InfoWorld review: Data deduplication appliances
Data deduplication appliances from FalconStor, NetApp, and Spectra Logic provide excellent data reduction for production storage, disk-based backups, and virtual tape
Data deduplication appliances at a glance
Cost | Platforms | Pros and cons | Bottom Line | |
---|---|---|---|---|
FalconStor FDS 304 | $29,000 as tested; price ranges from $7,000 to $29,000 | CIFS, NFS, iSCSI; Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet |
| FalconStor's FDS 304 deduplication storage appliance is a solid all-around performer with the added benefit of being the only item in the roundup that's available as a virtual appliance. The deduplication engine provided excellent all-around data reduction, even for Backup Exec backup sets. |
NetApp FAS2040 | Pricing not available (priced on a per-customer basis) | CIFS, NFS, iSCSI; Gigabit Ethernet, 4Gb Fibre Channel |
| The NetApp FAS2040 provides excellent scalability through both internal and external hard drive chassis and supports all the relevant protocols. The deduplication engine works very well on "normal" files and folders, but suffered poor results with backup sets created by Symantec Backup Exec. |
Spectra Logic nTier v80 and nTier vX | nTier v80: $27,250 as tested; price ranges from $23,500 to $37,000. nTier vX: $65,500 as tested; price range from $58,000 to $221,000. | NFS, CIFS, iSCSI; Fibre Channel, SCSI, Gigabit Ethernet |
| Spectra Logic's VTL appliances allow existing tape-based shops to migrate to virtual tape while enjoying deduplication of data. Both the nTier v80 and nTier vX do a very good job of reducing the overall data set before it is backed up to virtual or physical tape drives. They also scale well, with the nTier vX topping out at 60TB, and support a wide range of storage protocols. |
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