Company introduces industry's first iSCSI storage system The latest sign that the iSCSI protocol has arrived comes in the form of a storage array from startup EqualLogic — the first native iSCSI target system on the market.The Nashua, N.H.-based company on Monday introduced PeerStorage Array 100E, a 3U rack-mountable storage array that uses the iSCSI protocol as the means to transfer data.Peter Hayden, CEO and co-founder of EqualLogic, explained that the new array is based on the company’s previously announced architecture, dubbed PeerStorage, which was designed to let the PeerStorage arrays to act as peers. This means that up to 32 of the 2.5TB systems can be clustered together and work in concert without administrator intervention. Hayden explained any new array added to the cluster is automatically recognized and configured to the pool of storage. Additionally, the system will automatically load balance and redistribute the data and work load across the newly added peer. EqualLogic classifies the array as a midrange product and sees it competing with Fiber Channel (FC)-based arrays from the likes of Hewlett-Packard, IBM, EMC, and others; yet the company has no delusions of replacing installed FC-based gear.“We’re focused on the enterprise datacenter, but we have no intentions of displacing or replacing FC,” Hayden said. “FC is working great. Anything that is already on FC will stay.”Hayden was quick to point out, however, that analysts’ estimate 75 percent of installed storage today is still directly attached to the server, meaning a huge market opportunity still exists. He believes enterprises looking to consolidate storage will look at IP-based storage solutions as a cheaper alternative to FC. “Customers will choose one or the other,” said Hayden in reference to iSCSI-based storage and FC-based storage. “However they’ve reached the practical limits of FC, both [in terms of] cost and complexity.”Hayden also doesn’t foresee enterprises connecting FC and IP-based arrays together.“The advantage of a startup is not having an existing product line,” Hayden said. “We’re approaching with a blank sheet of paper and not adhering to the old rules.” A single 100E contains 14 serial ATA (SATA) drives that can be replaced with higher capacity drives and better performing disk as they become available. The array also comes equipped with 3-Gigabit Ethernet interfaces, which are used to cluster the arrays. EqualLogic’s roadmap will support 10-Gigabit Ethernet and forthcoming serial-attached SCSI drives — two moves that will speed up the array and keep down its cost. The company also believes the architecture will be able to scale to support 100 connected arrays.The 100E began shipping last month; the company already has three paying customers that were part of the company’s beta program.A single array is priced at $28,500, which is roughly 1.2 cents per MB, the company said. Technology Industry