Archive: Bits & Bytes column
library -- Each day SearchStorage.com delivers news, tips and
trends to your inbox -- but we provide another benefit to spark
your storage interest. Our Bits & Bytes daily columns bring the
opinions, tips, trends and blogs from some of the top experts,
users, vendors and academics in the industry for the years 2003 to
2004.
(
Back to Bits & Bytes column library).
TABLE OF CONTENTS
 Storage
management
Backup/recovery
Availability/security
Consolidation/SAN architecture
Expert
blogs
12/20/04:
How much hard drive space should I use?
12/13/04:
Calculating available disk space
12/6/04:
HSM solutions for Windows
11/29/04:
Tools that analyze Fibre Channel frames
11/22/04:
Troubleshooting IDE drives
11/15/04:
Managing DAS
11/8/04:
Does Ethernet track requests sent to the server?
11/1/04:
How to explain the SAN to your manager
10/25/04:
Expanding a four-disk RAID array
10/18/04:
Connecting an AIX TSM server directly to the SAN
10/11/04:
Making a LUN accessible from two servers
10/4/04:
Retrieving data from multiple IDE drives
9/27/04:
SMSS: Lesson seven -- Building a storage management group
9/20/04:
SMSS: Lesson six -- Services architecture, a new approach to an old
concept
9/13/04:
SMSS: Lesson five -- Tiered storage
8/30/04:
SMSS: Lesson four -- Taming the e-mail beast
8/23/04:
Is out-of-band storage virtualization the answer?
8/16/04:
What is an intelligent switch?
8/9/04:
Migrating data from CDs to other media
8/2/04:
SMSS: Lesson one -- where on Earth do I begin storage
planning
7/26/04:
What is a LUN, and why do we need one?
7/19/04:
Fibre hubs vs. Fibre switches
7/12/04:
How to choose the right disk subsystem
6/28/04:
Breaking down subsystem vendors
6/21/04:
Can you trust a smaller vendor?
6/14/04:
Does each server require a separate OS?
6/7/04:
Searching for the Holy Grail of management software
5/24/04:
Automation tools grow up
5/17/04:
Calculating availability
5/3/04:
Centralizing backups the right way
4/26/04:
Evaluating clustering software
4/19/04:
Five questions for your SRM vendor
4/12/04:
Do backup software products support WORM devices?
4/5/04:
SOX and how it applies to e-mail archiving
3/29/04:
Are disk servers a viable consolidation option?
3/22/04:
Unlock the benefits of e-mail archiving
3/15/04:
Faster, cheaper and simpler clustering
3/8/04:
Lesson 14: Troubleshooting your SAN
3/1/04:
Backup software: What to consider when upgrading
2/23/04:
Tactical vs. functional storage management
2/16/04:
Lesson 12: Approaches to SAN management
2/9/04:
Can secure document shredding be used for compliance?
2/2/04:
How to get management to accept HIPAA compliance
1/26/04:
Don't believe the ILM hype
1/19/04:
Spotlight on SAN/NAS convergence
1/12/04:
2004 predictions: Management tools proliferate
1/5/04:
2004 predictions: Storage prices continue to be slashed
12/29/03:
How to get management to accept HIPAA compliance
12/22/03:
Watch out for those consolidation pitfalls
12/15/03:
How SOX will affect privately held companies
12/8/03:
Learning guide to zoning
12/1/03:
How virtualization can work for you
11/24/03:
How to set up a poor man's SAN
11/17/03:
Too many SAN islands
11/10/03:
Best practices: Provisioning
11/3/03:
Tools for a storage assessment
10/27/03:
The pros and cons of a single vendor environment
10/20/03:
What are the best SRM tools for your environment?
10/13/03:
Webcast: Improve your actual storage utilization
10/6/03:
How to build a storage management practice
9/29/03:
A growing concern amid storage consolidation
9/22/03:
Analyze that: Computer Associates
9/15/03:
Analyze that: XIOtech
9/8/03:
SMI-S: What's in it for storage managers?
