Network Appliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) today announced that its comprehensive data management software NetApp® SnapManager® 2.0 for SQL Server supports the upcoming release of Microsoft® SQL Server 2005. NetApp SnapManager software, used with NetApp Fibre Channel (FC) and IP SAN solutions, dramatically reduces the administrative overhead of database backups, provides instant recovery for databases of any size, and automates the process of migrating SQL Server databases.

“Microsoft is excited that valued industry partners such as NetApp are supporting SQL Server 2005 to provide new backup and recovery options for our customers,” said Don Petersen, senior product manager for SQL Server at Microsoft Corp. “SnapManager 2.0 for SQL Server enhances SQL Server backup and recovery management and makes optimal use of Microsoft APIs to tightly integrate these operations with SQL Server 2005.”

“Customers want seamless integration between storage solutions and business applications to simplify data management and provide continuous operations,” said Patrick Rogers, vice president, Products and Partners, Network Appliance. “Working closely with Microsoft allows us to customize our industry-leading storage software for SQL Server environments, maximizing database availability for our joint customers.”

Coupling SnapManager 2.0 for SQL Server with other NetApp data management solutions delivers additional benefits in reducing costs, simplifying management, and increasing data availability for SQL Server environments:

• Costs are reduced by consolidating SQL Server data and eliminating pools of unused storage.
• Storage management is simplified through automated data management, rapid storage provisioning, and the ability to backup and restore hundreds of databases residing on a single SQL Server installation.
• Data availability is maximized with near-instantaneous backups, rapid database recovery, and the ability to store multiple online clones of SQL Server databases with minimal capacity overhead. In addition, NetApp SnapMirror® provides simple, flexible, cost-effective replication and mirroring.

NetApp SnapManager 2.0 for SQL Server supports Microsoft Cluster Server (MSCS) for high availability and Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO) for resiliency in FC and IP SAN environments. NetApp hardware solutions are listed in the Windows Server Catalog, which demonstrates their compatibility with Microsoft products. For more details on NetApp SnapManager software, visit: http://www.netapp.com/products/software/snapmanager.html