Image by Getty Images via Daylife

     Users of NetBackup’s PureDIsk feature set may have gotten over the hump of the pain, but for the majority, they have ignored Symantec’s product because of complexity of software installation, software configuration, and performance configuration/tuning for a specific storage configuration. 

     Why does this matter?  Because today InQuinox is announcing the release of the SD3, a NetBackup PureDisk Appliance.  By announcement I mean general availability of this product.  So what does this mean for customers?  Typically, InQuinox (known for industry leading consulting services for Symantec products) is engaged to profile NetBackup installations, make recommendations for sizing and configuration of PureDisk, and ultimately contracted for the deployment and tuning of the PureDisk configuration.  While rich in consulting hours, many of the tasks are solved by the SD3 appliances.  These appliances are configured in a few different configurations (SD3-T1, SD3-T4, SD3-T32, & SD3-T96 – data sheet) based on performance and capacity requirements.  These appliances are pre-built with PureDisk installed (licensing offered via InQuinox or other sources, including Symantec), pre-configured with information from a customer’s NetBackup environment and shipped almost plug-n-play to the customer site.  With minimal onsite configuration, validation, and testing these appliances can be up and running in significantly less time then a services engagement.  The T1 and T4 versions of the appliances use captive storage configurations,  The T32 and T96 configurations are powered by ATRATO disk storage (which I’ve covered in the past).  The appliance itself is sourced as a powerful Corvalent hardware platform.  This isn’t just a “install PureDisk”  on a platform with storage play, InQuinox has put time and engineering effort into having options such as remote office solutions, ruggedized solutions, HA configurations, and scalability within the product models.

     Another great thing about this synergy of products simplifying PureDisk, is the recent announcement that PureDisk will be supported for BackUp Exec as well, which opens up a huge potential marketplace.  Claims of storage reduction via implementations of PureDisk are estimated between 40% and 90% depending on the implementation, backup policies, and application types.  For more information on PureDisk, support matrix, and features see Symantec’s website.

Updated: InQuinox Press Release: http://www.inquinox.com/media/news_release_10142009.php

Image via Wikipedia

     I am sitting on a plane from Charlotte to NYC, which airport in the NYC area isn’t important, but how I’m getting there and where I’ve come from right now is.  I’m on my 3rd airline in 48 hours, and will end up in my 4th city.  We talk about green initiatives in IT, the automotive industry, our homes, and our businesses, but I haven’t heard too much about a “green” airplane, maybe because we’d all feel safer knowing that our flights weren’t dependent on solar power or leftover frying oil.   That tangent done, there are many things “green” going on in the world of today.  Denver is about to open it’s first LEEDs compliant apartment building (rating to be determined).  DOE/NREL is in the process of breaking ground for a new LEEDs Platinum campus in Golden, CO.  Business parks all over the U.S. have “green” roofs that support plant life, and not only cool the building but now help support the failing business I’ve had of rooftop lawn mowing services.  Oh, in case you haven’t noticed, this is going to be a rant of rants.  If you think I’m serious please see the latest entry in wiki for serious.

     Let’s be honest, though, some businesses don’t give a crap about being “green”.  A major content delivery company’s IT Director literally said he’d support the burning of whale oil in power plants if it meant it was cheaper to his bottom line.  Ok, maybe it was dirty coal, but you get the point.  I don’t need the Sea Sheppard crew coming and launching an attack on my whale oil power plant, I‘m sure they are already upset about me clubbing a baby seal, which if you’ve never done give it a try, it is much more enjoyable then spilling oil in the ocean, or hunting the Bald Eagle, which taste like chicken in case you’re wondering.

     So here I am heading to one of the more congested cities in the US, and I’m thinking does anyone really give a crap about “greening” IT.  No, I say, they really don’t!  Not for the purpose of spending more money to save the environment, the “green” story they want to hear is how this product, any product will take up less footprint, use less energy, and require less cooling!  Why, not to keep the polar ice caps from melting, but because building a new data center, bringing in new cooling systems, and dropping more circuits costs too much money, oh and electricity, regardless of getting it from the SUN or the WIND, still seems to be going up in price.  If they could buy a product, at a reasonable cost, that was cheaper to run, cooler to run, but killed 20 sea turtles to make, I think we’d still have a lot of takers, maybe even a line, they are slow and easy to catch anyway.

     I like car analogies, does someone really go out and buy a hybrid to reduce greenhouse gasses? No, they want better MPG (Km/L for our metric folks) Why?  Gas isn’t going away, and will only go up in price and it will be cheaper to run a hybrid with that regenerative breaking and electric assist stuff, the only problem is, hybrids are so darn expensive, you have to do a ton of driving just to break even, let alone save money over the traditional fossil burning beasts.

     So where is this rant going?  I’m working on a few opportunities right now where actual rack space, cooling, and electrical needs are critical components because the locations this hardware is going to be going is limited on all of them, oh and the budget is tight too, oh and high performance is critical as well.  It is like the old triangle of IT, where you really can’t ever get all the sides, you have to compromise somewhere.  I told them I’ve got a storage system, very inexpensive (can’t say cheap because that dilutes the value), super fast, gives energy back to the grid, and as a by product of running it, cools the data center, however, once you buy it, you and your family will spend the rest of eternity in Purgatory.  I have had 10,000 units ordered to date, some with conditional P.O.s however, because they want to make sure they are on the other side of Purgatory from their spouses.  I’m looking for investors, my "angel investor” has fallen.

     So, why does any of this matter?  I really don’t know, I’m tired, I’m stuck on a plane, and I have a bunch of readers that typical want something funny, or angry, or inflammatory out of me.  Automakers, try running whale oil in the engines, not like we don’t have a shortage of whales right now.  Airlines, I sign up for the first all solar commercial flight, Iccarus we learned nothing from you.  Baby seals, I do like you guys, but I have a weird whack-a-baby seal fetish lately.  Oh and I hate Soy beans, so there.