8/25/03:
Analyze that: Taneja on Microsoft
8/18/03:
Analyze that: Gruener on Hewlett-Packard
8/11/03:
Analyze that: Kerns on Network Appliance
8/4/03:
Analyze that: Webster on IBM
7/28/03:
Analyze That: Duplessie on EMC
7/21/03:
Utility computing: Get ready to charge for storage
7/14/03:
How to connect SAN islands
7/7/03:
A beginner's guide to iSCSI
6/30/03:
Ins and outs of in-band telecom
6/23/03:
The storage management challenge
6/16/03:
SAN scalability, part 2 -- limit RSCNs in the SAN
6/9/03:
Account for fabric reconfigurations in the SAN
6/2/03:
Narrow your virtualization options
5/19/03:
Configuring the SAN -- zoning, HBAs and switches
5/12/03:
Choosing your storage networking protocol
5/5/03:
Simplifying your storage management process
4/28/03:
Let automation solve your storage headaches
4/21/03:
E-mail archiving -- planning your strategy
4/14/03:
Zoning, part 3: Zoning schemas
4/7/03:
Zoning, part 2: Hard zoning vs. soft zoning
3/31/03:
Zoning, Part 1: Getting control of storage with zoning
3/24/03:
Three steps to complete storage consolidation
3/17/03:
Choosing a storage management console
3/10/03:
Establishing a reliable network
3/03/03:
SAM, part 3: Element management vs. resource management
2/24/03:
SAM, part 2: Storage management vs. enterprise management
2/17/03:
SAM, part 1: Supporting open management standards
2/10/03:
Ease capacity planning pain with SRM
2/3/03:
Making the right provisioning purchase
1/27/03:
Simplifying the storage management process
1/20/03:
Managers need to think outside the infrastructure box
12/21/04:
HSM products from Veritas, Legato and HP
12/14/04:
Web-based reporting tools for tape libraries
12/7/04:
The key to backing up the right information
11/30/04:
The cost of tape storage
11/23/04:
Rev drive vs. tape or disk
11/16/04:
Backup running out of time, capacity
11/9/04:
Remote site dilemma -- Data volumes booming
10/26/04:
Selecting database archiving tools
10/26/04:
Why use disk-based backup instead of tape?
10/19/04:
Can I use disk backup without an array?
10/12/04:
What is scratch media?
10/5/04:
Mirroring data from a file server to an external disk
9/28/04:
Calculating failure rates for tape libraries
9/21/04:
Archival data -- How many copies do I need?
9/14/04:
Snapshot versus plug-in/APM
9/7/04:
Assessing failure rates for tape
8/31/04:
Disk vs. tape, for low-cost storage
8/24/04:
How to select archiving tools
8/17/04:
Will nearline disk make tape obsolete?
8/10/04:
SMSS: Lesson two -- operational best practices
8/3/04:
How long should we wait before replacing a bad disk?
7/27/04:
Using PlayStation to mirror disks
7/20/04:
Mistakes in configuring backup software
7/13/04:
How many copies of a tape do you really need?
7/6/04:
One caveat of disk-based backup
6/29/04:
Does HA always include a DR component?
6/22/04:
Automatic, bare metal recoveries
6/15/04:
Top 20 backup tips
6/8/04:
SearchStorage.com quiz -- replication
6/1/04:
Backup School: Lesson nine -- compliant backups
5/25/04:
Serverless backup isn't the only solution for a SAN
5/18/04:
A quick look at NetApp
5/11/04:
Backup School: Lesson Seven -- replication
5/4/04:
Backup School: Lesson Six -- protection from hardware
loss
4/27/04:
Designing a tape SAN for backup
4/20/04:
Backup School: Lesson Five -- recovering from OS and application
loss
4/13/04:
Backup School: Lesson Four -- database backup
4/6/04:
Backup School: Lesson Three -- cost justifying your backup
plan
3/30/04:
Backup School: Lesson Two -- backup media
3/23/04:
Backup School: Lesson One -- What's a backup
3/16/04:
The argument against replication
3/9/04:
Disk imaging for disaster recovery
3/2/04:
How to establish a failover environment
2/24/04:
Choose the right software for your data archive
2/17/04:
Building an enterprise data archive, part one
2/10/04:
The essential RAID primer, part two
2/3/04:
Chapter 6: Business continuity for mission critical
applications
1/27/04:
Taking stock of data archiving and retrieval practices
1/20/04:
Backup on a shoestring
1/13/04:
2004 predictions: Process, standards need upgrades
1/6/04:
2004 predictions: The year of disk-based backup? Not so
fast.
12/23/03:
SAN School Lesson 6: SANs for disaster recovery
12/16/03:
Part two: Should you abandon DDS for AIT?
12/9/03:
Part one: Should you abandon DDS for AIT?
