Dear ilusha,
Please find below the results of my research. I have addressed each part
of your question in order.
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Features unique to NetApp Data ONTAP
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* frequent data snapshots
Another big plus of Data ONTAP is that it was created specifically
for NAS applications and offers the greatest range of high-end
features, such as advanced mirroring and snapshots. You can
use Data ONTAP, for example, for hundreds of data snapshots and
point-in-time copies every hour if you require it.
Enterprise Storage Forum: Which NAS OS? (February 15, 2005)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/sans/features/article.php/3483446
* headless NAS appliances (blades)
Our results strongly suggest that, as rated by Storage readers,
NetApp has the most compelling total NAS product line from top
to bottom. This is especially true for standalone NAS because
our survey included gateways and NAS blades.
SearchStorage: NAS: The top products on the market (May 22, 2006)
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid5_gci1187602,00.html
* dynamic virtualization
The newest edition, Data ONTAP 7G (Grid), adds dynamic
virtualization and removes some of the administration from disk
configuration at the physical level.
Enterprise Storage Forum: Dell, Microsoft Unify Storage (December 6, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/hardware/news/article.php/3647606
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Features unique to Windows Storage Server
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* integrated iSCSI SAN management
The Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 is a new Microsoft
storage platform that allows NAS server and iSCSI SAN storage
to be managed from one console, said Bala Kasiviswanathan,
group product manager for storage at Microsoft.
Microsoft was able to create the software as the next member
of its Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 after acquiring the ISCSI
assets from String Bean Software last March.
Enterprise Storage Forum: Dell, Microsoft Unify Storage (December 6, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/hardware/news/article.php/3647606
* text indexing
Unified Data Storage Server 2003 includes capabilities born
in Windows Storage Server 2003 R2, including single instance
storage, full indexed text search, Windows SharePoint Services
and distributed file service.
InternetNews: Dell-Microsoft Pairing Yields Hybrid Storage Server
(December 6, 2006)
http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/article.php/3647386
* transparent redundancy elimination
SIS is a background process which searches for duplicate files
on a disk volume and replaces them with pointers to a single
copy. In the event that a user modifies a SIS managed file, SIS
automatically creates a writable copy of the file for the user.
The beauty of the solution is that users do not need to be
retrained to take advantage of SIS. From their perspective,
they have no knowledge that the copy of the file they see in
their file share is actually a pointer to the original copy. SIS
does a byte level analysis of every file in a volume and creates
a unique hash to identify each file.
eWeek: Microsoft's Single Instance Storage vs. Deduplication (January 25, 2006)
http://blog.eweek.com/blogs/eweek_labs/archive/2006/01/25/4999.aspx
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Comparative advantages of NetApp Data ONTAP
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* high-level administrative tools
This means more time managing data as opposed to managing systems
and disks.
"Administrators no longer have to worry about how many disks
are attached to a volume and program for backups, and so on,"
said Kannan.
Enterprise Storage Forum: Dell, Microsoft Unify Storage (December 6, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/hardware/news/article.php/3647606
"I'm really pleased with it," says Mitchell, a systems
administrator at Atlanta-based TRX Inc., a provider of
transaction processing and data integration services to the
travel industry. "Basically, it allows me to manage the data,
not the devices."
SearchStorage: NAS: The top products on the market (May 22, 2006)
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid5_gci1187602,00.html
* feature-rich control environment
On the downside, however, some criticize Windows Storage Server
as being little more than a server with a browser console.
Enterprise Storage Forum: Dell, Microsoft Unify Storage (December 6, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/hardware/news/article.php/3647606
* advanced SAN management
Windows Server 2003 R2 includes new SAN management capabilities,
but these are rudimentary. Storage Manager for SANs (SMfS)
allows basic management of devices through Microsoft's Virtual
Disk Service (VDS), meaning that the tool can be used in a
heterogeneous environment as long as each device supports VDS.
Microsoft's aim here is not to compete in the high-end SAN
management space, but to make SAN a more accessible technology ?
to make SANs more approachable to the middle of the market. SMfS,
says O'Neill, is "Definitely focused on entry SANs, iSCSI SANs
and users that have small deployments."
Enterprise Storage Forum: Microsoft's Storage Ambitions (February 15, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/sans/features/article.php/3585421
* superior mirroring and and remote replication
In the midrange, NetApp's product features were very highly
rated by users. In fact, the NetApp product received scores
higher than 7.0 for three statements in this category. They were
"This product's snapshot features meet my needs" (7.11), "This
product's mirroring features meet my needs" (7.03) and "This
product's remote replication meets my needs" (7.03). No other
product had as many 7.0-plus scores in the features category.
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Comparative advantages of Windows Storage Server
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* straightforward configuration
In our Clear Choice Test of Microsoft's latest version of
its file-pinching network-attached storage software - dubbed
Windows Storage Server R2 - we found it to be fast, difficult to
misconfigure, highly efficient and a useful storage operating
system for both local drop-and-add NAS boxes and branch-office
storage devices.
