Digital Partners has announced that it has been chosen by Active Storage to be the key reseller of the new ActiveSAN, a high-performance metadata controller appliance for Xsan and StorNext Networks.

In an agreement with Active Storage, Digital Partners (dpi) will sell ActiveSAN nationwide and be the sole reseller for the new appliance in the Western half of the U.S. "This is another important step for us at dpi," said Matina Koester, dpi's president. "With the recent opening of a Los Angeles office and plans for one in New York City, we have become an important source for the enterprise user of Apple products."

Active Storage was founded by Alex Grossman, the former senior director of hardware server and storage at Apple, and Active Storage's employees include the team that drove development of the Apple Xserve RAID products. Clayton, MO-based dpi has had a relationship with Active Storage since its first day of business in 2008 when dpi served as the primary reseller of its products.

ActiveSAN replaces Xserve, the metadata controller Apple has just discontinued. ActiveSAN is a server-based appliance that incorporates Active Storage product design and the performance and reliability of an Intel Nehalem server platform, in a 1U rack form factor.

Designed to be the best Metadata Controller for Xsan and StorNext installations, ActiveSAN is much more than a generic server with StorNext software loaded on it. ActiveSAN is a fully integrated Metadata Controller solution consisting of a highly innovative Intel Xeon server-based appliance that features a straightforward design for easy installation and serviceability.

As Active Storage's primary platinum reseller, dpi will provide the kind of support for the products its customers have come to expect on everything it sells.