Description
The D-Link DSN-1100-10 xStack Storage 4x1GbE iSCSI SAN Array provides a smaller, more value-oriented solution for entry-level and SMB customers. The heart of the DSN-1100-10 is based on the same powerful System-on-a-Chip (SoC) design found in larger arrays such as the DSN-3000 Series of products, but housed in a smaller chassis. Utilizing a 10Gbit iSCSI SoC solution that can handle over 80,000 I/Os per second, the DSN-1100-10 is capable of supporting 10TBs of raw capacity using 2TB hard drives (and even higher capacity hard drives as they are introduced). The DSN-1100-10 can easily be implemented as nearline storage or as a supplement to your primary backup and recovery device. This evolutionary advancement in performance is a testament to the tightly integrated xStack Storage architecture and is a sharp contrast to the discrete implementation of competing products.
iSCSI for IP Networks
SAN has been traditionally reserved for Fibre Channel networks until the recent introduction of iSCSI extended this powerful yet simple centralized backend storage system to IP networks. By utilizing existing Ethernet technology, the cost associated with separate host bus adapters and the per-Gigabyte cost for storage is significantly reduced. iSCSI SANs can leverage the Ethernet infrastructure and standards that are already familiar to your IT staff.
Four 1GbE Interfaces
The DSN-1100-10 implements four 1GbE ports that support IEEE 802.3ad Link Aggregation Groups (LAG) for full offload capability. This allows all four ports to be grouped together for up to 425MB/s bandwidth, increasing throughput and redundancy.
System-on-a-Chip (SoC) Implementation
By utilizing a SoC design, the DSN-1100-10 combines both networking and storage functions into a single specialized Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC). The SoC solution combines 10Gbps iSCSI, TCP & IP offload, embedded processors, and storage virtualization firmware onto a single chip. The tight integration of these functions eliminates interoperability, timing, and support issues found in competitive products that offer discrete implementation wherein all the various components are chosen separately and then assembled. The DSN-1100-10 outperforms these discrete implementations and does so at a lower price point, while delivering mission-critical data quickly with state-of-the-art reliability.
RAID for Efficiency
The DSN-1100-10 features five hot swappable Serial ATA (SATA) disk drive bays supporting 10TB raw capacity using 2TB hard drives (and even higher capacity hard drives as they are introduced) in RAID level 0, 1, 1+0 and 5 configurations. You can quickly deploy a SAN using inexpensive SATA disk drives and, depending on your growing storage needs, you can simply add more drives as you go.
Embedded Centralized Storage Management
The embedded, user-friendly IP-SAN Device Manager (IDM) provides comprehensive network storage management. Boasting a rich set of management features, this suite of utilities allows monitoring and control of your SAN via the Storage Management Initiative-Specification (SMI-S) command set. Combined with an embedded secure server, users will be able to remotely configure and monitor their SAN storage subsystems.
Advanced Management Features
The DSN-1100-10 provides additional advanced features for efficient management of network storage and optimal performance.
For the fastest RAID performance offered in the industry, the D-Link adaptive cache management provides write coalescing and multi-stream read-ahead on a volume basis, optimizing cache utilization and performance in an application-dependent manner. Volatile cache data protection is afforded via an on-board battery that is designed to back up to 1GB of cached memory for at least 72 hours. A write-back or write-through cache memory policy can be selected manually or automatically, depending on the batterys charge.
VLAN Zoning supports IEEE 802.1q VLAN tagging to segregate traffic into isolated zones for secure access and jumbo frames, improving network throughput and reducing CPU overhead.
Volume Virtualization utilizes the concept of storage Extents. Extents are the fundamental building blocks used to enable features such as RAID, online capacity expansion and volume migration. Drives of dissimilar size can be used to create volumes. Growth can occur without volume migration or reconstruction. Single drives can contain multiple and divergent RAID technologies. Volume structure can also provide infrastructure for Snapshot copies.
RAID Support for RAID Levels 0, 1, 1+0 and 5 (striped sets, mirrored sets, striped mirrored sets, and parity sets) allows for different storage options.
Online Capacity Expansion and RAID Level Migration are performed online with minimal impact on users. For example, a mirror volume of two drives can easily be converted to a parity volume of three or more drives while users continue to access this storage.
Micro Rebuilds provide protection against unresponsive SATA commands by forcing a response within a preset time limit.
An iSCSI array can prove to be a valuable tool to supplement your network storage foundation. Whether providing a low-cost block-based solution for data backup and recovery, replacement of Direct-Attached Storage (DAS) drives, or providing a cost-effective entry-level nearline storage solution, the DSN-1100-10 can meet all of your immediate needs.
