Adaptec's snap server 18000 is targeted squarely at small- to medium-sized businesses. The device is a combination block (iSCSI) and file array based on technology acquired from Snap Appliance, San Jose, CA, which is now a division of Adaptec. It scored highly for ease of use, integration and, of course, value.

Priced at less than $5/GB, Snap Server 18000 scales to 30TB. That price is achieved by using low-cost serial ATA disk drives (hot swappable), but the array also packs in RAID 5, dual Gigabit Ethernet ports, redundant power and cooling, and UPS support. Then there's the software: BakBone Software Inc.'s NetVault backup and restore, and Computer Associates International's eTrust Antivirus and snapshot software.

Snap Server's Instant Capacity Expansion (I.C.E.) feature lets users expand capacity simply by plugging in another storage shelf, which is automatically recognized and added to the pool. Adaptec says setup and integration can be performed in less than 30 minutes, thanks to its reliance on the ubiquitous Ethernet infrastructure.

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