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7 Benefits of Windows Storage Server

A NAS appliance configured with Microsoft Windows Storage Server (WSS) is a universal file repository that can be used by any organization for many different purposes. Why should you consider a WSS? Perhaps you need to implement shared storage in a remote office quickly and economically, or provide gateway access to SAN storage. Maybe there is a department within your organization that needs a simple and effective way to store and share project files.

Microsoft Windows Storage Server is a special version of the Microsoft Windows Server operating system that is only made available to storage-system OEMs. As of this writing, the current version is Windows Storage Server 2008 R2, which is built on the Windows Server 2008 R2 operating system.

WSS is purpose-built in that it is intended to provide a robust file-serving environment for NAS (Network Attached Storage) appliances. A NAS configured with WSS is not intended to host or run applications like a standard Windows Server O/S installation, with the exception of selected backup applications specifically made for it.

If you’re considering Windows Storage for your organization, following are seven key benefits you can expect.

1. Easy access for clients - To a client (end-user) on a network, a NAS appliance looks pretty much like a file server, the only difference being that a NAS configured with Microsoft WSS is a purpose-built appliance specifically tuned for superior file serving duty. A user can map a drive letter to a NAS folder to save and retrieve files there. This is simple file-based storage access, somewhat like a large electronic filing cabinet for computer data. Users can access and share files amongst themselves based upon permissions set by the administrator. This is an example of the most common NAS appliance usage.

2. iSCSI support – The current version of Microsoft WSS offers a new feature — iSCSI connectivity. This opens up the door for block-based I/O services, which means that storage targets on the NAS device can appear to a server as locally attached storage. The benefit is that a NAS appliance configured with Microsoft WSS can essentially do double duty by serving storage to both clients and regular servers, making unified storage practical and economical. iSCSI support also means that a NAS can be used as a boot device for instances of Microsoft Hyper-V virtual machines, and potentially other servers that utilize boot images.

3. Easy to deploy – NAS systems configured with Microsoft WSS are very easy to implement in most network environments because they are essentially pre-configured. They typically include one or two Gigabit Ethernet connections and a wizard-driven GUI interface for initial setup. Ongoing administration is usually done through a simple GUI, as well. It may take as little as a few minutes to get a NAS appliance online and ready for use.

4. Utilized in many common storage solutions – There are several storage solutions available that utilize the Microsoft WSS operating environment. You should easily find a solution to match your requirements from a reputable storage hardware manufacturer.

5. File data de-duplication is built-in – Duplicate files are identified and consolidated automatically, which conserves disk space. This is also referred to as Single Instance Storage (SIS). Backup applications that are SIS-aware may save time during backups.

6. Use as a gateway – A NAS appliance configured with Microsoft WSS can be used as an SAN Gateway to access existing SAN storage resources. This opens up underutilized SAN disk space to users that may otherwise not have access.

7. Access for Apple and Linux users – End-users on computers equipped with Linux and Apple operating systems can also access the storage on the NAS appliance because SMB and NFS protocols are included.

These are just a few examples of how a NAS appliance equipped with Microsoft WSS can help with your simple storage requirements. The standardized x86 hardware components, combined with the proven reliability of the Microsoft Windows Storage Server operating system, makes these solutions easy to implement and administer.

Your Thoughts?

Have you had experience implementing a Windows Storage Server? Was the process as easy as expected? What do you like about WSS?

 

Perry Szarka is a Solution Consultant at MCPc with expertise in data storage and network infrastructure. He works closely with clients to understand their business objectives and discover solutions to help them achieve their goals.

image credit: johnseb