Dell NX4 is an exceptionally flexible, enterprise-class file-storage solution that can save time and lower costs in mixed Windows® and Linux®/UNIX™ environments. Some features include:
- Easy sharing of files between Windows, Linux and UNIX clients
- Single management interface and at-a-glance system status and monitoring
- No-compromise availability
- Virtual provisioning to help optimize storage utilization
- Built-in compression and file deduplication to help Increase storage efficiency
- Optional 10Gb connectivity for network attached storage (NAS) and Internet SCSI (iSCSI)
Seamless File Sharing in Windows, Linux and UNIX environments
Now users in Windows, Linux, and UNIX environments can share files easily and efficiently. Dell NX4 network attached storage is an exceptionally flexible, enterprise-class file storage solution that can help you save administrative time and lower costs in your mixed file-protocol environment.
Simple, Centralized Management Adds Control and Saves Time
The Dell NX4 NAS device comes preloaded with powerful, feature-rich Celerra® Manager software with an intuitive, web-based management and at-a-glance system status and monitoring. With the Dell NX4 NAS you can:
- Increase storage utilization
- Improve backup and restore
- Migrate data easily
Celerra Startup Assistant performs software initialization—you can be sharing files on the network in as little as 15 minutes from power-up. Celerra Automated Volume Management lets you provision a file system by workload in only four clicks. Simply enter the file system name and size, select the workload type, and Automated Volume Management does the rest. You get ease-of-use without sacrificing enterprise-class functionality.
Administrators can complete everyday tasks from storage provisioning to data archiving fast — freeing up time to concentrate on your other critical business requirements.
No-Compromise Availability
The Dell NX4 network storage solution can be deployed in Primary/Standby mode when downtime is not tolerable or in Primary/Primary mode when performance is critical. Transparent, dynamic failover to a hot standby X-Blade with no change in performance helps you achieve non-stop file access. In the event of an X-Blade failover, DART uses a metadata logging facility to recover within seconds or minutes.
Celerra SnapSure™ software creates copies of file systems and iSCSI logical units (LUNs) for online backups and fast recovery of deleted files. The Celerra FileMover application programming interface (API) provides simple data tiering and integration with backup and archiving. Mix application or workload environments to meet your tiered storage needs, and move files between tiers of storage automatically, based on policies. Dell NX4's file-level retention gets you disk-based write once, read many (WORM) functionality.
Optional Celerra Replicator™ software creates point-in-time, read-only/read-write complies of production file systems on local or remote Dell NX4 systems, providing multi-set protection and simplifying administration with easy-to-define business policies, including recovery point objectives (RPOs).
Dell NX4 NAS device can be configured for failsafe networking that tolerates failure of the primary adapter or an external switch or router.
Optimize Storage Utilization with Virtual Provisioning
Prepare for future data growth now — without overinvesting in costly hardware. Celerra Virtual Provisioning lets you size file systems and iSCSI LUNs to required capacity logically, while physically provisioning them with less — so valuable storage capacity doesn't sit idly in a file system or LUN until it's required. Automatic File System extension and Dynamic iSCSI LUN extensions allow you to increase physical allocation on the fly, as needed. Virtual Provisioning takes only two steps: first, set the logical size and then set the high-water mark.
Increase Storage Efficiency with File Deduplication and Compression
Dell NX4 network storage solution combines file-level deduplication and compression to intelligently reduce storage space usage. A built-in policy engine works in the background, transparently assessing inactive data and compressing and single-instancing files, resulting in space savings as high as 30 to 40 percent.
You can enable deduplication on a file system-by-file system basis with a single click.
Ultra Flexible Deployment, Network Attached Storage, Internet SCSI and Fibre Channel Connectivity
The Dell NX4 fits easily into existing environments because it supports 10Gbit NAS and iSCSI and 4 Gbit Fibre Channel (FC) connectivity. You can consolidate file and block storage into a single Dell NX4 system, bring stranded application servers under control, and simplify administration with just one system to manage.
