VA Linux enters NAS market

VA Linux Systems, the leading computer company specializing in Linux-based

software and server computers, has launched Linux-based $29,300 network storage

devices that holds up to 180 gigabytes of data.

The network attached storage (NAS) systems market is growing at a rate of 66

per cent a year, said VA Linux systems division senior vice president Ali Jenab.

NAS allows storage units to attach directly to a company's computer network,

or to the Internet, to store data ranging from company records to Web pages.

This as opposed to storage area networks, or SAN systems that use fiber optics

and a server to link data to a company's computer network.

Jenab said VA Linux hopes the NAS system will enable it to take market share

away from Network Appliance, which has been particularly successful among

mid-sized companies where Linux has had the bulk of its success in corporate

adoption. Network Appliance holds about 40 per cent of the market for NAS

systems, while EMC has about 30 per cent.