I'd like to play around with a small inexpensive SAN at home. Storage
capacity or performance is not a concern something like a 4 or 5 year
old EMC, HP or IBM box. Any suggestions?

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On May 5, 9:37 pm, mtu...@aol.com wrote:
> I'd like to play around with a small inexpensive SAN at home. Storage
> capacity or performance is not a concern something like a 4 or 5 year
> old EMC, HP or IBM box. Any suggestions?


Why not set up an old PC with Linux as an iSCSI host?  In additional
to the storage device being basically free, you'll save a bundle on
Fibre Channel HBAs that way too (since you'll get to use ordinary
Ethernet hardware instead).

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I've already done that but I was hoping to get some hands on
experience with a FC SAN and play with the SAN switch etc.

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On May 5, 7:37 pm, mtu...@aol.com wrote:
> I'd like to play around with a small inexpensive SAN at home. Storage
> capacity or performance is not a concern something like a 4 or 5 year
> old EMC, HP or IBM box. Any suggestions?

If you need a SAN switch (which you would need unless you get a
storage array that happen to have enough ports to direct-attach all
your hosts), see if you can find a QLogic SANBox 8 port, like this
one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/QLogic-SANbox-2...VQQcmdZViewItem

Next, a small FC based storage array, Xyratex or similar:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Xyratex-4200-1-...VQQcmdZViewItem
I have used the Xyratex 4200 with dual "726"(chaparral) controllers
and 16x 250GB SATA disks extensively.
Lower scale might be a NexSan SATAboy or SATAblade, i've used a 1U
unit with 2 FC connections and room for 8 SATA drives.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Nexsan-SATABlad...VQQcmdZViewItem

The prices add up really fast, it's not a cheap technology, by any
stretch.

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Thanks for the suggestions. Yes those are too pricey for home lab
usage. Dell/EMC has an even cheaper solution the AX100 but again
anything over $2k is out of my range. I was hoping to find 4 or 5 year
old HP or IBM box but I guess not.

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mtumse@aol.com wrote:
> I'd like to play around with a small inexpensive SAN at home. Storage
> capacity or performance is not a concern something like a 4 or 5 year
> old EMC, HP or IBM box. Any suggestions?
>
I was curious about SAN technology, and found a FREE Windows ISCSI HOST
software (www.iscsicake.com).  This is a full ISCSI HOST, allowing you
to set up a SAN STORAGE device on any computer.  I have used it with
Windows 2000, Win XP and Windows 2003.  It does not have all the bells
and whisltes, but for the cost, you can't go wrong.
Apparently, they use it in Chinese Internet Cafe's, giving people
temporary remote storage.  I found it works fairly well.  IT would be
best to segment your network (2 NETWORK CARDS, one for the ISCSI
Traffic), but it works oo my system.
Just my $0.02

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mtumse@aol.com wrote:
> I'd like to play around with a small inexpensive SAN at home. Storage
> capacity or performance is not a concern something like a 4 or 5 year
> old EMC, HP or IBM box. Any suggestions?
>
nimbus is giving away their MYSAN software.  It works on Windows 2003SP1
(Ihad to retrgrade from SP2), but I have it running at home and work.  I
t is their same software (well, lite edition) that they use
on their breeze SAN units. I have about 8 partitions, and it seems to
work well.

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I don't understand how "had to retrgade from SP2" and "works well" can
happen at the same time... So you've compromised your server OS
security only to run iSCSI target??? Sounds like a bad joke to me.

It's not the same software. Nimbus "breeze SAN units" are really
generic "Made in China" 2U boxes with ordinary Linux inside and "HALO"
sticker outside, there's no Windows 2003. Get the one from eBay or
used hardware reseller (people tend to dump 'em) for cheap, take a
screwdriver and... You know the truth 

-ichiro

The Computer Dood wrote:
> mtumse@aol.com wrote: 
> nimbus is giving away their MYSAN software.  It works on Windows 2003SP1
> (Ihad to retrgrade from SP2), but I have it running at home and work.  I
> t is their same software (well, lite edition) that they use
>   on their breeze SAN units. I have about 8 partitions, and it seems to
> work well.

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