In Depth
In Depth
SAN, NAS, solid state, RAID
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Storage 101: Queue depth, NVMe and the array controller
We look at queue depth and fan-out and fan-in ratios. With NVMe they could become a thing of the past, but for now there’s still a bottleneck at the storage array controller Continue Reading
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NVMe: PCIe card vs U.2 and M.2
We talk NVMe form factor choices – add-in card vs U.2. vs M.2 – and their uses, for primary storage or cache, with Server StorageIO founder and analyst Greg Schulz Continue Reading
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NVMe over fabrics vs Fibre Channel, Ethernet, Infiniband
NVMe over fabrics takes the built-for-flash advantages of the PCIe-based protocol, and allows NVMe to be sent via Fibre Channel, Ethernet and Infiniband networks Continue Reading
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Storage briefing: NVMe vs SATA and SAS
NVMe brings blistering performance gains over existing HDD-era disk protocols, and is a straight swap-in for PCIe server-side flash with array and hyper-converged products on the way Continue Reading
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Software-defined storage: The pros and cons, and what is available
Software-defined storage is a rapidly rising trend in the datacentre, but what are the advantages and disadvantages of building your own storage, and is it suitable for all organisations? Continue Reading
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Docker storage: how to get persistent storage in Docker
Docker, by default, doesn’t come with persistent storage, which presents an issue to some workloads customers that want to run in containers – however, there are ways to achieve persistent storage Continue Reading
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SAP Hana storage 101
If you're starting down the road towards SAP Hana in-memory analytics you'll need to understand its storage requirements. Here are some basics to get you started Continue Reading
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It makes sense to go hyperscale/hyper-converged
Hyperscale computing and storage are the norm for web giants. Hyper-converged scenarios make it possible for small and medium-sized enterprises to gain the advantages of combined server/storage nodes Continue Reading
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PCIe SSD: Cache vs storage tier
Adding PCIe flash is a popular way of speeding up application response times, with more rapid I/O guaranteed, but should PCIe SSD be added as cache or as a tier of storage? Continue Reading
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CW@50: Storage – From punched cards to flash and the cloud
Since the launch of Computer Weekly in 1966, we have moved from a world of punched cards and paper tape to one where flash and the cloud have revolutionised data storage Continue Reading
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Unaligned I/O: A storage performance killer
As the stack piles higher – with virtual servers, their virtual disks and guest operating systems – the scope for unaligned or misaligned I/O to affect performance increases Continue Reading
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NAS vs object: Which one for large volumes of unstructured data?
Both NAS and object storage offer highly scalable file storage for large volumes of unstructured data, but which is right for your environment? Continue Reading
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Top five things to know about flash and storage tiering
Automated storage tiering boosts storage efficiency and saves money, but why is tiering different from caching, why is it suited to use with flash and how do suppliers differ? Continue Reading
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Snapshots: Hypervisor vs Array
Snapshots are a valuable part of the data protection toolkit, but where is it best to run them from – the hypervisor or the storage array? We look at the pros and cons Continue Reading
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Object storage: Cloud vs in-house
Object storage is a rising star in data storage, especially for cloud and web use. But what are the pros and cons of cloud object storage or building in-house? Continue Reading
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Flash in NAS file access storage: Does it need it – and, if so, how much?
While flash is rapidly going mainstream for primary storage with the all-flash datacentre, does NAS file access storage need flash – and, if so, how much? Continue Reading
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OpenStack Swift 101: the object store for OpenStack apps
We run the rule over the OpenStack Swift object storage architecture, its key components, how it achieves resiliency and the data protection methods in use and development Continue Reading
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All-flash vs hybrid flash for virtual desktop storage
With massive random I/O and a huge bias towards writes, virtual desktop storage – especially for the more feature-rich VDI 2.0 – requires the speed of all-flash and hybrid flash storage Continue Reading
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OpenStack Manila: File access storage for the open source cloud
OpenStack Manila is the file level access method in development by the open source cloud platform. What is it, how does it work and when will it be ready? Continue Reading
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Erasure coding vs Raid for disk rebuilds
Erasure coding as a means of data protection has emerged with object storage and offers an alternative to Raid systems Continue Reading
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Docker storage 101: How storage works in Docker
Docker nails some of the shortcomings of virtualisation, but what about Docker container storage? Continue Reading
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Top five things you need to know about VMware Virtual Volumes
VMware’s Virtual Volumes (VVOLs) promise a revolution in storage for virtual machines, but what are the key things you need to know? Continue Reading
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$/GB vs $/IOPS and how to compare enterprise storage pricing
While raw drive prices are pennies per GB, the actual cost of enterprise storage is much higher. Finding a baseline can save you money Continue Reading
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Thin provisioning – hypervisor vs array
Thin provisioning can be done at the storage array or virtualisation hypervisor. We look at the pros and cons of each – or both Continue Reading
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Flash storage 101: How solid state storage works
Why flash writes are troublesome, why endurance is limited and what suppliers are doing to overcome these issues Continue Reading
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Key challenges in storage and virtualisation, and how to beat them
Server virtualisation brings benefits but increases storage-capacity needs. Here we survey the key challenges and what to do about them Continue Reading
