SAN, NAS, solid state, RAID
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News
07 Sep 2020
Dutch bank set to save €5m via Veeam backup upgrade
Rabobank ditched legacy backup where patching took months and restores took hours. Those times are now cut down massively and the bank has a readily available test environment Continue Reading
By- Antony Adshead, Storage Editor
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News
01 Oct 2019
Dutch group works on digitising collaborator archives created in aftermath of World War 2
Experiments have been carried out to ascertain the best technology to open up the analogue archives of the Central Archive of Special Justice in the Netherlands Continue Reading
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News
18 Jan 2011
EMC won’t sell one VNX product in Australia
EMC has officially launched its new VNX and VNXe products, but will leave one of the new products out of its local range and sell a Clariion system instead. Continue Reading
By- Simon Sharwood
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Answer
10 Jan 2011
What does the parity bit do in RAID?
Find out how the use of a parity bit protects RAID groups and how it's used as a method for error detection. Continue Reading
By- Steve Pinder, GlassHouse Technologies
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News
28 Oct 2010
ISCSI replacing Fibre Channel as dominant storage network technology
ISCSI is well on its way to replacing Fibre Channel as the de facto technology for SANs. Continue Reading
By- Jo Maitland, TechTarget
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News
18 Oct 2010
ISCSI storage gets performance makeover
Vendors, including Ibrix, Mellanox, Alacritech and EqualLogic, are offering juiced-up new iSCSI configurations, while 3PAR, CipherMax and NeoScale boost data security products. Continue Reading
By- SearchStorage.com Staff
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Answer
23 Aug 2010
RAID 5 recovery: What is the maximum number of physical drives in a RAID 5 configuration?
Adding drives to a RAID 5 set increases your ROI and the likelihood of simultaneous drive failures, and lengthens RAID rebuild times. So what should be your physical drive limit? Continue Reading
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Answer
02 Aug 2010
Do all drives in a RAID 10 array need to be the same specification?
We tell you the one requirement when matching drive specs in a RAID 10 array. But will mixing drives of various performance levels compromise your RAID level? Continue Reading
By- Steve Pinder, GlassHouse Technologies
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Answer
12 Jul 2010
RAID 10 vs RAID 50: What is the best way to configure a storage array with 16 1 TB drives?
Learn the characteristics of RAID 10 and RAID 50, as well as which RAID level is appropriate for your applications. I/O and protection needs contribute to your RAID choice. Continue Reading
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News
23 Apr 2010
Small storage devices a hit at big hotel
Riverbed working to optimise iSCSI performance over wide area networks, to boost storage systems’ performance in cloud computing rigs. Continue Reading
By- Simon Sharwood, Contributor
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Tip
26 Aug 2009
How to evaluate and purchase a SAN
The Royal Horticultural Society's network manager Martin Taylor guides users through the process of evaluating and purchasing a SAN. Continue Reading
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News
17 Aug 2009
Hard disk drive specifications guide: What to look for when buying disk storage
Seek times, latency, data transfer rates, error correction codes and cache are important hard disk drive specifications. Learn the key features of hard disks drives so you can specify the right one for your data centre. Continue Reading
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Answer
10 Aug 2009
RAID 10 vs. RAID 1: Mirrored drives matter
While RAID 10 and RAID 1 are both mirroring technologies that utilise half the available drives for data, a crucial difference is the number of drives they can use in a RAID group. Continue Reading
By- Steve Pinder, GlassHouse Technologies
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Answer
27 Jul 2009
RAID 10: How many disk drives should you use?
The minimum number of drives required for RAID 10 is four. RAID 10 should not be confused with RAID 0+1, which involves creating two RAID 0 stripe sets and then mirroring them. Continue Reading
By- Steve Pinder, GlassHouse Technologies
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News
13 Jul 2009
Which RAID level has the best price-to-performance comparison?