12/2/03:
Five rules for safe SAN migration
11/25/03:
What's an acceptable backup data transfer rate?
11/18/03:
Experts: Make tape technology work for you
11/11/03:
Part 2: SATA vs. SCSI
11/4/03:
The advantages of serial ATA vs. parallel ATA
10/28/03:
Part 2 -- Linking your SANs for DR
10/21/03:
Part 1 -- Linking your SANs for DR
10/14/03:
What to consider when evaluating file systems
10/7/03:
Centralized backup for multiple sites
9/30/03:
Analyze that: Dianne McAdam on Quantum
9/23/03:
Windows backup and restore technologies
9/16/03:
Tivoli Storage Manager exposed
9/2/03:
Webcast: Cost-effective disaster recovery
8/26/03:
User blackout diary: Research firm rethinks shutdown
process
8/19/03:
Benefits of a dedicated e-mail archive server
8/12/03:
Why you may want to centralize backups
7/29/03:
The guidelines of data retention
7/22/03:
Completing a preliminary risk assessment
7/15/03:
Are advanced backups worth it?
7/8/03:
DR: One size doesn't fit all, but it fits most
7/1/03:
The benefits of WORM disk
6/24/03:
Nine steps to less expensive/more reliable backups
6/17/03:
Best practices regarding tape backup procedures
6/10/03:
DR planning -- risk analysis, the first step
6/3/03:
400 GB in 2 hours...offsite backup...TSM...
5/27/03:
Designing an application efficiency strategy
5/20/03:
No legal mandates for data mirroring today
5/13/03:
Backing up remote offices without tape
5/6/03:
USC spurns usual tape suspects
4/29/03:
What's the current state of tape failover in a SAN?
4/22/03:
Clean vaulting options
4/15/03:
Backup trends
4/8/03:
No one size-fits-all data protection solution
4/1/03:
Think before you invest in disk-to-disk
3/25/03:
A "workbook" approach to disaster recovery
3/18/03:
Keeping laptop backups in sync: Part 4
3/11/03:
Keeping laptop backups in sync: Part 3
3/04/03:
Keeping laptop backups in sync: Part 2
2/25/03:
Keeping laptop backups in sync: Part 1
2/18/03:
Can your data survive a disaster?
2/11/03:
Data protection risk analysis self-test
2/4/03:
Beware of DR planning recipes
1/28/03:
Do you need separate SAN fabrics for disk and tape?
1/21/03:
Rolling out a backup strategy
12/22/04:
Overhead for RAID 0+1 is too high
12/15/04:
Will 10 Gbps iSCSI trump Fibre Channel?
12/8/04:
Mysterious formatting on a NAS hard drive
12/1/04:
Four different types of NAS architecture
11/24/04:
Heterogeneous vs. homogeneous SANs
11/17/04:
Clariion CX700 vs. Symmetrix 8830
11/10/04:
How do you defrag a hard drive on NAS?
11/3/04:
NAS or SAN for data warehousing
10/20/04:
Virtualization devices in NAS
10/13/04:
Lesson five -- Designing the SAN
10/6/04:
Is the EMC 8530 Symmetrix dead?
9/29/04:
Backing up open files on NAS
9/22/04:
NAS gateway versus SAN-attached server
9/15/04:
SATA as an alternative to SSA?
9/8/04:
The difference between Veritas' VM and EMC's SRDF
9/1/04:
Staging older files to the SATA partition
8/25/04:
Is the blush off the storage rose?
8/18/04:
SMSS: Lesson three -- Managing growth
8/11/04:
Advanced RAID functions
8/4/04:
Enterprise-class RAID functions, part 1
7/28/04:
Lose the hub, get a switch
7/21/04:
Security concerns for maintaining multiple OSs
7/14/04:
How to connect iSCSI
7/7/04:
Fibre Channel's magic number
6/30/04:
Deploying iSCSI
6/23/04:
SAN, NAS come together at last
6/16/04:
Implementing a SAN with a backup
6/9/04:
What costs more? SAN or NAS?
6/2/04:
Which clustering technique is right for you?
5/26/04:
Time to try storage smart cards?
5/19/04:
IP storage in three minutes
5/12/04:
Storage management tools matrix
5/5/04:
Moving Exchange 2000 database to NetApp filers
4/28/04:
Storage under attack
4/21/04:
What NAS can do for Microsoft Exchange
4/14/04:
The best way to connect NAS to a SAN
4/7/04:
Webcast -- writing a switch RFP
3/31/04:
Can EMC DMX crash your server?
