Pogo Linux StorageDirector Z Integrates NexentaStor 2.0


SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - July 20, 2009) - Pogo Linux today announced the availability of the StorageDirector Z250, Z350 and Z450, the newest storage appliances in Pogo's managed-storage product line. These new systems launch with two major improvements over past offerings -- support for Intel's Xeon 5500 series processors, and an upgrade to the newly released NexentaStor 2.0. The price holds firm, staying under $10,000 for 22TB (terrabytes) of managed storage and expansion possibilities to over 100TB. Building on the success of the original StorageDirector product line -- marrying the hardware storage expertise of Pogo Linux to the NexentaStor ZFS-based unified storage appliance software -- the StorageDirector Z continues to lead the pack as the storage solution for customers who want enterprise features at a greatly-reduced price. With the addition of NexentaStor 2.0 and Intel's Xeon 5500 series processors, the StorageDirector offers increased performance and supports new features such as active/active high-availability clustering.

With the inclusion of the ZFS-based NexentaStor 2.0 into the latest StorageDirector products, customers now have access to a rare feature in a commodity storage solution -- true active/active failover between system pairs. This feature, until now only available in solutions which cost at least 5x as much, provides a level of uptime and reliablity previously unavailable at this price point. NexentaStor 2.0 also includes many feature updates, useability upgrades, and increased support for iSCSI management and Windows backups.

Under the hood, the StorageDirector Z series has been upgraded to the new Intel Xeon 5500 series processors and chipset. The 5500 series is a major step forward by Intel, featuring a new memory configuration using DDR3 memory and the Quickpath Interconnect. DDR3 memory allows for increased bandwidth and lower latency. This, combined with the point-to-point connections of the Quickpath Interconnect, translates into faster and more efficient communication between processors and memory. In addition to being a faster architecture, the Intel Xeon 5500 series also offers increased power savings. Compared to previous generations, the new architecture provides a big improvement in performance per watt.

The StorageDirector now includes the option of Nexenta's gold-level support package. Gold support includes an extra level of personalized service, with 24/7/365 phone help from a Nexenta support engineer, in addition to standard email support. Additional hardware support options are also available, including on-site support and 24/7/365 service. Gold-level support, and the optional initial configuration assistance option, provides users with the support they need to get up and running -- and stay that way.

"With the increased performance the new Intel platform provides, and the update to NexentaStor 2.0, the StorageDirector Z series is the perfect option for customers looking to free themselves from expensive proprietary storage solutions," said Erik Logan, President of Pogo Linux. "With features like active/active failover, faster performance and improved support options, the StorageDirector provides the features customers want at a price they are very comfortable with."

The StorageDirector Z250, Z350 and Z450 have a raw capacity of up to 10TB, 14TB or 22TB of data, respectively. In addition, SAS expansion disk enclosures can be added, enabling a single system to easily grow to well over a 100TB. With the use of additional iSCSI targets and build-in initiator, there are no limits to the size of the name space that can be created. Prices for the systems start at around $7,000 for a 10TB Z250, $8,500 for a 14TB Z350 and $10,000 for a 22TB Z450 (raw storage).

"The release of the StorageDirector series based on the Intel Xeon 5500 series of processors is a clear demonstration of the benefits of OpenStorage with NexentaStor 2.0. Unlike legacy storage customers, users of the StorageDirector from PogoLinux can experience today's high performance hardware and are not at risk of continuously falling behind the relentless march of Moore's Law," said Evan Powell, CEO of Nexenta Systems.

For more information on the newest additions to the StorageDirector product line, please visit Pogo Linux at Booth 417 at the O'Reilly Open Source Convention July 21st-23rd in San Jose, California.

About Pogo Linux

Founded in 1999, Pogo Linux, Inc. is a workstation, server, and storage vendor based in Seattle, Washington. With a multi-OS focus and in-house technical expertise, the company is dedicated to providing affordable, reliable, and energy efficient Linux, Solaris, and Windows-based systems. For more information about Pogo Linux, please visit: www.pogolinux.com or call: 1 (888) 828-POGO (7646).

About Nexenta Systems

Founded in 2005 and privately held, Nexenta Systems, Inc. has developed NexentaStor™, the leading open storage enterprise class NAS/SAN solution and sponsors NexentaCore, an open source operating system that combines the high performance and reliability of OpenSolaris with the ease of use and breadth of applications of Linux. Both solutions leverage the revolutionary file system ZFS. More information about Nexenta Systems, Inc. and free trials of the ZFS-based NexentaStor can be found at www.nexenta.com or call: (877) 862-7770. Day to day info on Nexenta can be found on Twitter: @nexenta.