1. LINUX has a 2TB file system limit. Solaris has a 1TB limit. NetApp has something
like a 6TB limit. 96Tbytes is the most number of disk shelves (24) that can
be hooked into that filer. I would much rather have 16 file systems with NetApp
than 48 file systems with LINUX.
Ok, but I still don't understand - the 96TB @ 24 shelves is based on a certain size disk drive - if disk drives double in size, does that mean you can do 192TB @ 24 shelves, or is there some restriction in the filer code that does not let you exceed the published maximum ?
BTW ... FreeBSD has an 8TB limit with a 2k blocksize, and 16TB limit with 8K blocks. This information is as of 3.0-CURRENT (very very old), so I assume it has improved/stabilized since then.
I'm not saying that NetApp is always better, but they have their place in the overall scheme.
Small NAS boxes are getting really good and NetApp is responding to the market that they
choose to, which I would characterize as the "more fully featured solution" that has a
higher return to NetApp.
Well, I am all for making my own FreeBSD based NAS system, but again, I really want (need ?) the nice features like snapmirror and snapshot copies, and unmounting the volume every time I want to take a snapshot seems unreasonable. On the other hand, I do not have enough money to buy a fully loaded R200, even if it does bring the cost per megabyte down to .006.
I think I am going to need to look at competing, smaller hungrier companies that make IDE NAS devices that can do things like snapmirror and snapshot copies. I guess NetApp is just not for me (or my budget).