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The Snap Server 650 from Adaptec is more powerful and scalable than most of the other network attached storage (Nas) appliances we’ve looked at.
Indeed, it is more server than a regular appliance, but with the ease-of-use features we’ve come to expect of the Snap Server range.
Aimed at larger companies looking for storage that can grow as they do, the Snap Server 650 is a rack-mountable device powered by two 64-bit dual-core AMD Opteron processors, in effect making it a four-way platform.
These are accompanied by 2GB of memory (expandable up to 4GB altogether) plus dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces with automatic failover and load-balancing support.
A Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) host bus adapter looks after the storage, in the guise of four hot-swappable Seagate Cheetah 15K disks – a remarkable feat on a 1U device.
These 300GB disks give the server a base capacity of 1.2TB, although the amount of space available will depend on how it’s configured. The default Raid 5 implementation, for example, leaves just 843GB free, with the rest used to store the parity data needed to keep the array working in the event of disk failure.
Other Raid levels can also be configured and yet more disks added using Adaptec Sanbloc S50 Jbod (just a bunch of disks) storage arrays, each of which can accommodate another 12 disks. Up to seven of these arrays can be added altogether to give a total capacity of 64.2TB. Hot sparing is another option, together with instant capacity expansion (ICE), allowing Raid volumes to be dynamically re-sized as disks are added.
Unlike most other high-end Nas appliances, Adaptec doesn’t use Windows Server 2003 to power the Snap Server. Instead, it employs its own 64-bit Linux-based GuardianOS, optimised for file sharing across a combination of Windows, Apple and Unix/Linux clients. This can be booted from any disk in the array, is managed through a straightforward web interface and, in addition to basic sharing, features a number of file-protection options.
Most of these options are built in as standard, but some are chargeable extras. The ability to take instant volume snapshots for backup purposes, for example, is included in the price along with CA eTrust anti-virus support. You also get an implementation of Bakbone’s Netvault backup software, with support for a 500GB virtual tape library. However, if you want to archive data to an external tape drive, extra licensing is required.
Snap EDR (Enterprise Data Replicator) is, similarly, an extra on which to replicate the data held on the Snap Server to another appliance. This adds £650 ex Vat to the price, while for £1,300 ex Vat one-to-many and many-to-one replications are also possible, plus you can include ordinary Windows and Linux servers in the replication process.
We were very impressed with the Snap Server 650, which offers high-end server performance without the associated complexity. It can also be configured as an iSCSI target to provide block-level access on a storage area network (San).
On the downside, we found the disk carriers difficult to swap in and out, and the front bezel awkward to remove. It’s also quite expensive. However, compared with other solutions in this performance and capacity bracket, it’s very competitive and, unlike most general-purpose file servers, it’s very easy for the small business to live with.
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