Configuring disk in RAID arrays brings a variety of benefits, most notably data protection and I/O performance. But which RAID level wins in terms of price vs. performance? Continue Reading
By- Antony Adshead, Storage Editor
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News
07 Jul 2009
BlueArc challenges NetApp in the enterprise with Mercury 50, Mercury 100 network-attached storage (N
With NetApp distracted by Data Domain and late delivering Ontap with clustered NAS capabilities, BlueArc targets the enterprise NAS market with Mercury 50, Mercury 100 NAS systems. Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
- Answer 26 May 2009
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Answer
27 Apr 2009
RAID 5 configuration: How to calculate disk space for data storage and parity storage
Find out how to calculate the disk space available for data storage and how much disk space is utilised for parity storage in a RAID 5 configuration. Continue Reading
- Answer 23 Mar 2009
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News
04 Mar 2009
LUN storage and its role in SAN management
Explore logical unit number (LUN) storage and its role in SAN management. Learn how to create a LUN, how to share a LUN, and find out about LUN provisioning and LUN masking. Continue Reading
By- Antony Adshead, Storage Editor
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Feature
02 Feb 2009
Thin provisioning FAQ
Tony Lock, programme director at analyst group Freeform Dynamics, answers common questions on thin provisioning. Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2008
How to evaluate and purchase a SAN
The Royal Horticultural Society's network manager Martin Taylor guides users through the process of evaluating and purchasing a SAN. Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2008
Clariion array update blurs line between EMC platforms
A bigger, faster Clariion with advanced features, which first appeared in the Symmetrix line, has industry observers wondering about the increasing overlap between EMC systems. Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
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News
08 Aug 2008
Pivot3 consolidates physical servers onto storage arrays
Pivot3's IP SAN offers Serverless Computing, which eliminates the need for application servers by running them as guests on its storage arrays. Continue Reading
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Feature
31 Jul 2008
NAS virtualization explained
NAS virtualization can refer to the ability to virtualise multiple NAS heads into a single virtualised file system or the ability to spawn multiple virtual file servers within a physical file server. Either way, performing NAS virtualisation via a virtualised file system gives a storage administrator greater flexibility in responding to the needs of the enterprise. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Jun 2008
iSCSI SANs getting enterprise boost by shared storage, virtual servers
Enterprises are increasingly considering iSCSI SANs for departmental applications, server workloads that aren't bandwidth-intensive, and virtual servers. In fact, the connection between shared storage and virtualised servers is changing the iSCSI SAN game. Continue Reading
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News
18 Apr 2008
Optimising iSCSI SANs with the right Ethernet switch
iSCI SANS are now within the reach of many small businesses. Here's how to make sure the SAN works best, by optimising the supporting network. Continue Reading
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News
14 Mar 2008
EMC gives Centera a software refresh
EMC has tweaked the software for its Centera archiving system with an emphasis on handling more pieces of data rather than sheer bulk of information stored. Continue Reading
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News
17 Feb 2008
NAS product specifications
NAS is so easy to install and manage that NAS sprawl is a common problem. This is why NAS is often a prime candidate for consolidation initiatives. Learn how to purchase NAS appliances with an eye toward NAS storage consolidation. Continue Reading
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News
17 Feb 2008
VMware, LeftHand offer iSCSI SAN as virtual machine
Channel partners will bundle LeftHand's virtual SAN appliance with VMware licenses for an ESX infrastructure that can run on one piece of physical hardware. Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
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News
13 Feb 2008
HP exec: Storage blades may replace disk arrays in data center
An HP storage executive predicts that storage blades -- storage devices using the form factor and plug-and-play philosophy of blade servers - may replace disk arrays in the next 18 months Continue Reading
By- Simon Sharwood, Editor, TechTarget ANZ
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Feature
30 Jan 2008
Learn all about LUNs
A LUN is the unique address for a SCSI device or a virtual hard disk partition in a RAID configuration. This handbook tells how to manage and partition LUNs. Continue Reading
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News
12 Nov 2007
How to integrate iSCSI and Fibre Channel, and make it work
Learn about eight best practices for integrating iSCSI into a Fibre Channel SAN, as well as best deployment practices for iSCSI. Continue Reading
By- Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor
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News
06 Nov 2007
LeftHand adds hardware to iSCSI SANs
LeftHand makes its iSCSI SAN software available on two prepackaged appliances; sources indicate the hardware comes from Dell. Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
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News
29 Oct 2007
NetApp releases $3K iSCSI SAN
NetApp is continuing a push down-market with the release of the S300, the latest SMB iSCSI SAN in its StoreVault line. Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
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News
29 Oct 2007
Virtual appliance lets users convert DAS to iSCSI SAN
NetApp is continuing a push down-market with the release of the S300, the latest SMB iSCSI SAN in its StoreVault line. Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
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News
16 Oct 2007
Download NAS Upgrades Buying Guide: Chapter 2 -- NAS management software
You asked for it, so here it is -- a printable version of our NAS Buying Guide. Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2007
Storage Basics Part 3: Getting the most out of iSCSI
The Storage Basics series continues, with a look at how to get the most out of iSCSI. Continue Reading
By- Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor
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News
02 Oct 2007
Storage Basics Part 2: What is iSCSI?
