GreenBytes has added a new entry-level SAN and NAS appliance to its GB-X Series of storage arrays with inline data deduplication and a sub-$10,000 price tag.
The GreenBytes GB-1000 multi-protocol storage appliance offers a range of features, including simultaneous support for SAN and NAS connectivity, snapshots, remote replication, thin provisioning, and a management suite for configuration and system monitoring.
The GB-1000 has eight drive slots with 6GB of RAM and 500GB 2.5-inch disk drives for 4TB of total capacity. The appliance also features an ingest and restore rate starting at 150MBps (0.54TB per hour).
GreenBytes’ vice president of worldwide sales, Richard Shea, says the low-cost GB-1000 extends the reach of the GB-X Series into the SMB market, specifically as primary storage for virtualized environments where the inline data deduplication feature can achieve data reduction ratios of more than 50:1.
The GB-X Series performs real-time deduplication of file blocks as they are stored.
Shea also says the GB-1000 works well in support of remote office applications, as well as departmental and multi-office backup and tape consolidation environments.
GreenBytes recently wrapped up a legal battle with Sun Microsystems over its use of data deduplication with the open-source ZettaByte File System (ZFS), a technology originally developed by Sun.
GreenBytes’ file system is based on ZFS and the company claimed Sun improperly used GreenBytes’ deduplication technology by implementing it within its own storage stack.
According to a recent blog post by Bob Petrocelli, GreenBytes’ CEO and CTO, the matter has been settled.
Petrocelli wrote, “Last year, Sun and GreenBytes had a very public disagreement over intellectual property relating to deduplication in the ZFS file system. I am happy to report that the matter is now behind us and has been settled in a mutually beneficial fashion. In fact, the working relationship between the two groups is stronger than ever. We have been working well with members of the OpenSolaris team and strongly believe that ZFS is the best storage platform available.”
