Microsoft Upgrades Storage ServerMicrosoft Upgrades Storage Server

Microsoft last week unveiled a feature pack for Windows Storage Server 2003 that's designed to make the storage software work more closely with general-purpose Windows servers. System vendors such as Dell, EMC, and Hewlett- Packard plan to offer storage appliances based on the scaled-down version of Windows, and Veritas, a leader in storage-management software, is ready to add support.

Microsoft's latest network-attached storage product offers tight integration with general-purpose Windows servers. In the NAS market, many customers want a simple way to store and manage data. Storage Server 2003 is designed to snap right into existing Windows-based networks. Within many of those networks, Exchange E-mail servers are at the heart of communications. Storage Server 2003 for the first time supports the storage and managing of Exchange data on its NAS software.

Windows Storage Server 2003 could give some customers a first taste of Windows Server 2003, says William Hurley, an analyst at Enterprise Application Group. "There's still lots of NT 4.0 overhang out there, and those customers could now put all their storage on the new platform."