Hello,
I just joined this mailing list, mainly to hear comments about the NetApps in practice. Our lab is planning to (maybe) purchase a NetApp F220. The simple question is: Is it worth it? ie. where are the true savings that justify the high price?
As a comparison, it's possible to get the same amount of NFS disk with 2-3 times less $$. Will the additional features make up for it..
What was the deciding factor for you to get it?
(Sorry if this is a boring FAQ)
//Janne
Janne Frosen penned:
I just joined this mailing list, mainly to hear comments about the NetApps in practice. Our lab is planning to (maybe) purchase a NetApp F220. The simple question is: Is it worth it? ie. where are the true savings that justify the high price?
As a comparison, it's possible to get the same amount of NFS disk with 2-3 times less $$. Will the additional features make up for it..
What was the deciding factor for you to get it?
(Sorry if this is a boring FAQ)
I just asked it; I got many replies. I will forward them to you!
Regards,
David K. Drum david@more.net -- "That man has a rare gift for obfuscation." -- ST:DS9 * "It's hard to be bored when you're as stupid as a line." -- Vernor Vinge * "Reality has a tendency to be so uncomfortably real." -- Neil Peart * "You can only measure the size of your head from the inside." -- Larry Wall
+--- In our lifetime, Janne Frosen jaf@mail.cs.hut.fi wrote: | | I just joined this mailing list, mainly to hear comments about the | NetApps in practice. Our lab is planning to (maybe) purchase a NetApp | F220. The simple question is: Is it worth it? ie. where are the true | savings that justify the high price? | | As a comparison, it's possible to get the same amount of NFS disk with | 2-3 times less $$. Will the additional features make up for it.. | | What was the deciding factor for you to get it?
(while this was addressed recently, I will throw my $0.02 worth).
NetApp is doing some renumbering of their filers. I cannot remember what the new numbers are, but I seem to recall that the 220 and 330 become the 210 or 230.
At any rate, the limit with the f220 is the size of the filesystem. You can only put 50G in it. The f330 can do 100G. Even when the 9G disks come out, the filesystem limits remain.
They all run the same OS, so feature wise they are the same: excellent.
Is the price worth it? Absolutely. Right now NetApp is running a deal on the f220. For $25k you can get a filer with 1 full tray (7 disks). The disks alone are worth $16k ($2350 per 4G disk).
Yes, you can get a Sun and throw 20G worth of disks for about the same price (or less) but you do not get the same performance, administration or reliability.
I used NAC's at my previous job (quite heavily), we have an Auspex now (what a hunk of crap) and I am ordering 2 f540's w/ 100G. We are betting the farm on them (quite literally).
love them NAC's
Alexei
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alexei＠cimedia.com -
David Drum -
Janne Frosen