Dell EqualLogic PS Series vs. Dell SC Series / Compellent (discontinued)

Given its IO performance and bandwidth limitations, deploying this system in an enterprise-level setting would be impractical. However, it can effectively serve in non-production environments where demands are lower. Despite its unsuitability for heavy-duty tasks, the system offers valuable features such as straightforward configuration for data replication to its array partner. This replication capability enhances data backup processes, providing a reliable solution for safeguarding critical information in less demanding operational scenarios.

Incentivized

All in all this series great in addressing issues applications that need flash storage as a backend storage supply. It addresses the need for fast, responsive servers that need to boot quickly. It is easy to use and for the most part there are few issues and none that can't be addressed/fixed quickly.

Incentivized

• iSCSI-based system that is quick to configure and set-up on the network.
• Provisioning new LUNs and unified storage makes it straightforward to use with various systems.
• Graphical interface is easy to use, allows for quick implementation of data pools and volumes.

Incentivized

• Dell Compellent support (Co-Pilot) and the add-on service (Optimize) are critical services that Dell Compellent does very well. Alerts from the array are sent to Co-Pilot where tickets are automatically generated and customers are notified of events. Of greater importance at times is the proactive support Co-Pilot and Optimize provide by contacting us of inefficiencies in the array and consulting on resolutions.
• Enterprise Manager (Dell's "single pane of glass" management framework) is a useful tool for configuration/evaluation of the array and other Compellent products.
• Ease of management. From firmware upgrades to managing server volumes the process is much simpler than with other arrays.

Incentivized

• One SAN controller failure can lead to big issues we unfortunately learned
• Disks tend to fail quite frequently
• The firmware upgrading process could do with an overhaul

Incentivized

• The GUI could be a little more updated with a lot more information regarding usage.
• There could be some assistance with high I/O times where snapshots go to consolidate. There seems to be issues when that attempts to occur, and there will times where the virtual machine stuns due to the I/O intensity.
• Modification of multiple volumes or the creation of multiple volumes is a pain in the DSM management console.

Incentivized

This is not solely based on the support engineers themselves but more so that the logging and gotcha's that their array has. There have been multiple times where logs are pulled, but the folder is not large enough, and it crashes the array. Other times there are certain aspects that support either does not know of or isn't knowledgable about how to look at particular issues that could be causing problems.

Incentivized

We picked Dell EqualLogic PS Series based on combination price/capacity/performance parameters. Unfortunately, in my opinion, not all of what we were promised came true.

Incentivized

We selected Compellent solely based on price. Honestly I would rate it only slightly better than a QNAP we used (which was even cheaper). If performance and reliability are factors in your decision (and they should be) I would recommend looking at something like a VNXe.

Incentivized

• Great ROI. We have been using it for 5 years, with no downtime due to equipment failures.

Incentivized

• The SC9000 has been able to serve our current and futures needs well enough to not need to upgrade anytime soon.

Incentivized