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F5 ARX

F5 Enhances Data Management Solutions

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F5 Networks today announced new software releases for its ARX file virtualization system and Data Manager storage management solution. The new capabilities in both products enable organizations to better control storage costs, improve capacity utilization and forecasting, and unlock maximum value from their existing file storage assets, all of which are key corporate mandates in today’s economy. In addition, F5 announced the new “ARX Fast Start” package available in North America to make it easier and more cost-effective for organizations of all sizes to reap the benefits of file virtualization.

Version 5.0 of Data Management Operating System, the common software powering all F5 ARX file virtualization solutions, introduces new features that simplify automated tiered storage deployments and enhance data protection and recovery. Highlights of version 5.0 include:

  • Easier deployment of a virtualized file storage environment with seamless import functionality that gives users continuous access to file data throughout the implementation process
  • Improved data protection capabilities for virtualized storage environments, including a file tracking capability, which dramatically simplifies file restoration from backup media and virtual snapshot capability for Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service
  • Support for Microsoft Windows 2008, making it easy for organizations to migrate to the next generation of Windows storage and clients, without user or application downtime

Data Manager version 2.5 improves storage reporting and forecasting in large file storage environments and introduces new cost savings analysis capabilities to help businesses better understand areas for potential cost reduction in their environment. In addition to providing detailed information such as file age, types of files, and which resources are being consumed, Data Manager 2.5 can project potential cost savings of storage tiering policies based on actual customer data.

F5 ARX with Data Management Operating System version 5.0 and Data Manager version 2.5 will be available in May 2009.

F5 Networks Preparing New File Virtualization Software and Hardware Products

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File virtualization specialist F5 Networks is set to announce a pair of new products next week for moving and managing unstructured data.

The first of the planned products is the F5 ARX4000, a switch that provides global namespace and data management policies through an operating system common across all ARX models. The ARX4000 is also the first of the company’s file virtualization switches to support 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) networking.

The second new offering is the F5 Data Manager, a software-based management platform that runs on a Windows machine and interfaces directly with all file storage devices and ARX switches. The Data Manager gathers file storage statistics and provides graphical reporting and trending functions, all of which is designed to help customers plan for future growth.

Nigel Burmeister, director of product marketing at F5 Networks, says the ARX4000 fills a scalability and performance gap in the company’s current product line, while the Data Manager will give customers more control over how they manage and grow capacity for file storage.

The Data Manager software interfaces with back-end file systems and F5’s ARX file virtualization switches to monitor data in both physical and virtual environments. Data Manager collects a range of statistics, including file type, age, size, and more, using an optional File System Inventory Module (FSIM). The software rounds up that information and generates cumulative reports across a customer’s entire virtual infrastructure.

Customers can now download a free, 40-day trial version of Data Manager. The base price for the software is $1,500 and the cost of the FSIM is $10,000. The ARX4000, also available now, can support approximately two billion files and features 12 1GbE ports or two 10GbE ports in a 4U-high rack for $185,000.