NetworkWorld: New version of Windows NAS makes the grade (March 20, 2006)
http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2006/032006-windows-server-test.html
* strong support for Active Directory and CIFS
The first consideration is what operating systems are being run on
the servers that will use the storage. If they are all Windows,
then the selection of a NAS product needs to focus on the CIFS
protocol used by Windows and the use of Active Directory for
security controls.
SearchStorage: NAS in the small to midsized business: Selecting a NAS
system (September 6, 2006)
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid5_gci1214425,00.html
* tight Windows integration
The key to WSS 2003 is convenience combined with enterprise
muscle. WSS drops into a Windows network like a cheese head into
Green Bay.
InfoWorld: Microsoft injects more smarts into Windows Storage Server 2003
(February 2, 2006)
http://www.infoworld.com/article/06/02/02/74900_06OPenterwin_1.html
* powerful backup automation
Overall, we found this version of Storage Server contains several
features especially suited to branch operations, including sparse
file management, reduction of redundant files and an extremely
proficient backup mechanism.
NetworkWorld: New version of Windows NAS makes the grade (March 20, 2006)
http://www.networkworld.com/reviews/2006/032006-windows-server-test.html
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Three principal reasons to prefer NetApp Data ONTAP
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* processing speed
For example, Data OnTap GX running on the company's FAS6070 file
server scales up to 6 petabytes at a high rate of speed.
The Data OnTap GX operating system is designed to work with
data-intensive applications, such as those used in seismic
processing, chip design and simulation and digital entertainment,
said Rich Clifton, vice president and general manager of NetApp's
networked storage business unit.
"This is for the environment where people are assembling very
large quantities of compute power, and very large Linux farms to
be able to crack difficult scientific and technical workloads,"
Clifton said.
Enterprise Storage Forum: NetApp Puts High Performance OnTap (June 12, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/technology/news/article.php/3612746
* enterprise scale
Microsoft's target has always been the high-volume middle of
the market, and that hasn't changed with its latest offerings.
"They find the market too small to just go after the very largest
installations," says Peter Pawlak, lead analyst for server
applications at Directions on Microsoft. Although the enterprise
is an important constituency, Pawlak says, Microsoft strives to
"make it cheap enough and simple enough to get into midrange
systems, where there is a lot of volume."
Enterprise Storage Forum: Microsoft's Storage Ambitions (February 15, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/sans/features/article.php/3585421
* high security
Further, security concerns continue to plague the Windows OS. Due
to its ubiquity, it is a magnet for hackers. Thus when security
of data is a factor, GuardianOS and NetApp come out ahead. Data
ONTAP, in fact, is designed with security in mind. The microkernel
of the OS contains all the key features required for backup,
replication, WORM, etc. With all the software embedded into it,
there is no need to load additional software modules that could
compromise security.
Enterprise Storage Forum: Dell, Microsoft Unify Storage (December 6, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/hardware/news/article.php/3647606
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Three principal reasons to prefer Windows Storage Server
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* low price
As Microsoft's success in low-cost NAS demonstrates,
lowering storage costs will help the company expand the market
downward. O'Neill says this may shake things up a bit, saying he
expects Microsoft to be "majorly disruptive on price, particularly
in the SMB space."
Enterprise Storage Forum: Microsoft's Storage Ambitions (February 15, 2006)
http://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/sans/features/article.php/3585421
* innovative outlook
NetApp's answer to clustered file systems from company's like
Isilon and Ibrix is the technology it picked up through the
Spinnaker Networks Inc. acquisition three years ago. However,
it's only just announced that the new operating system, dubbed
Ontap GX, has been installed at several customer sites and will
be generally available "some time in the future." It's hard to
blame customers for looking elsewhere.
[...] Nobody thinks Microsoft will hurt NetApp at the high end,
but any plans that NetApp has for addressing small and mid-sized
businesses are surely a dead duck once Microsoft gets its act
together.
SearchStorage: NetApp under attack at SNW (April 7, 2006)
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/columnItem/0,294698,sid5_gci1179210,00.html
* ease of use
"To perform an Exchange server migration from direct attached to
networked storage takes 30 steps, which is too long and complex
for most small companies," Young said. HP's new low-end array,
which starts at $5,000 for 1 terabyte, will be based on Microsoft
Windows Storage Server and will enable this kind of migration
in less than 10 clicks, she said. "Even I can do it."
Users will be able to move data without taking applications
like Exchange down and manage the migration from an application
view. "They are used to working in Exchange and SQL -- they
understand that view," Young said.
Commenting on NetApp's StoreVault product, she said: "They made an
SMB version of Data OnTap [NetApp's storage operating system],
it's easy to understand if you already understand storage,
but it's still too complex for the general IT administrator."
SearchStorage: HP touts storage appliance for small businesses (July 25, 2006)
http://searchstorage.techtarget.com/originalContent/0,289142,sid5_gci1204087,00.html
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I have found it an interesting challenge to answer your question.
Regards,
leapinglizard |
