Dell further blurs Nas/San differences

Computer system giant Dell has further blurred the boundaries between storage area networks (Sans) and network-attached storage (Nas) with its latest Nas device offering.

The new PowerVault Nas servers offer Lan-free tape backup via a locally attached tape system, giving it San-like capabilities to smaller companies and departments that might not be able to afford a full San infrastructure.

Dell claims the server can be set up with little IT expertise in less than 15 minutes.

One of the main advantages of a San is the way it takes backup data off the Lan, saving bandwidth and increasing speeds of the network.

Backing up data from a Nas device to a directly-attached tape drive does a similar job but without the expensive hardware involved in San.

While the device is based on the Windows 2000 server operating system, it can support a wide range of other operating systems, such as Novell NetWare, Unix, Linux and MacOS.

The PowerVault 755N and 750N can scale up to 7Tb of data and support clustering in Windows and Unix environments. Both have received Windows Hardware compatibility list certification.

Prices start at £4316.