Network Appliance Adds Native Windows 2000 Support to Data ONTAP

ENT, March 26, 2001 by Jim Martin

Network Appliance, a leading NAS vendor, recently unveiled native Windows 2000 support with the latest version of its operating system. In addition, Network Appliance continued to expand its storage and content delivery portfolio with the introduction of four new appliances.

For Microsoft users, the big news is that Data ONTAP 6.1 -- Network Appliance's operating system, now includes native Windows 2000 support in addition to continued Windows NT, Unix, and Web support.

"Previously we were only able to support Windows 2000 in NT mode," says Judy Borcy, senior manager, systems software, at Network Appliance. "We believe this is the first time a NAS supplier is doing this."

Data ONTAP 6.1 enables NetApp filers to participate as a Windows 2000 member server. Version 6.1 also provides support for Active Directory, using LDAP to communicate with Active Directory services. "Our customers wanted Active Directory support, and the way to accomplish this was by adding native Windows 2000 support," Borcy says.

Data ONTAP now provides access to a scalable directory service, allows folders to be searched, and can reduce the number of folders a company might need.

"Customers need data access anywhere, anytime, and that's what our software enables companies to do," Borcy says.

In other Network Appliance news, the company added three new storage appliances to its product line: the F85, F820, and F820C.

NetApp F85 is an entry-level system primarily designed for remote or branch offices, as well as medium-sized businesses. It scales to 648 GB, has 99.99 percent availability, and includes a dual 10/100 Gigabit Ethernet option. With a base price of $13,900, Network Appliance is touting the offering as a cost-efficient option for companies with limited IT resources. "Its very economical. It can be deployed at a very cost-effective price," Borcy says.

The F820 and F820C fall between the high-end F840 and F840C storage appliance filers and the F760. The NetApp F820 filer scales up to 3 TB and "has 50 percent greater performance than the F760," Borcy says.

For enterprises that are looking for a more reliable and powerful storage solution, the F820C features an integrated fail-over maximizing system capability and can scale up to 6 TB of raw storage capacity. The list price for the 820C is $195,000. The 820 is $70,000.

Addressing the growth of streaming media applications, Net Apps also introduced the NetCache C3100. The content delivery appliance for large enterprise branches enables applications such as distance learning and internal communications. The C3100 is much like the C6100, but it is less powerful and less expensive. It scales up to 252 GB of storage and includes HTTP performance greater than 90 Mbps, broadcast streaming greater than 300 Mbps, and streaming performance greater than 2,000 Mbps.