Storage startup Scale Computing today unveiled version 2.0 of its Intelligent Clustered Storage (ICS) architecture with a new set of “StarterSAN” product configurations for building scale-out storage clusters.

The ICS 2.0 architecture allows users to scale storage clusters to the multiple petabyte range on a single file system using commodity hardware. The system automatically stripes and mirrors data across all nodes in the cluster. Processing, throughput and storage capacity scale simultaneously with each new node added to the cluster.

The system includes file and block level protocols – CIFS, NFS and iSCSI – which allows ICS 2.0 to support unified SAN/NAS environments on each storage node.

With the version 2.0 release, Scale Computing is adding snapshots and asynchronous replication into the mix as included features. Synchronous replication also is available through the company’s professional services group.

The company is also streamlining the process of building an ICS 2.0 cluster by offering its nodes in pre-configured StarterSAN packages. The StarterSANs with ICS 2.0 are currently available in three configurations consisting of three storage nodes each. Storage nodes are available in capacities of 1TB, 2TB or 4TB.

Each StarterSAN has 210MBps of throughput, scaling by 70MBps with each node added to the system.

A StarterSAN with 3TB of usable capacity starts at just under $12,000, a 6TB StarterSAN costs $15,000, and the 12TB StarterSAN costs $21,000. Additional 1TB storage nodes with ICS cost $3,800 each.

Scale Computing entered the enterprise storage market in June. The company claims its products cost as much as 65% less than comparable solutions from Hewlett-Packard (LeftHand) and Dell (EqualLogic).

Jeff Ready, Scale Computing’s founder and CEO, says the storage nodes are more than just NAS.

“In general, what we have developed is a commodity-based clustered storage platform. We adopted technology from high performance computing and grid computing [to create] a multi-protocol storage device that supports CIFS, NFS and iSCSI, all simultaneously managed from one pool,” he says.

 

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