Day two of our storage basics special explains iSCSI. Continue Reading
By- Stephen Bigelow, Contributor
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News
08 Aug 2007
New iSCSI SAN/NAS box touts better performance
Agami's new low-end iSCSI SAN/NAS box is pricier than other scaled-down offerings, but has a few more high-end features Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
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News
30 Jul 2007
Users make iSCSI SANs with USB keys
Users say that Open-E's iSCSI SAN software, which is delivered on a USB stick, is more affordable than prepackaged systems and has more support than free iSCSI target products. Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
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News
23 Jul 2007
LeftHand refreshes iSCSI SAN software
Version 7.0 of LeftHand's iSCSI SAN software contains dozens of new features, including support for four-way replication and brushed-up thin provisioning. Continue Reading
By- Beth Pariseau, Senior News Writer
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News
16 Jul 2007
EMC upgrades hardware range, goes green - UPDATE
EMC has upgraded its five main hardware lines, introduced power-saving technology and hinted at enhancements to its data de-duplication tools. Continue Reading
By- Simon Sharwood with Beth Pariseau
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News
16 Jul 2007
Sun reveals open appliances
EMC has upgraded its five main hardware lines, introduced power-saving technology and hinted at enhancements to its data de-duplication tools. Continue Reading
By- Simon Sharwood with Beth Pariseau
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News
28 Jun 2007
Temp agency moves hundreds of terabytes to iSCSI SAN
Adecco replaces 120 TB of Fibre Channel storage with an iSCSI SAN from LeftHand, including storage for large production databases; Exanet adds search; NetApp unleashes Topio. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2007
LUN management at the heart of SAN configuration
Disk drives are the foundation of modern data storage, but operating systems cannot use physical storage directly. The physical drive must be translated into a logical space that an operating system sees as a linear address space comprised of fixed-size blocks. Storage networks must also partition their physical disks into logical entities so that host servers can access storage area network (SAN) storage, and each logical portion is called a logical unit number (LUN). This article explains essential LUN concepts and the role of LUNs in SAN technology. Continue Reading
By- Stephen J. Bigelow, Senior Technology Editor
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News
08 May 2007
ISCSI TCP/IP TOE card specifications
One means of improving iSCSI traffic performance is to include TOE (TCI/IP Offload Engine) capability on the Ethernet card itself. An iSCSI TOE allows the network adapter to process iSCSI traffic (often all Ethernet LAN traffic) locally -- relieving those burdensome processing tasks from the host server or other computers connected to the LAN. To implement this capability, iSCSI servers must be upgraded with Ethernet NICs that include a TOE chip onboard. Although the selection of iSCSI TOE cards is generally limited to just a few manufacturers, it's important to consider the available ports, host interface, and other card characteristics before making a purchase. The product snapshots in this segment highlight key specifications for a cross-section of popular iSCSI TOE cards. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Apr 2007
ISCSI for beginners
iSCSI is an Internet Protocol (IP)-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. Learns the basics in this fast guide. Continue Reading
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News
11 Feb 2007
NAS appliance purchase considerations
NAS appliances are frequently touted for bringing convenience and simplicity to network storage. Appliances include their own dedicated disks for storage and RAID, and most NAS appliances can be upgraded with more or larger disks for additional storage space. However, NAS appliances do pose some disadvantages. Consequently, the choice of NAS appliance requires careful evaluation. Now that you've reviewed the essential issues involved in any NAS product, this guide focuses on specific considerations for dedicated NAS appliances. You'll also find a series of specifications to help make on-the-spot product comparisons between vendors. Continue Reading
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News
17 Dec 2006
NAS gateway purchase considerations
