Storage device maker Quantum Corp. today introduced the first product in its new Guardian family, the Guardian 14000. Targeted at the mid-tier Network Attached Storage (NAS) server market, the Guardian 14000 can offer a raw capacity of up to 1.4 terabytes of storage in an enclosure that occupies about 3U of space in a vertical equipment rack.
The Guardian 14000 is designed to handle enterprise-level storage of business-critical data while retaining the simple configuration, easy management and integration of Quantum’s well-known Snap Server line. Based on a Linux operating system, the Guardian 14000 sports file system storage support for Microsoft, Mac OS, Linux and UNIX environments. It also supports Active Directory Service (ADS) and UNIX Network Information Service (NIS), two systems commonly used in enterprise environments.
The Guardian 14000 features RAID level 5, 1 or 0 support, and incorporates hot-swappable and redundant disk drives, power supplies and cooling fans. It also features dual Gigabit Ethernet ports with load balancing and failover capabilities. It even has an integrated SCSI port if you want to attach a tape drive to it for direct backup.
Kerberos v5 authentication is supported in Microsoft ADS, while Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) 3.0 is supported as well. Snapshot technology is used to maintain point-in-time file system images, and the Guardian 14000 supports Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) as well, to integrate into SNMP-compliant network management systems. The Guardian 14000’s embedded backup agent support system works with network server backup systems including VERITAS, Legato and CA.
Quantum has recently emphasized the increasing use of Java technology on its line of Snap Servers, and such support is also provided on the Guardian 14000. The company includes standard its Java-based Server-to-Server Synchronization software that enables multiple Quantum NAS servers to exchange data between themselves directly, for redundant backup, data migration or content distribution.
Look for the Guardian 14000 to debut in May via an early access program. General availability will commence this summer. The Guardian 14000 carries a suggested retail price of US$24,900.