Dell EqualLogic iSCSI SAN Storage Pricing Performance Virtualisation VMware

The Dell EqualLogic PS4100 series builds upon the firm foundation established by the Dell PS4000 series since its introduction in 2009. Originally cast as an entry-level iSCSI SAN solution it was quickly apparent that the PS4000 appliances made enterprise features available to all for an entry-level price. The Dell EqualLogic PS4100 arrays are sure to enhance this reputation with increased performance, increased capacity and sleek new chassis designs accommodating 2.5" 10K and 15K SAS plus 3.5" SATA and 15K SAS drives. The comprehensive Dell EqualLogic feature set remains including application consistent snapshots, thin provisioning, replication, VMware vSphere and Hyper-V integration, detailed monitoring/reporting with SANHQ and more.

So what are the key differences between the PS4000 series and the PS4100 series?

PS4100E - 12-Drive Chassis. Choice of 500GB 1TB 2TB or 3TB 3.5" 7.2K NL SAS disks delivering up to 36TB 

PS4100X - 24-Drive Chassis. Choice of 300GB 600GB or 900GB 2.5" 10K SAS disks delivering up to 21.6TB 

PS4100XV - 24-Drive Chassis. Choice of 146GB 300GB or 600GB 2.5" 15K SAS disks delivering up to 14.4TB 

PS4100XV 3.5" - New 12-Drive Chassis. Choice of 300GB or 600GB 3.5" 15K SAS disks delivering up to 7.2TB 

The new form factors directly address the challenges around data growth faced by many organisations, with the 24-drive chassis of particular interest. Until now there has not been a PS4000 SUMO appliance (compare with the PS6500E) however these new units, coupled with the new 600GB and 900GB SAS drive options allow us to deliver high capacity and class leading performance from a single 2U appliance. Performance is of particular interest with increased controller cache and a higher spindle count likely to deliver throughput increases of up to 60% over previous generations.

It is also interesting to consider that it will be possible to purchase the 24-drive units half populated with 12 drives. With the earlier 16-drive appliances I hesitated to recommend a half-populated box because in my opinion capacity and performance could be compromised by virtualising your storage pool across just six drives(taking hot spares into account). By extending this to 10 drives (once again with two hot spares) and increasing the individual drive capacity, this becomes a more viable proposition. It will also allow EqualLogic users to build in 'future proofing' by buying the half-populated appliance with the option of adding more drives at a later date.

The release of the PS4100 series is a very significant step forward from the leading vendor of iSCSI SAN. The new generation of EqualLogic firmware delivers some exciting new features including sub-volume auto tiering and enhanced load balancing to optimise performance of the storage pool. Dell's fluid-data technology ensures that expansion will be seemless as your storage estate grows, with equalLogic's long standing cross-generation compatability offering extended lifecycle and superb return on investment (ROI).

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