Nexenta

NexentaStor is a software based NAS and SAN appliance. For detailed explanation of how NexentaStor differs from legacy closed proprietary hardware based storage solutions or from open and less scalable solutions, please see Enterprise Features.

NexentaStor is a fully featured NAS/SAN software solution that has evolved from its roots as a leading disk to disk and second tier storage solution increasingly into primary tier use cases. The addition of NexentaStor 2.0, including phone support, has accelerated this transition as has the feedback and input of well over 10,000 NexentaStor users and the ongoing progress of the underlying OpenSolaris and Nexenta.org communities, each of which have hundreds of thousands of members.

Feature	NexentaStor	Legacy	Explanation
Unified storage via 'any' protocol CIFS NFS iSCSI FC AoE and more	YES	NO	NexentaStor is able to take virtually any data source (including legacy storage) and share it completely flexibly. Also, you can use NexentaStor replication capabilities like Auto-Sync and Auto-Tier on your pools irrespective of what technology is used on the underlying storage.
Advanced data management Unlimited snapshots and clones Synchronous & asynchronous replication Native thin provisioning Standards based compression Storage pooling & virtualization	YES	NO	NexentaStor is built upon the ZFS file system which means there are no practical limits to the number of snapshots or to file size when using NexentaStor. Also, Nexenta has added synchronous replication to ZFS based asynchronous replication. Thin provisioning and compression improve capacity utilization. Also, no need to 'short stroke' your drives to achieve performance as explained below.
Finds and corrects silent data corruption	YES	NO	Today's processors can easily handle end to end checksums on every transaction. The processors that existed when legacy file systems were designed could not. Checksuming every transaction end to end means any source of data corruption can be detected. Plus, if you are using NexentaStor software RAID it can automatically correct data corruption.
Hybrid storage pools	YES	NO	The underlying ZFS file system was built to exploit cache to improve read and write performance. By adding SSDs you can achieve a dramatic improvement in performance without increasing the number of expensive spinning disks, thereby saving money, footprint, and power and cooling. Other solutions require you to decide which data should be on the flash or SSDs. This can be quite challenging and will never be as efficient in a dynamic environment as the real time algorithms built into the ZFS file system.
Enhanced support for virtualized environments	YES	Almost	Nexenta also offers the VM Data Center optional module that allows you to point and click to establish storage policies for your virtualized enviornments. While some legacy storage vendors have jumped on the virtualization bandwagon with a similar value proposition, their aged underpinnings make their solutions harder to use. Specifically, with NexentaStor you NEVER run out of snapshots whereas with legacy solutions you run out fairly quickly, requiring work arounds that take time and increase the risk of service disruption.
An end to vendor lock-in	YES	Never	Legacy storage vendors entire business models are based upon locking their clients into long term relationships via the use of proprietary technologies. They want to use ongoing exponential improvements in hardware price/performance to increase their margins instead of passing these savings onto you.

Savings

In addition to Enterprise Features, NexentaStor offers considerable savings. Here is an EXAMPLE of the savings customers can receive by using NexentaStor instead of legacy hardware based solutions:

	Legacy solution	NexentaStor
Software	Proprietary NAS/iSCSI limited snapshots limited file sizes risks of silent data corruption	ZFS based open NAS/iSCSI unlimited snapshots unlimited file sizes unmatched data integrity
Headnode	2 sockets + 2 cores 4GB DRAM	2 sockets + 4 cores 32GB DRAM
Disk capacity	4TB	12TB
Service	Remote and on-site support 24 hour replacement	Remote and on-site support 24 hour replacement
Total	~$45,000	$10,748

In summary, over 3x the capacity, equivalent support thanks to Nexenta's partners, superior hardware, and superior software for over 75% less than legacy solutions. The $10,748 solution quoted above was from PogoLinux, similar solutions are available from many partners around the world.

The savings are similar or even greater for larger users of storage. For example it is possible to purchase a rack full of NexentaStor managed storage, including NexentaStor, for as little as $.20 per Gb, roughly 1/10th the cost of the lowest prices from legacy storage vendors.

These savings are simply the initial savings. They do not include savings over time from lower total cost of ownership thanks to being able to simply add capacity (just add disks) and performance (just add CPU and RAM) and, even, to simply add new capabilities via the state of the art software packaging and upgrade capabilities discussed below. By freeing yourself from vendor lock-in you not only regain control of your storage -- you also regain control of your storage spending by accessing the gigantic and extremely competitive market for enterprise servers and disk arrays.

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