility that guides administrators through all setup and management tasks. It is used to configure network storage and end-user file shares, migrate data from servers, and put disk and tape backup policies in place.

Prior to setting up network storage for application servers, customers need to install the All-in-One Storage Manager agent on the host server. This installs and configures the Microsoft iSCSI initiator as well as additional services to support the management of application-based storage.

Next: The Bottom Line A startup wizard is used to quickly configure an administrative password, server name, date and time, and e-mail settings. Four additional setup wizards are used to create Exchange storage groups, shared folders, SQL databases and space for user-defined applications.

CRN Test Center engineers found it easy to set up storage groups. To migrate an Exchange storage group over to the storage system, the solution provider simply clicks on a wizard called "host an Exchange storage group" and then points to an Exchange server for automatic integration.

Recommendations are offered for most settings, and the solution provider also is offered the opportunity to protect the data. Snapshots can be generated, and the frequency at which they are generated can easily be set.

If tape backups are required, say for off-site safekeeping, a partner must install a SCSI host-bus adapter in one of the appliances' expansion slots and connect an appropriate backup device such as an autoloader or tape library.

For convenience, HP's Data Express backup software is included with the storage appliance. Profit margins can be greatly increased by installing and configuring this additional hardware.

The HP StorageWorks All-in-One Storage System is a hassle-free solution. Benefits of working with HP include access to pre- and post-sales tools, demand generation vehicles and rewards. Average margins vary by region, and increased margins can be obtained by selling across HP's product and service portfolio.

Partners also can elect to receive leads from HP. Up to 10 percent of net sales are available for advertising and marketing co-op or reimbursements, and Web-based training is free.