Dell AX150, AX150i, EMC2 AX150, EMC2 AX150i Brief

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The Dell/EMC AX150
and AX150i can be
deployed in 4 simple
steps and offer highly
available networked
storage at breakthrough

ricing

INFOBrief

Dell |EMC AX150/AX150i

Network Storage System

Key Points

• Shared storage for up to 10 servers using either a familiar Gigabit

Ethernet (“AX150i”) or a higher performance Fibre Channel (FC)
network (“AX150”).

• Customer installable and scalable - Ideal for small businesses or

departments/workgroups in large enterprises. Simple, appliance-like
installation process helps you deploy a SAN (Storage Area Network)
in four easy steps

• Large storage capacity – scales from 750GB up to 6 TB of storage

• Data protection – Redundant storage processors, fully redundant “N+1

Power” and UPS or battery-backed cache create a highly available
architecture. SATA-II hard drives provide increased performance
versus standard SATA drives.

• Simplified, integrated management features– Includes all the easy-to-use

software you need for management, snapshots, and automated data
path failover. And, you can add servers to the array at no additional
software cost.

Dell Enterprise Systems Group Page 1 March 2006

Background

Organizations of all sizes rely on digital information. This information
must be highly available and secure at all times, to keep employees
working, satisfy regulatory entities, and serve customer

But business information is growing each year, with no end in sight. You
need to manage this growing information pool—without a lot of manual
intervention or additional staff. Small to medium size businesses, remote
offices of large corporations and local government agencies all feel pressed
because they need the quality and reliability of high-end storage platforms,
without the high price and demands on their technical staff. They need
solutions that are easy to install and use, and simple to redeploy in a
variety of ways as their storage needs change.

To keep information safe and available, many growing organizations are
turning more and more to Storage Area Networks (SANs). A SAN is a
high-speed, special purpose network that connects data-storage devices,
such as disk arrays and tape libraries, to servers. With the AX100 and
AX100i, Dell and EMC first made the advantages of SANs available to
smaller, budget-conscious organizations. The Dell/EMC AX150 and
AX150i build on those award-winning platforms, bringing new levels of
reliability and availability to entry-level SAN storage

Product Description

The Dell/EMC AX150 (Fibre Channel) and AX150i (iSCSI/Ethernet)
storage systems are entry-level storage arrays that enable organizations to
share storage with up to 10 servers. These arrays scale from 750 GB to 6TB,
and come with EMC's powerful yet easy to use integrated management
software

The AX150 and AX150i offer several much-appreciated features from the
Dell/EMC CX family in a lower price class. Now you can enjoy simple,
robust management, snapshot copy, and automated failover, all in a
product from the trusted Dell and EMC brands.

The AX150 and AX150i make it possible for small organizations with
limited budgets and technical expertise to migrate from direct-attached
storage to take advantage of what SANs have to offer: simplified,
centralized management, improved utilization, and streamlined backups.

Integrated Management Features Make It Easy

The AX150 is bundled with all the easy-to-use software you need to assure
data availability. Once you connect the AX150 to a server, the installation
and setup wizards help you configure the system for your needs in four
simple steps. Friendly, wizard-assisted software makes it easy to add other
devices, such as servers and switches, and perform all other management
tasks.

Dell Enterprise Systems Group Page 2 March 2006

• Easy, centralized management lets you provision the exact amount of

storage you need, then securely assign it to a server—all from one
console.

• Automated failover software reroutes data to an alternative path in the

SAN should a component fail, to help ensure that you have continuous
access to your information.

• Snapshot software helps you recover lost or corrupted data, and

provides offline copies for secondary processes such as backup,
testing, and data mining.

• Support for Microsoft® Windows®, Novell® NetWare®*, Sun®

Solaris®

*

, VMWare®* and Linux® operating systems

• Single console management of CX and AX arrays with optional

management software.

Figure1 – Array-based management software: browser-based
management for the AX150 and AX150i

*

Available for AX150 only.

Dell Enterprise Systems Group Page 3 March 2006