I don't know how I missed this, but a few days ago HP introduced the newest member of their StorageWorks Modular Smart Array (MSA) family; the MSA2000, for dedicated, low-cost block storage. The MSA2000fc is designed to support a traditional 4Gb/s fibrechannel storage network, while the MSA2000i is designed to support 1Gb/s iSCSI.
Both models can support up to twelve 3.5" SAS (3Gb/s transfer rate) or SATA (1.5Gb/s transfer rate) drives internally and each array can support up to 3 additional drive enclosures or a maximum of 48 drives. A fully populated MSA2000 can provide a maximum of 14TB raw storage using 300GB (15,000 RPM) SAS drives or 35TB raw storage using 750GB (7200 RPM) SATA drives.
The MSA2000fc can provide storage for up to 64 Windows 2003, Linux (Red Hat & SuSe) and VMware hosts, while the number of hosts supported by the MSA2000i is 16. Both arrays can support multiple RAID levels (0, 1, 3, 5, 6, 10 or 50) to best fit the needs of your organization and applications.
Advanced features such as Snapshot or Cloning can also be implemented through optional software. According to the press release, "the entry-level external storage market was $2.8 billion in 2006 and HP garnered a market-leading 21 percent market share in this segment in 2007". It looks they're working to increase that market share with the introduction of the MSA2000. This array will have a U.S. list price of $4,999 with general availability expected in March. Do you think the MSA2000 will be a hit with SMBs?
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