In a webcast Monday morning, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) announced two
new data protection devices for small and midsized businesses (SMB)
based on its ProLiant servers.
The D2D110 and D2D120 virtual tape libraries (VTL) are ProLiant
DL100 and DL300 series servers that come preassembled with 750 GB
or 1.5 terabytes (TB) of
SATA disk, respectively, in a
RAID-5 configuration. The device, which
emulates tape for up to four servers, plugs in to any Ethernet
network. After asking for a network address, the device runs an
automated configuration wizard for setup.
Following setup, the user can run unattended daily backups to the
disks inside, provided they are using a backup application that
supports the device. HP is offering its Data Protector Express
backup software -- a rebranding of Yosemite Technologies Inc.'s
Yosemite Backup product -- bundled with the product for a fee and
says the product is also compatible with Windows NT Express and
Symantec's Backup Exec.
However, HP's Web site notes that Backup Exec 10d does not
support
iSCSI network devices using the Microsoft
iSCSI Initiator software driver, which the D2D device uses to
negotiate with systems connected to the LAN. "HP D2D Backup
System customers using Backup Exec version 10.d must install an
iSCSI host bus adapter in each target system on the LAN for
proper usage," according to the Web site. Alternatively, users
can also upgrade to Backup Exec 11d, which supports the
initiator.
Pricing, Windows integration key
HP's claims of totally hands-free management remain to be
proven, said John Webster, principal IT advisor with the Illuminata
Group. But, he added, the product will still probably be attractive
to small businesses, primarily because of price. "They're right on
with their price point on this -- it seems pretty attractive," he
said.
The product currently does not support integration with tape,
but a software upgrade this year will add the ability to migrate
data to a local
LTO-2 drive in the box, according to Adam
Thew, director of marketing in HP's StorageWorks division. For
now, users must set up tape drives separately, which Thew
encouraged for offsite disaster recovery purposes.
The D2D110 is priced at $1,999 without Data Protection Express
software and $2,999 with the software bundled in. The D2D120 is
priced at $2,999 without software and $3,999 with software. Both
products are available through resellers, as well as directly
through HP's Web site.
"This is a step up from the Best Buy marketing channel,
somewhere between the
network attached storage (NAS) device you
can get off the shelf for backups and HP's all-in-one box,"
Webster said. "They're exploring how far downmarket they can go
with backup devices."
Webster said that this product could have a number of future
directions with software and firmware updates. "They could package
it for digital-photo consumers along with one of their photo
printers," he said. "Or it could be positioned as an email
archiving device for SMBs -- they don't have as many compliance
issues as the big guys, but there could be a market for it as SMBs
look to avoid legal exposure."
HP is far from alone among the big players in attempting to
reach SMBs with storage, but Webster said its consumer and PC
background, as well as its relationship with Microsoft, make it the
player to beat. "They're down there slugging away with Dell,"
Webster said. "They build with Microsoft compatibility and the
Microsoft user community in mind."
Webster said that in his estimation, Windows users at the low
end "judge products differently" from their enterprise counterparts
with mixed operating system environments. "Automation is a big part
of that," Webster said, as is another area HP doesn't yet have a
story around with this product -- reporting tools. "I think that'll
also be coming next," he said.