Microsoft is in storage all aspects of users don't get enough attention, but for the original storage software for manufacturers, Microsoft will no doubt is a very powerful opponent.
Microsoft in storage for livestock already for a long time
When thought of network storage, you mind first emerging, and may not be Microsoft, but the company has recently announced that it would soon of sale in persistent data protection software. This makes storage customers and other manufacturers to recognize, Microsoft to this market attitude is very serious.
To the customer is, this is a new market, and are with unprecedented speed rapid growth. Microsoft's System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) to join will provide our customers with a wider range of choices, so that customers can continuous backup storage content and allows users to search out those very likely to lose precious documents.
For storage management makers, Microsoft's new product means a sign, that is, Microsoft is no longer auxiliary products supporting the development. Microsoft as early as a few years ago joined the storage market, but mainly selling some tools, other manufacturers are using these tools to build applicable to Windows network storage systems. Now, Microsoft have come to the front desk, also began to provide storage products, and with these companies formed the competition of the relationship.
DPM can backup file server and network connection Windows storage device of data, and generated 64 snapshots. This kind of technology and many other continuous data maintain product have some differences, because it makes the end users will be free to recover the data. DPM sells for 950 dollars every three set protected server. The software running on a server, and from local or remote file server to back up the data. It can keep straight to the data even disk storage for later use tape records.
According to Microsoft product manager Ben Matheson says, DPM reflects Microsoft store strategy of article 3 principle: the first principle is to make Windows to become the best storage platform; Article 2 is with the storage partners create a wide range of storage ecological system; And the third is the introduction of new storage products article.
Microsoft from 2000 to start to provide Storage products, and introduced a Server Appliance Kit (SAK), namely now Windows Storage Server. The toolkit for system manufacturers offer for Windows network development NAS system effective tools. According to Gartner said, from the initial no market to today 41% of market share, Windows based NAS system in two short years made great development. And for the private software based on the storage products but lost market share half of the mountain. Including Dell, HP and EMC, 40 manufacturers are currently in the development of the specification according to Microsoft their NAS system.
In 2002, Microsoft released a variety of types of storage technology, make other company's software can better in Windows network operation. As examples of successful kit, Microsoft of these products and not viewed as in eating into storage industry partners share of the market.
Microsoft's storage technology-Volume Shadow Copy Service and Multipath I/O-were largely at for other products in provide auxiliary support. Microsoft claims it is engaged in the development of storage technology staff has reached 200 people. Volume Shadow Copy Service can realize the automation network backup roll, and Multipath I/O make the manufacturer can in the mainframe computer storage area network equipment and provided between Windows based Multipath redundancy ability.
And those Software different is, DPM is considered to be a direct competitor, and the competition of the object is like Symantec acquired Veritas and CA such old manufacturers, of course, also including Mendocino Software and Mimosa Systems and other emerging enterprise, and is storage resources management AppIQ manufacturers and Creekpath.
For a long time, Microsoft has been with the storage industry independent software manufacturers. For example, the company's NTbackup tape Backup utility is along with Windows NT and 2000 sold at the same time, but it is actually the new packaging through a simplified version of the Veritas Backup Exec software.
But with the Microsoft will reach further to the storage market, the relationship was also may soon turn to dust. Microsoft and between the partners are cooperative and competitive approach will be intensified. Many analysts and users think Microsoft may be in small and medium enterprise storage market with stronger competitiveness.
Harvard University senior technology designer Ron Hawkins said: "most such enterprise users will be in the beginning there counting on Microsoft to provide solutions, not to look for other manufacturers and make the system becomes more and more trouble."
However, some observers believe that with DPM mature and have more features, it is likely to become enterprise network level products, and with such as IBM and EMC manufacturers products form competitive relationship. Continuous data protection market is still not mature, but but attracted many manufacturers to participate in competition, including the emerging network equipment manufacturers TimeSpring.
Yankee group senior analyst Stephanie Balaouras said: "when DPM have backup application and the database of the power of other manufacturers have to worry,....... Reached this level, this kind of product can be used YuZhongDuan market, will be 500 scale enterprise, and in this level of market, Microsoft's operating system have absolute rule."
But independent analysts Randy Kerns think, the existence of DPM can not make other backup and restore product extinguished. He said: "the other manufacturers products will still be used to tape backup, but the quantity and the use frequency will be much less than it is now." Microsoft's Matheson pointed out that, two years later, the second version will be released DPM support Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server, servers and desktop drives the mirror users file recovery.
The Windows Server 2003 new storage management functions
September 9,, Microsoft for Server 2003 R2 upgrade edition includes the development of many new storage resources and storage area network management characteristics. Start at the end of September, Microsoft will officially release the upgrade to version and allow users to download use through the network. Some of these new features include.
"The File Server resources Manager (File Server Resource Manager), used to store the report and maintenance, including a quota system.
"The basic Storage area network GUI Storage Manager (GUI Storage Manager for SAN), applicable to fiber channel and iSCSI.
"In the Microsoft of service integration is applicable to the Unix NFS support. From now on, no need to use Windows Samba can make Windows (CIFS) and Unix (NFS) realize communication.
"Through the rewrite distributed file services and better compression mechanism to realize the branch office on the file copying.
Microsoft recently in its headquarters and more than 20 to store manufacturers held a meeting, mainly to solve the VDS 1.1 interoperability problems. Accord with Microsoft specifications of products will be able to use "Designed for Windows" logo.
System administrators can VDS 1.1 in the hardware store logic unit management layer number (LUN), and to be able to use more manufacturers of disk array for SAN storage to provide services.
Storage application can use Windows Server 2003 R2 on a standard interface set (API) access to storage hardware or software, and perform start, stop and surveillance activities.
Hardware or software vendors to use the apis, just spoke to them and the products of the interface between specific for writing can. This means that applications will no longer need to every time for each a supplier's products for interface code. Instead, they only need to use Microsoft provides interface can solve all the problems.
It also means the average Windows administrator in the problem can do something more to management networking storage resources, not anxious to seek storage professional help. At the same time, these properties make department or small enterprise more want to use the iSCSI SAN techniques.
