Sorry for the newbie questions, but I haven't found direct answers in the literature or forums so thought I'd try asking here.

!. How are CPU resources used from a threading standpoint? For example, how does a small number of fast CPUs compare to a large number of slower CPUs?

2. How is RAM used? In particular, does main memory serve as a cache and what other things consume memory? If main memory acts as cache, how does this interact with cache RAM on the RAID controller card? Also, is there any guideline for a typical ratio of RAM size to disk dize?

3. What are the performance issues associated with snapshots? I see no specific limit to the number of snapshots, but what is practical? Would it be reasonable, for example, to make daily snapshots so that there are essentially 365 snapshots at all times? And how does Open-E's snapshot technology compare to something like NetApp's StoreVault which claims no performance penalty?

4. Is there any interaction with the snapshot capability of the hardware RAID controller, or are snapshots always handled internally to Open-E?

5. Are there any performance comparisons available to any other commercial hardware solutions?

6. When synchronizing across multiple systems, are changes buffered in case connectivity is lost? For example, if the network connection between the two systems is lost for several hours, once connectivity is restored, will all pending changes still be made?

I think that's about it for now. This looks like a really great product and we look forward to testing it.

Thanks,
lew