NEC Introduces iStorage NS500Rd NAS Appliance Running Windows Storage Server 2012

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Hi Folks,

NEC has begun refreshing its iStorage NS model line to include solutions based on Windows Storage Server 2012. The iStorage NS500Rd is the first such product.

According to the NS500Rd product page and the NS series product catalog (available here in Japanese), the 2U rack-mount system is based on the Intel Xeon processor E5-2400 product family, supports up to 384GB of RAM (6GB standard), and is offered in two models:

  • One that supports up to 42 TB raw capacity using 3.5” SATA drives (six 3TB data drives preinstalled plus room for an additional six drives of up to 4TB; OS preinstalled on an additional two 300GB SAS drives)
  • One that supports up 24 TB raw capacity using 2.5” 1TB SAS drives (no data drives preinstalled; OS preinstalled on two 300GB SAS drives)
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Both models run Windows Storage Server 2012 Standard and can be expanded by connecting them to NEC iStorage M series disk enclosures. I snipped a few pics from the docs—note that the additional 0.6 TB capacity shown for each model is because NEC is including the capacity of the OS drives in its calculations.

NEC positions the appliance as designed to “meet the needs of midsized enterprises” and delivers benefits that include “improved availability and efficient administration of NAS consolidation.” The company’s “Learn about the superiority of Windows Storage Server 2012” information page shows that NEC is hitting on all cylinders in promoting its many features and benefits, including:

  • Multiprotocol support
  • Shadow Copy of Shared Folders
  • Powerful storage management using Server Manager or PowerShell
  • Data deduplication
  • Windows Server Failover Clustering
  • SMB Transparent Failover
  • Cluster-Aware Updating
  • Hyper-V over SMB
  • Live Migration of Hyper-V VMs
  • NIC Teaming

I’ve had the pleasure of partnering with NEC since I started working on Windows Storage Server in 2006. While iStorage NS systems are specific to Japan, they’re still a great example of how Windows-based NAS appliances are continuing to gain momentum outside of North America. It’s clear to me that businesses around the globe are looking for ways to store more data with lower costs and less complexity, and that OEMs see Windows Storage Server 2012 as a way to meet those customer needs. Congratulations to the NEC team for another great release!

Cheers,
Scott M. Johnson
Program Manager
Windows Storage Server
@SuperSquatchy