3/24/04:
Consolidate with NAS gateways
3/17/04:
Feeling the data migration pain
3/3/04:
A two-dimensional approach to storage security
2/25/04:
Lesson 13: Outsourcing SAN design
2/18/04:
Q&A: How compliance will effect your business
2/11/04:
Chapter eight: Initiating deployment
2/4/04:
The essential RAID primer, part one
1/28/04:
Going beyond the usual distributed storage arrangement
1/21/04:
What regulatory compliance means for storage security
1/14/04:
2004 predictions: Better economy, better compliance
1/7/04:
2004 predictions: NAS gateways open up the technology
12/31/03:
SAN School Lesson 7: Putting it all together
12/17/03:
SATA storage systems and the risk factor
12/10/03:
What a CIO should ask when considering consolidation
12/3/03:
Data management, the next major vendor battleground
11/26/03:
How to secure NFS access to NAS devices
11/19/03:
Lesson 2: SAN building blocks
11/12/03:
Lesson 1: The Storage area network
11/5/03:
Experts: What's the buzz on iSCSI?
10/29/03:
The importance of securing backup/restore networks
10/22/03:
Learn SOX compliance from the DoD
10/15/03:
NAS: different product for different market segments
10/8/03:
Managing corporate records for Sarbanes-Oxley
10/1/03:
Security and management networks, a dynamic duo
9/24/03:
Using NAS gateways
9/17/03:
Avoiding common e-mail storage policy mistakes
9/10/03:
Taking a peek into the minds of vendors
9/3/03:
FC HBAs haven't followed FC switch price declines
8/27/03:
Five reasons to be concerned about SAN security
8/20/03:
Nuances of Windows NT and SCSI disk performance
8/13/03:
Maximize NAS throughput in a Windows environment
8/6/03:
Can you trust NAS filers?
7/30/03:
How to make sure your IP storage is secure
7/23/03:
The seasonality of product anouncements
7/16/03:
Securing SANs with iSCSI
7/9/03:
Storage security is complex with no simple solution
7/2/03:
Replicating data overseas for reliability/availability
6/25/03:
The business side of storage security
6/18/03:
Shared file systems -- a mixed blessing
6/11/03:
Tips for the everyday admin -- #1
5/28/03:
Tips for the everyday admin -- #2
5/21/03:
Fabric-based virtualization ready for prime time
5/14/03:
Storage security starts with data protection
5/7/03:
Tips for the everyday admin -- #3
4/30/03:
Stay available through a disaster
4/23/03:
ATA drive options in your storage system
4/16/03:
Are you ready for storage security standards?
4/9/03:
Looking at NAS for consolidation/data replication
4/2/03:
Know the performance impacts of replication
3/26/03:
Do storage acquisitions work?
3/19/03:
Stick with a configuration plan
3/12/03:
Best principles for storage security
3/05/03:
What is NAS and how does it fit into a SAN?
2/26/03:
Security matrix outlines data protection options
2/19/03:
Choose mature software
2/12/03:
Mandates and cyber threats demand secured networks
2/5/03:
Disk storage vendors -- SPC-1 benchmark results
1/29/03:
What's coming -- Next generation hardware
1/22/03:
Security mantras -- compatibility/interoperability
12/23/04:
Backup Utility won't copy 'all information'
12/23/04:
Backup Utility won't copy 'all information'
12/16/04:
SOS: Save our Shark
12/9/04:
Remote replication gets out of the array
12/2/04:
Should we use disk-to-disk backup?
11/18/04:
Make way for serial-attached SCSI
11/11/04:
Ten best practices for moving files to a SAN
11/4/04:
Managing direct-attached storage
10/28/04:
How to start an online storage business
10/21/04:
Multiple SAN islands versus a large SAN fabric
10/14/04:
Connecting multimode fiber cable to single mode
10/7/04:
Why do restores take longer than backups?
9/30/04:
Configuring SANs for high availability
9/23/04:
Alternatives to using HBAs
9/16/04:
Determining data access speed
9/9/04:
Switching from NAS to SAN
9/2/04:
What's so great about block-level access?
8/26/04:
Migrating from Windows 2000 to Clariion CX300
8/19/04:
Optimize copying from a SAN to a regular RAID array
8/12/04:
What are the disadvantages to booting off the SAN?
