NAS File Sharing
In addition to a cost of ownership that's less than that of direct-attached storage, a compelling benefit of NAS is cross-platform file sharing out of the box. I connected a Macintosh and Linux system to the network and had each of them using file shares—through AppleTalk and NFS, respectively—on the NAS 4300 and PowerVault 750N within 5 minutes. Each of the aforementioned NAS products supports the following protocols: AppleTalk, CIFS, FTP, HTTP, NetWare, and NFS. These protocols are enabled by default on the Dell and Maxtor devices, although you control a given protocol's access to a share at the share level. To avoid unnecessary system overhead, IBM chose not to enable all of the protocols by default. The inherent security value of Windows Powered NAS solutions is that the device can join a domain and immediately integrate with the Windows domain security you already have in place. You simply assign user and group permissions to shares on the NAS appliance just as you would on a Win2K or Windows NT file server.
PowerEdge 1650
NAS appliances aren't the only devices that leverage the benefits of the Windows Powered platform. The PowerEdge 1650, built on Dell's 1U (1.75") PowerEdge 1650 server hardware platform, provides an Internet or intranet Web-hosting environment. Because the product is a Windows Powered appliance, you enjoy the same rapid deployment, administration, and systems administration benefits that you'll find on the NAS appliances in this review. In addition to Microsoft's Windows Powered OS and Dell's Management offerings, the PowerEdge 1650 comes preloaded with software—Microsoft FrontPage Server Extensions 2002, Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE), and ActiveState's ActivePerl—that you'll find useful in your Web environment.
The PowerEdge 1650 Web Server's 1U (1.75") chassis is jam-packed with an impressive amount of firepower, including dual 1.26GHz Pentium III processors, 1GB of SDRAM, two integrated copper Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, and dual redundant power supplies. Keyboard, video, mouse, and serial ports are available at the rear of the chassis, and secondary keyboard and video ports are in the front for quick access. Three hot-swappable 18GB Ultra160 SCSI disks, connected to an optional PERC 3/Di, are accessible from the front of the chassis.
As with the PowerVault 750N, a wide selection of configuration options are available, including browser-based, local console, and Dell Kick-Start options. I followed the Deployment Guide's instructions for conducting a local custom deployment of the Web server. The Web Assistant prompted me to specify the Web content's location, configure MSDE settings, and enable services as necessary. The Web Assistant then prompted me to configure management settings for Dell OpenManage and MDM. Finally, I provided network-configuration details and confirmed the deployment settings, then rebooted the system.
You'll also use the Web Assistant for everyday Web server administration. From the Web Assistant interface, which Figure 3 shows, you can perform Web and systems administration tasks quickly and easily. From the Sites tab, I was able to set up a Web site and an FTP site within seconds. Then, from the Web Server tab, I spent a couple of minutes configuring Web and FTP permissions and settings for sites contained on the server.
I used the Web Assistant on the Web server to check out the functionality of the MDM feature. During deployment, I had designated that the Web server would act as an MDM controller, which means that it can discover and manage other MDM-enabled systems. Certificates permit access by only an authorized MDM controller. I could use MDM to manage multiple PowerEdge 1650 Web servers from one interface.
If you decide that your Web server might benefit from a clean start, you can use the included bootable media to redeploy the entire system. To test the redeployment process on the PowerEdge 1650, I booted from the two Reinstallation/Resource CD-ROMs. The simple procedure prompted me to confirm the complete reinstallation, then prompted me about halfway through the process to insert the second CD-ROM. About 30 minutes later, the server rebooted and went through the final Win2K Server setup steps before performing a final reboot to factory default conditions.
Consistency and Flexibility
The available solutions vary in price and features but share the base Windows Powered functionality, look, and feel. The PowerEdge 1650 is an easy-to-deploy solution for Internet and intranet Web hosting. This solution provides manageability and reasonable availability in a tight package that you can use in ISP and application service provider (ASP) environments. Look for future versions of Dell Web Server appliances to offer NAS integration for scalable Web-host storage. Among the NAS solutions I reviewed, capacity, availability, and OEM-added value will determine whether a particular solution is best for you. The NAS 4300 boasts the best price-per-byte ratio, but it lacks important features, such as hot-swappable hard disks, reinstallation capabilities, and module redundancy. The PowerVault 750N provides a good mix of expandability, redundancy, availability, and manageability at a nice price. The TotalStorage NAS Model 326 is the ultimate in high-availability NAS, but the high price you'll pay for its built-in redundancy might be difficult to justify. Windows Powered appliances are enjoying a rapid acceptance into the market and will continue to do so because of their flexibility, extensibility, and manageability.