SAN, NAS, solid state, RAID
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Feature
23 May 2025
AI storage: NAS vs SAN vs object for training and inference
Artificial intelligence operations can place different demands on storage during training, inference, and so on. We look at NAS, SAN and object storage for AI and how to balance them for AI projects Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2025
Vast Data launches into AI stratosphere with AgentEngine
Vast has built out into data management from its roots and will now offer customisable agentic AI agents that can tap into its existing storage, database and messaging capabilities Continue Reading
By- Antony Adshead, Storage Editor
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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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