ISPPlanet Cache Review Series - NetApp NetCache C720

Multiprotocol Caching:
NetCache C720s

The NetCache C720s provides a full-featured, versatile platform for ISPs who want to cache streaming multimedia and/or news, as well as Web traffic. It's not a cache for beginners, but experienced admins will appreciate its granular controls.

by Lisa Phifer VP Core Competence, Inc. [January 11, 2000]

While many products cache web traffic, Network Appliance is one of the first vendors to ship a cache that can also handle news and streaming multimedia. In our fifth installment of this ISP-Planet series, we gave the Network Appliance NetCache C720s an extensive lab workout. This mid-range product is intended for deployment at large ISP POPs, smaller ISPs, and enterprise offices.

 

NetCache C720s $25,950 (as tested) Network Appliance, Inc. Sunnyvale, CA 94089 http://www.netapp.com

The Platform
Network Appliance caches run under Data ONTAP, an event-driven micro kernel designed for efficient, secure operation. Unlike a general-purpose OS, there is no need to eliminate extraneous code, tune the stack, or tamp down ports. The WAFL (Write Anywhere File Layout) file system, inherited from NetApp's "filer" line, writes data in blocks that are buffered in NVRAM, then written in stripes to minimize head movement. Integrated RAID and NVRAM buffering maintain data integrity after disk or power failure. NetCache products are designed to record data quickly and securely.

We evaluated the NetCache C720s (base price $16,950), designed to cache 40 Mbps using 512 MB RAM, 4 x 9 GB HDDs, five 10/100 Ethernet ports, and redundant hot-pluggable power supplies. We installed three add-on licenses—NNTP, MMS, and RTSP—at $3K per license, bringing the as-tested cost to $25,950. Looking for something larger? The carrier-class C760 starts at $60K for 80 Mbps with 1 GB RAM, supporting up to 56 fibre-connected 9 GB disks. Need something smaller? The 700 series entry-level is the two-disk version of the C720s, caching 20 Mbps for approximately $10K. A new low-end product, starting under $6K, is expected to ship by the end of 1Q 2000.

The C720s we tested had one quad port 10/100 card; the series supports up to six Fast Ethernet, Gigabit Ethernet, or FDDI adapters. SCSI and Fibre Channel arbitrated loop disk expansion shelves and hot-swappable drives are available for big brothers C720 and C760. All models include RAID Level 4 for storage redundancy. Dual hot-pluggable power supplies are standard on the C760 and an option on all other models.