NAS gateways overcome the inherent limitations of scale and flexibility by utilizing externally connected storage as external standalone disk arrays. NAS storage capacity is typically expanded by simply adding more disks to the appliance, but this only allows users to scale up to the capacity limit of the appliance. It's also common for a NAS gateway to share storage through a storage area network (SAN), allowing users to consolidate their NAS data on SAN storage and realize the benefits of high performance and redundancy. Now that you've reviewed the essential issues involved in any NAS product, this Buying Guide focuses on specific considerations for NAS gateway products. Continue Reading
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News
14 Dec 2006
NAS gateway specifications
A NAS gateway offers file-based accesses to external storage on a disk array -- or a SAN, where users can take advantage of superior performance and reliability while maintaining a level of simplicity. Since storage is moved off of the NAS device, interoperability and connectivity are crucial issues, and virtualization is increasingly important for superior scaling and utilization of the storage resources. The product snapshots in this chapter highlight key specifications for a cross section of major NAS gateway products. Continue Reading
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News
07 Dec 2006
NAS management software specifications
Network attached storage (NAS) appliances and gateways must be configured and managed using NAS management software that allows administrators to allocate space, manage RAID and storage behaviors, perform routine maintenance, and other tasks. Management software ideally provides interoperability with a variety of NAS devices from different vendors and can automate many of the routine management tasks that would otherwise demand manual attention. The product snapshots in this chapter highlight key specifications for a cross section of major NAS management software products. Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2006
Virtualisation buying guide [Day Two: Virtualisation software examined]
Deploying software on a server or dedicated appliance is often easier for smaller organisations, but the actual product choice demands careful consideration. Now that you've reviewed the essential issues involved in any virtualisation product, this guide focuses on specific considerations for key virtualisation software products. You'll also find a series of specifications to help make on-the-spot product comparisons between vendors, like DataCore Software Corp., EMC Corp., FalconStor Software Inc. and IBM. Continue Reading
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News
04 Oct 2006
ISCSI gains strength from servers
More powerful servers are helping ease some performance concerns for users considering IP SANs, but others say they still want to see more improvement. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Aug 2006
iSCSI network configuration, design and optimization
It's a must to consider more than just cabling when designing an iSCSI-based storage network. Learn to look at the bigger picture when configuring or optimizing an iSCSI-based storage network. Continue Reading
By- Greg Schulz, The Server and StorageIO Group
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Tip
23 Jul 2006
Testing iSCSI SAN performance with Iometer
Iometer, a performance test tool for tuning Windows environments, can also be used to tune performance in iSCSI SANs. The tool lets you simulate the SAN's performance by setting many of the parameters and running tests. Repeated runs with different parameters such as block sizes will let you tune your system. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Jul 2006
NAS: How does a client access files?
NAS expert Randy Kerns offers advice to a reader who asked: "How does NAS appear to machines accessing files from it?" Continue Reading
By- Randy Kerns, Evaluator Group
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Tip
22 May 2006
NAS: Can you add capacity non-disruptively?
Storage expert Randy Kerns offers advice about adding capacity to a NAS system non-disruptively in this Q&A. Continue Reading
By- Randy Kerns, Evaluator Group
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Tip
09 Apr 2006
ISCSI SANs: How to alleviate the congestion
Careful configuration of an iSCSI SAN will usually preclude most problems. But for slow network performance, adapter and switch settings can help speed things up. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Apr 2005
How to use NAS gateways
What you will learn from this tip: NAS gateways are moving off the array and into the network. Here's how to manage them. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Apr 2005
Five ways to secure iSCSI
Storage expert Stephen Foskett outlines five specific ways to secure an iSCSI SAN. Continue Reading
By- Stephen Foskett, Gestalt IT
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Tip
22 Aug 2004
Microsoft supports iSCSI SAN clusters -- kind of
This expert tip outlines how to get the support you need for iSCSI SANs using more than two clusters. Continue Reading
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