ANStor64

Startup ANStor64 launched its first product today, a 64-bit operating system which aims to convert standard storage servers into a combined iSCSI and NAS appliance, allowing users to mix and match their storage hardware. (See Cutting Edge Unveils ANStor64.)

The software, demo'd at last week's Storage World Conference (SWC), plugs into the IDE port on the server's motherboard and can be managed via a graphical user interface. (See Vendors Plan a Week to Watch.)

"You can use part of the box as an iSCSI target with low-cost Serial ATA drives, and you could use the other part of the box as a NAS appliance," explains Gary Goodman, ANStor64's vice president and general manager. As a NAS appliance, the device could be used to support high-performance Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) or Fibre Channel drives.

The fact that the software is hardware-agnostic could open the door to plenty of OEM opportunities, according to Greg Schulz, an analyst at StorageIO. "It's an interesting approach [because] you get your pick," he says. "It's a great solution for resellers and OEMs that need to take that functionality and integrate it either as a combined offering or as a NAS head."

Typically, Goodman expects a combination of SAS and SATA drives to be the most widely used configuration. "It's going to make more sense to use it as SAS and SATA together because the connectors are the same."A number of startups, including Wasabi Systems and Open-E, already offer specialized storage operating systems, although Schulz thinks that ANStor64 should get ready to play David to Redmond's Goliath. "It's an alternative to Microsoft Storage Server," he opines. "If they want to get some mindshare and get some traction, they need to get out of that little pond and get into the big pool."

ANStor64 is also making a great play out of its 64-bit capability, which, according to Goodman, offers faster performance. But Schulz warns that there is more to 64-bit speed enhancements than a simple operating system. "You have to have all the pieces aligned," he warns, adding that users, for example, should ensure that their applications are ready to exploit 64-bit.

There is plenty of momentum, nonetheless, behind 64-bit, with Intel unveiling its Xeon 5100 series processor this week. According to Intel, the processor, code-named "Woodcrest," offers a 35 percent performance boost over its existing chips, as well as slashing energy consumption by as much as 40 percent. (See Intel Launches Chip.)

Today, Fujitsu, Dell, and IBM unveiled new products, including blade servers, built around the new Woodcrest processor. Dell, for its part, has also built the chip into its next generation of PowerEdge storage servers. (See Fujitsu Unveils New Servers, Dell Unveils New Servers, and IBM Annouces New Systems.)

Although he would not name names, Goodman told Byte and Switch that more than a dozen firms are currently evaluating the OS, which is targeted at resellers, systems integrators, and "tier 2" OEMS. "Most of the companies that we're talking to have a 64-bit processor on their roadmaps," he says.The El Cajon, Calif.-based startup, which was recently spun out of storage systems vendor Cutting Edge, is already planning to offer a scaled-down version of the OS for smaller, SOHO applications, adds Goodman, possibly by Q4.

The list price for the combined NAS and iSCSI version of the software, available today, starts at $1,500, based on a single license for one machine. Pricing for the NAS-only and iSCSI-only versions, starts at $900 and $750 respectively.

James Rogers, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch