As a data storage professional, you must be well versed in the technologies and strategies
associated with effectively managing a storage environment. Antony Adshead, our UK storage bureau
chief, has been consistently tackling the technology trends UK storage pros work with on a daily
basis to help them better manage their data storage resources. Check out the best practices on this
page to learn more about SATA and SCSI technologies, network-attached storage (NAS) and
storage-area networks (SANs), read a RAID levels comparison, and
find out about other data storage management technologies.
Data storage basics
SATA,
SCSI and SAS: Which drive is right for your storage environment?
Knowing about Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA), SCSI and Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) is
an important factor in designing a cost-effective storage environment. Learn about the key
differences between SATA and SCSI technologies in terms of performance so you can decide which
types of drives are most suitable for your storage environment.
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? This story answers that
question by breaking down RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 and RAID 10 in terms of performance, protection
and value.
Which
RAID level is best: the dual parity of RAID 6 or the mirrored data of RAID 10?
Many storage managers have a hard time deciding which RAID level will provide the best availability
and reliability. Should they use the dual parity of RAID 6 or the mirrored data of RAID 10? RAID 6
provides more usable capacity and can always protect against two simultaneous disk failures, while
RAID 10 doesn't require special hardware and its rebuild times are faster. This story takes a
closer look at RAID 6 and RAID 10 to help you determine which level is the best fit for your
storage environment.
Defining
storage-area networks, network-attached storage and unified storage
Network-attached storage (NAS), storage-area networks (SANs) and unified storage (a combination of
NAS and SAN approaches) have a common element: they provide data storage capacity that isn't
directly attached to servers. They pool storage on arrays of drives that are accessed by and
independent of servers. NAS, SAN and unified storage differ depending on the network structure that
servers and data storage use to connect to each other. Learn more about the differences in these
technologies, including how each technology leverages different networking protocols to deliver and
receive data.
How to
define RAID levels
Looking for a level-by-level comparison of RAID technology? This story digs into the basics of RAID
by discussing mirroring, striping and parity error checking, as well as how each of these concepts
applies to RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 0+1, RAID 1+0, RAID 4, RAID 5 and RAID 6.
How
to troubleshoot SATA drive connection issues
Computer troubleshooting techniques identify troublesome components in a system through trial and
error. A best practice is to use a methodical approach that starts with the simplest system
features and moves to the most complex ones. With any hard drive, the place to start is with its
most basic requirement: power. This story examines troubleshooting issues by taking a closer look
at connections, operating systems and BIOS, and cache settings.
What
are LUNs and what is their role in SAN management?
What is the definition of a logical unit number (LUN), and how do LUNs relate to volumes, zoning
and masking in SAN management? This story takes a look at why operating systems must speak with
physical disk in a language they understand, LUNs as logical drives, and LUNs as soft partitions.
It also examines how SAN zoning and masking maintains security on the fabric, zoning for
device-to-device authorisation, and an overview of LUN scaling and performance.
A
comparison of incremental and differential backups
Do you know the differences between differential
backup and incremental backup? This story compares the two backup strategies and the
complications in terminology and technology that are associated with each one.
This was first published in August 2009
