Looking for possible options to NetApp storage

[richard.pieri-Re5JQEeQqe8AvxtiuMwx3w at public.gmane.org (Richard Pieri)]

On Feb 1, 2011, at 6:02 PM, Scott Ehrlich wrote:
> 
> When you buy a NetApp appliance and corresponding disks, you are
> buying the value add of snapshot technology and many other unique and
> special features that make up a NetApp.

Snapshots is hardly unique to NetApp.  Just saying.  In practice, when you buy a NetApp appliance you really buy NetApp's support and service, not the features.


> For the same amount of money, or less, for enterprise-level storage
> and backup, what might people recommend?  Companies?  Technologies?

Do you need I/O fencing?  What about local and long-haul replication?  What are the remote management requirements?  Do you need secure segregation between different business units?  Will you be using direct I/O or will you need on-board cache?  With or without battery backup?  With or without power-fault write from cache?  NAS, SAN, or both?  FCAL or fabric?

You should be asking yourself these questions and questions like them.  Make a list of your requirements first, then find vendors who meet those requirements.  Don't skimp.  A site lives and dies with its data, whether a high school student's homework netbook or a 24x365 international trading platform.  If storage fails, you lose.  If it takes too long to recover, you fail.

--Rich P.