Dell EqualLogic PS6100XS review
Dell's 2U server boasts redesigned controllers, a new cache-to-flash feature, plenty of room to expand and an excellent price point.
Dell’s EqualLogic PS6100XS stands out from the IP SAN crowd thanks to its ease of use, expansion potential and excellent performance. Our tests show the appliance can deliver the high IOPS demanded by heavy duty applications and Dell’s pricing structure means we have no hesitation in recommending the PS6100XS.

Volume creation and watermarks
Dell's Remote Setup Wizard searches for new arrays and the Group Manager console provides easy access to all functions. Management security has also been improved as Active Directory (AD) is now supported for role based access.
For volume creation you choose a storage pool, decide on a volume size and add access restrictions based on CHAP authentication, IP address or initiator name. Thin provisioning is configured during volume creation and you decide how much physical space to start with.
Three watermarks are applied where the minimum size is 10 per cent. When the volume is 95 per cent full, the system throttles back I/O performance to allow administrators time to increase the volume size. Once you reach the critical watermark the volume can be placed offline.
Snapshots schedules are applied to volumes or groups and thin provisioning uses watermarks to manage volume usage
Dell's SAN HeadQuarters
Up to 512 snapshots per volume and a total of 10,000 per group are supported. You can also group selected volumes together and apply one snapshot schedule to them all.
Replication stores snapshots of selected volumes in separate groups called replication partners. You can choose one-way replication to another group, bi-directional replication between groups or designate one group as a central location to which multiple groups can be replicated.
Dell's SAN HeadQuarters comes as standard and is designed to centrally manage multiple groups. Detailed capacity reports show the total space for each group and how it's split up into volumes and snapshots.
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
Graphs show total group storage, I/O capacity, network throughput and IOPS along with available headroom. New features in this version include support for multi-site management, group diagnostics and a RAID evaluation service.
Dell's SAN HQ provides detailed information about all storage related activities
Dave is an IT consultant and freelance journalist specialising in hands-on reviews of computer networking products covering all market sectors from small businesses to enterprises. Founder of Binary Testing Ltd – the UK’s premier independent network testing laboratory - Dave has over 45 years of experience in the IT industry.
Dave has produced many thousands of in-depth business networking product reviews from his lab which have been reproduced globally. Writing for ITPro and its sister title, PC Pro, he covers all areas of business IT infrastructure, including servers, storage, network security, data protection, cloud, infrastructure and services.
-
Salesforce says ‘Microsoft’s anticompetitive tying of Teams' harmed business in triumphant response to EU concessions agreement
News Microsoft has agreed to make versions of its Office solutions suite available without Teams – and at a reduced price
By Ross Kelly Published
-
Healthcare organizations report rampant email security failures – and Microsoft 365 is often the weakest link
News IT leaders say they're drowning in security alerts and missing real threats, thanks to limited resources, expanding attack surfaces, and weak security strategies
By Emma Woollacott Published
-
Is the honeymoon period over for Microsoft and OpenAI? Strained relations and deals with competitors spell trouble for the partnership that transformed the AI industry
Analysis Microsoft and OpenAI are slowly drifting apart as both forge closer ties with respective rivals and reevaluate their long-running partnership.
By Ross Kelly Published