Why SAN?
Businesses today are facing data storage requirements that are fast exceeding their existing storage capacity. More-and-more customers are turning to Storage Area Networks (SANs) to help them manage the growth of their data-intensive applications. SANs offer highly scalable, efficient to access storage with superior data management and data protection capabilities for business information. SAN systems such as the LeftHand Networks solution are using open architectures based on industry-standard technologies and new full-featured software management tools to lower the cost of a SAN significantly, now making SAN solutions practical for today’s increasing storage requirements.
Why LeftHand?
 The LeftHand SAN’s combination of simple data management, just-in-time scalability, and flexible data availability makes it ideal for mid-tier enterprises, including health care institutions, state and local government agencies, and educational institutions. The solution addresses the needs of first-time SAN buyers as well as those looking for a second SAN for additional applications, providing centralized storage management, campus SANs, disaster recovery, email storage, and centralized backup
LeftHand SAN Components
|
3 TB
System |
6 TB
System |
8 TB
System |
10 TB System |
12 TB System |
> 12 TB System |
| I/O per second |
81,000 |
81,000 |
110,000 |
140.000 |
170,000 |
CALL |
| Throughput (MB/Sec) |
300 |
300 |
300 |
300 |
300 |
CALL |
| Aggregated Processors |
3 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
CALL |
| Aggregated Power Supplies |
6 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
8 |
CALL |
| Network Interfaces |
6 |
6 |
8 |
10 |
8 |
CALL |
| Memory (RAM) |
6 GB |
6 GB |
8 GB |
10 GB |
12 GB |
CALL |
| Hot Swappable SATA II Disk Drives |
12 |
12 |
16 |
20 |
48 |
CALL |
| Please contact us for information on larger configurations |
SAN/iQ Software
Our unique SAN/iQ software distinguishes LeftHand from other SAN vendors. SAN/iQ combines multiple small storage modules together into a single SAN/iQ Cluster. The SAN is one pool of storage, managed from a single intuitive GUI. This unique architecture eliminates all the ease of use, scalability, and availability limitations of legacy SANs, scaling performance and redundancy as you add capacity to the SAN/iQ Cluster.
SANiQ Management Software Overview
| SAN/iQ |
LeftHand’s SAN operating system that manages all SAN functions |
| SAN/iQ Cluster |
- Industry-standard storage modules combined together by SAN/iQ and managed as a single entity
- Data is distributed and protected across all modules within a cluster
- Scales "just-in-time" and non-disruptively through plug-and-play node discovery and drag-and-drop cluster expansion
- Addition of nodes to a cluster scales capacity, performance, and redundancy
- No constraints on the physical locations of storage modules
|
| SAN/iQ Volume |
- A virtual volume created across all the storage modules in a SAN/iQ Cluster
- Scales non-disruptively with simple menu picks
- Protected using SAN/iQ Network RAID and SAN/iQ Remote Copy
|
| SAN/iQ Network RAID |
- Patented technology that creates two or three copies of data across all storage modules in a SAN/iQ Cluster
- Data protection level set at the volume level so redundancy requirements can be matched to different applications
- Eliminates any single point of failure — provides continuous data availability in the event of network, switch, disk, controller, or entire node failure
|
| SAN/iQ Remote Copy |
- Ensures quick recoveries from broad-based, geographic concerns such as natural disasters or power grid failures
- Provides for centralized backup to a main facility
|
| SAN/iQ Snap |
- Point-in-time copy of a volume
- Simplifies large-scale restores or granular restores such as a single Exchange mailbox
- Unlimited number of snaps
- No pool of storage reserved for snaps
|
| SAN/iQ Advanced Provisioning |
- Thin provisioning eliminates legacy file system or database expansion headaches
- Auto-grow capability enables automatic expansion of volumes based on policy
|
| Distributed Storage Matrix |
LeftHand’s unique architecture that eliminates legacy SAN limitations around ease of use, scalability, and availability |
|