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A guide to scale-out NAS: The specialists and startups
Specialist suppliers and startups in scale-out NAS, a technology that’s gone mainstream for its superior ability to scale capacity and performance Continue Reading
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Scale-out NAS product survey: The big six
We survey the big six storage array makers’ scale-out NAS product ranges Continue Reading
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Key storage performance metrics for virtual environments
We run the rule over storage performance metrics – latency, throughput and IOPS – that are key to optimising virtual machines Continue Reading
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Big players target object storage at cloud and archive
All but one of the big six storage vendors have object storage products that target public and private cloud environments and/or archiving use cases Continue Reading
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OpenStack storage: Cinder and Swift explained
is a rising star in private cloud infrastructures. But what about OpenStack storage? We run the rule over OpenStack Cinder and Swift Continue Reading
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In-memory databases - what they do and the storage they need
In-memory databases offer high performance data processing, but how do you protect data in volatile DRAM and what kind of storage is needed for longer term retention? Continue Reading
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Erasure coding vs Raid as a data protection method
Erasure coding is mooted as a potential successor to Raid and backup software Continue Reading
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VMware versus Hyper-V storage comparison
VMware versus Hyper-V storage: How do the two leading hypervisors compare when it comes to deploying storage and in terms of their key storage features and functionality? Continue Reading
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Would the real flash storage successor please stand up?
Flash storage will hit a wall in development terms by around the end of the decade. But which successor is best placed to replace it: Memristor, MRAM or phase-change memory? Continue Reading
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Converged stacks: What they are and the benefits they bring
We survey the converged stacks market: Servers, storage and networking in pre-configured product bundles for specific virtualisation and application use cases. Continue Reading
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Flash storage: What it is and where to deploy it
A guide to the key decisions in flash storage: MLC vs SLC, all-flash vs hybrid, whether to add flash to an existing SAN, flash as a tier vs cache, and more Continue Reading
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VDI storage basics and persistent versus non-persistent desktops
A look at the fundamentals of VDI storage and how to specify storage for likely workloads and persistent versus non-persistent desktops. Continue Reading
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SMB 3.0 brings enterprise-class storage to Hyper-V deployments
SMB 3.0 is Microsoft’s replacement for the “chatty” CIFS file access storage protocol that offers enterprise-class storage to Hyper-V deployments Continue Reading
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Big data storage: Hadoop storage basics
Hadoop changes the game for enterprise storage. We look at how Hadoop crunches big data, its key storage requirements and survey the vendors Continue Reading
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LUN storage management for vSphere and Hyper-V
LUN storage partitioning has been transformed with the advent of virtualisation. Find out how it differs between VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V implementations Continue Reading
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What’s wrong with flash storage: And what will come after?
Flash storage has taken the enterprise by storm, but its days are numbered due to an unfavourable combination of technological obstacles and manufacturing economics Continue Reading
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Virtualisation and the LUN: Storage configuration for VMs
Virtualisation and the LUN: Storage admins used to match LUNs to physical servers, but that’s all changed. Find out how in this guide to the basics of VM storage Continue Reading
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VMware storage: SAN configuration basics
For VMware storage basics start here – the fundamentals of configuring SAN storage for VMware, such as VMFS, VMDKs, connectivity options and VMware storage features Continue Reading
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SSD RAID essentials: What you need to know about flash and Raid
With the advent of flash and high-capacity HDDs, what do today’s storage professionals need to know about Raid and its new variants? Continue Reading
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Deduplication and single instance storage cut primary data storage costs
Data deduplication and single instance storage can cut costs in primary data environments, but implementations vary between suppliers. Continue Reading
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Tune Raid performance to get the most from your HDDs
Tune Raid performance at the storage controller to match application I/O demands to optimal hard drive (HDD) performance Continue Reading
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ATA over Ethernet offers SAN storage on a budget
ATA over Ethernet offers SAN storage on a budget, at 20% of the cost of Fibre Channel and half that of iSCSI SANs. But, does being a one-vendor protocol mean it’s a non-starter? Continue Reading
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Clustered NAS vs traditional NAS solutions
Clustered NAS offers file visibility across petabytes of storage and is hugely scalable with the ability to increase throughput, IOPS or disk space by adding extra nodes. Continue Reading
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Object-based storage promises scalability and flexibility for static, unstructured data needs
Object storage gets rid of traditional file system hierarchies and puts in place a flat access structure that provides a good basis for hugely scalable unstructured data access. Continue Reading
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MLC vs SLC: Which flash SSD is right for you?
Which flash SSD you choose depends on the performance you need and the price you want to pay, but the differences are not as great as you may think Continue Reading
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Thin provisioning FAQ
Tony Lock, programme director at analyst group Freeform Dynamics, answers common questions on thin provisioning. Continue Reading
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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 ... Continue Reading
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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