All of the big server manufacturers offer NAS units. They're just large-capacity, dedicated fileservers but it sounds like that's what you want. We have a Dell PV725 with 1TB of local storage (upgradeable to 1.6TB) and an 8-tape LTO autochanger. NAS is a lot cheaper than SAN. -----Original Message----- From: Greg Reese [mailto:GReese@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] Sent: 16 June 2004 14:28 To: windows2000@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [windows2000] Storage Solutions I wanted to start a discussion on this to see what the rest of you are doing and get a better understanding myself as I get pushed this direction. Currently, all our network drives are shared off of one server. It has two raid 5 arrays and has about 60GB of total file space. All the user home drives are there, plus the departmental shares, a public chare etc. Those drives are nearly full. My SQL server is running into the same wall. I backup my SQL databases to disk then put those backups on tape. I have enough disk for the databases but the backups fail sometimes if the previous nights files don't get removed first. I don't think just replacing the current drives on these servers with bigger drives is the answer. I have looking into setting up a SAN but they cost a small fortune. I can generally spend whatever I want here but I can't justify spending that much on storage. I have also looked at those Iomega 1u storage servers but they seem cheap and a little weak for the kind of reliability I need. What else is there for adding storage? We have gigabit Ethernet in place on the server rack. Most of the clients connect via Citrix so the connections from their sessions to the other servers is really good. Is there something in between? A SAN is nice, but I don't need my servers to boot from it or anything. I just need storage available to the network somehow and need it available fast enough that it doesn't bog things down. My other thought is that I can set my backups to backup to disk and then back that up to tape so users aren't slowed down by backup. A couple of DLT drives in a server isn't cutting it for backup anymore either. Thanks! Greg Gallai'r e-bost yma gynnwys gwybodaeth gyfrinachol a/neu ddeunydd hawlfraint. Os ydych chi'n meddwl eich bod wedi derbyn yr e-bost yma drwy gamgymeriad rydym yn ymddiheuro am hyn; peidiwch os gwelwch yn dda â datgelu, anfon ymlaen, printio, copïo na dosbarthu gwybodaeth yn yr e-bost yma na gweithredu mewn unrhyw fodd drwy ddibynnu ar ei gynnwys: gwaherddir gwneud hynny'n gyfan gwbl a gallai fod yn anghyfreithlon. Rhowch wybod i'r anfonwr fod y neges yma wedi mynd ar goll cyn ei dileu. Mae unrhyw safbwynt neu farn a gyflwynir yn eiddo i'r awdur ac nid ydynt o anghenraid yn cynrychioli safbwynt neu farn Ymddiriedolaeth GIG Gogledd Orllewin Cymru. Gallai cynnwys yr e-bost yma gael ei ddatgelu i'r cyhoedd o dan Gôd Bod yn Agored y GIG neu Ddeddf Rhyddid Gwybodaeth 2000. Nid oes modd gwarantu cyfrinachedd y neges ac unrhyw ateb. Bydd y neges yma ac unrhyw ffeiliau cysylltiedig wedi cael eu gwirio gan feddalwedd canfod firws cyn eu trosglwyddo. Ond rhaid i'r sawl sy'n derbyn wirio rhag firws ei hun cyn agor unrhyw ymgysylltiad. Nid yw'r Ymddiriedolaeth yn derbyn unrhyw gyfrifoldeb am unrhyw golled neu niwed a allai gael ei achosi gan firws meddalwedd. This e-mail may contain confidential information and/or copyright material. If you believe that you have received this e-mail in error please accept our apologies; please do not disclose, forward, print, copy or distribute information in this e-mail or take any action in reliance on its contents: to do so is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. Please inform the sender that this message has gone astray before deleting it. Any views or opinions presented are to be understood as those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the North West Wales NHS Trust. The contents of this e-mail may be subject to public disclosure under the NHS Code of Openness or the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The confidentiality of the message and any reply cannot be guaranteed. This message and any attached files will have been checked with virus detection software before transmission. However, recipients must carry out their own virus checks before opening any attachment. The Trust accepts no liability for any loss or damage, which may be caused by software viruses.