Windows storage server 2003

Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 provide a dedicated platform for storage based on the core of Windows Server 2003 with advanced storage technology and features. Windows Storage Server 2003 provides software and hardware-in-one storage system working with OEM storage hardware manufacture. It provides best complete End-To-End storage solution for different platforms from large-scale Server to desktop computer.

Windows Storage Server 2003, the most suitable for Storage Gateway. WSS2003 can manage different storage devices such as disk array(fiber, SCSI, IDE) and tape library(tape, tape library) and can also integrate Heterogeneous network environment(UNIX, Netware, AppleTalk) and server( SQL Server, Exchange Server, Web server). Storage Gateway is designed to deal with insufficient space or redundant space. Fiber disk array usually suffers space surplus while space local hard disk or smaller SCSI confront with lack of space.

Business often feels that they can not keep up with the rate of storage rate, so some will spend large sum of money to buy a fiber disk array. But so much unit cost can not afford large number of data that the fiber disk array is left idle and not used properly. So Microsoft has proposed Gateway solution for it. There are three reasons for Windows Storage Server 2003 being Storage Gateway. First, Windows Server 2003 is a standard operating system which can support all storage hardware whatever brand only if it has Windows Server drive and support disk array. Second, Windows Storage Server 2003 can support Heterogeneous Platforms such as UNIX, NetWare and Macintosh.

When business suffers space surplus, Figure 2 shows how to pull out of unused space and used on the IP network for the file-level storage applications. You may ask is it necessary to do it?

The reason is that you can not directly connect space with SQL Server or Exchange Server through the existing fiber-channel and then used it as a file-sharing and backup services. This is why we give it a channel connected to the IP network. Meanwhile, Gateway is not only a network but a networking platform. Following above two reasons, the third reason is files which can support Windows Server 2003 is also able to support WSS 2003.

Windows Storage Server 2003 release unused storage space for storage application in IP network in order to deal with different server storage management. These servers include Web server, file server, Exchange Server and SQL Server. Gateway aims to connect storage device with Heterogeneous network, upgrade storage architecture, select and deposit data in the most appropriate storage devices according to the source and importance of storing data. That is the most important principle for business storage management.