8/5/04:
Sharing a LUN between Linux and Windows servers via iSCSI
7/29/04:
Fast Guide to Fibre Channel basics
7/22/04:
Enterprise-class RAID functions, part 1
7/15/04:
Advantages of ATA and SATA disk drives
7/8/04:
Fast Guide to Fibre Channel basics
7/1/04:
Assigning LUNs in a SAN
6/24/04:
The difference between FCP, FCIP and iFCP
6/17/04:
The best fit for distributed clustering
6/10/04:
Non-distributed clustering
6/3/04:
How WWNs are associated with LUNs
5/27/04:
Maintaining throughput over extended distances
5/20/04:
Backup School: Lesson eight -- setting up multiple backup
serversiFCP networking best practices
5/13/04:
iFCP networking best practices
5/6/04:
Communication limitations in a SAN fabric
4/29/04:
Who's responsible for compliance?
4/22/04:
Best practices for buying storage
4/15/04:
Create an iSCSI SAN using Ethernet switches
4/8/04:
Understanding World Wide Name in Fibre Channel
4/1/04:
Why SANs still aren't simple
3/25/04:
The best deals in storage today
3/18/04:
How many bytes for...
3/11/04:
How to establish a strong failover environment, Part 2
3/4/04:
Migrating data between an older Symmetrix to DMX
2/26/04:
The many benefits of a SAN
2/19/04:
What switches to use when implementing an iSCSI SAN
2/12/04:
Lesson 12: Approaches to SAN management
2/5/04:
Lesson 11: Using point-in-time copies
1/29/04:
Lesson 9: SAN backup, the killer app
1/22/04:
Lesson 8: Tying SANs together
1/15/04:
2004 predictions: Low-cost storage, standards take shape
1/8/04:
2004 predictions: A 'cleansing' year for storage
12/18/03:
SAN School: Designing the SAN
12/11/03:
SAN School: What makes a SAN stop
12/4/03:
SAN School: What makes a SAN go
11/20/03:
CTRC heals network with iSCSI
11/13/03:
Hospitals treat data with IP storage
11/6/03:
Troubleshooting Exchange 2000 server connectivity issues
10/30/03:
Small hospital storage manager has big time issues
10/23/03:
SAN booting tricks
10/16/03:
Yes, security is a real issue for SANs
10/9/03:
Analyze that: Mark Staimer on the Fibre Channel switch
market
10/2/03:
Experts: Windows has no place in the future data center
9/25/03:
Costs involved in connecting SANs for replication
9/18/03:
If customers put out a press release
9/11/03:
Analyze that: McData
9/4/03:
Analyze that: Tony Prigmore on Hitachi Data Systems
8/28/03:
Nuances of Windows NT and SCSI disk performance
8/21/03:
Digital rights management -- caveat emptor
8/14/03:
What questions to ask when making a storage purchase
8/7/03:
Multipathing for reliability
7/31/03:
Design concepts for storage networks: In-band ESCOM
7/24/03:
User profile: Bill Johnson -- the negotiator
7/17/03:
Consolidation ain't easy
7/10/03:
Setting up databases, indexes and log files
7/3/03:
Compliance buying decisions -- the right way, the smart
way
6/26/03:
Essential SAN design considerations
6/19/03:
Sorting SAN facts
6/12/03:
How to consolidate free space on workstations
6/5/03:
DAS to SAN migration considerations
5/29/03:
The importance of proper SAN design
5/22/03:
Optimizing your SAN
5/15/03:
The benefits of SAN-attached storage
5/8/03:
Five steps to selecting a storage solution provider
5/1/03:
Consolidating storage in an SAP environment
4/24/03:
Regulation compliance strategies
4/17/03:
So you wanna be a storage architect?
4/10/03:
Blade servers not looking so sharp
4/3/03:
What criteria do you use to classify a server?
3/27/03:
What's in store for the data you store
3/20/03:
Seven steps to consolidation
3/13/03:
Agentless discovery and SANs
3/06/03:
Is SSD worth it?
2/27/03:
Mixing Fibre SANs with Fiber IP networks
2/20/03:
Can Brocade's Silkworm 12000 help expand your SAN?
2/13/03:
I consolidated my storage...now what?
2/6/03:
Prepare for storage consolidation now
1/30/03:
Is it time to consolidate your data?
1/23/03:
Who should be managing your SAN hardware? |