Everything Storage

From the basic to the sophisticated, you'll find our storage articles a good starting point.

EMC VNX Disk Array Buyer's Guide

VNX marks the end of an era at EMC. It consolidates two longstanding product lines, CLARiiON and Celerra, into one line, unifying SAN and NAS and enabling unstructured data growth in traditional, virtual and cloud environments to be more easily and efficiently managed.

10 Reasons Why SSDs Are Better Than Mechanical Disks

SSDs may be expensive, but they're well worth the price when you consider their advantages.

10 Advantages of SAN vs. DAS

SAN has many advantages over DAS in your data center. Here are 10 reasons to consider making the leap from local storage to a SAN.

6 Server Trends Storage Admins Can't Ignore

What happens in the server market, typically doesn't stay in the server market and often has a direct impact on storage. Savvy storage admins will be keeping an eye on these six server trends.

The Ties That Bind: Server Virtualization Fuels Storage Networking

As server virtualization becomes more pervasive, so too is an unplanned byproduct: storage costs.

Boosting Storage Backup Speed on Virtual Servers

With virtual servers on almost every enterprise's road map, backup-related issues are increasingly on the radar.

Tape vs. Disk: Tape Refuses to be Evicted

Like a tenant who refuses to be evicted from an area earmarked for redevelopment, tape is alive and kicking. When it comes to long-term backup retention and archiving, it is holding its own against dedupe — especially among large enterprises.

5 Simple Changes to Reduce Hard Drive Failures

Too hot makes for better reliability than too cold, brand new disks should be kept away from disks already in production and three other tips that may surprise you.

RAID's Final Countdown

Looks like the long-running data storage technology may be headed for trouble. We examine the problem -- and various potential solutions.

Brace Yourself for the SSD Revolution

Solid state drives are poised to sweep away a large percentage of conventional hard drives in servers and enterprise storage devices.

Storage Technology Addresses Needs in Tough Times

The economy may be weak, but storage needs remain strong. Is it any surprise then that storage optimization technologies, which offer the ability to reduce storage needs, are becoming increasingly popular?

HP's Storage Flash-Forward

HP looks ahead, becoming the latest company to throw its weight behind solid state storage technology.

FCoE, Security Loom Large at SNW

Fibre Channel over Ethernet product sightings and disk encryption top a long list of product news at this week's Storage Networking World show.

Dell Bypasses Tape With Disk Backup Appliance

Dell's new disk-based backup appliance is aimed at SMBs and branch offices, but whatever you do, don't call it a VTL.

Sun Goes Hybrid, Opens Cheap, Bulky Boxes

Sun launched a new line of less-expensive and bulkier open storage boxes and added a hybrid storage server to the Thumper line.

Linux File Systems, Revisited

Contrary to popular opinion, Linux file systems will require changes to handle the 100TB environments that will become commonplace in the not-too-distant future.

Mitigate Storage Media Lifecycle Risks

Tape may not be glamorous, but it remains a key component of many storage infrastructures and accounts for a significant amount of IT spending. The medium itself carries several inherent risks when it comes to both buying and disposing.

Are Linux File Systems Right for You?

Linux file systems aren't for everyone. A variety of limitations make them poorly suited for large and HPC environments.

Storage Virtualization Plays Catch Up

While server virtualization rolls onward with seemingly unstoppable momentum, storage virtualization has lagged behind. Block-level and file-level virtualization are helping change this.

Sun Grows OpenSolaris Toolkit

Pundits, however, remain unconvinced that open source is a storage element.

Get Ready for RAID-6

RAID-6 is becoming a common way to get the most out of SATA drives. If you're considering using RAID-6, be sure your RAID controller is up to the task.

Why Tape Libraries Still Matter

Disk-based backup and recovery solutions may be the hot ticket, but don't count tape libraries out yet. Tape users are sticking with their medium and buying more capacity, while the vendors continue to evolve their offerings to keep pace pace with enterprise needs.

ILM Lives on Beyond the Buzz

Information lifecycle management may no longer be all the rage, but look beyond semantics, and you'll find the concepts and methodologies behind it thriving as they continue to evolve.

Storage Horizon 2008

Enterprise Storage Forum's Henry Newman reviews how accurate his 2007 predictions were and weighs in on where he thinks storage is headed in 2008.

Storage Switches Offer Alternatives to Fibre Channel

Storage switches continue to increase in both speed and features as vendors adopt iSCSI and other protocols to supplement their Fibre Channel offerings. What are Cisco, Brocade and the rest of the pack up to?

Virtually Speaking: Storage, The New Frontier

Storage virtualization is hot, hot, hot. Is it also a case study in convergence?

Fighting the Storage Fear Factor

What do storage vendors and car salesmen have in common? Both use fear as a key selling tactic. Learn the four warning signs to avoid falling into their trap.

ITIL's Presence Expands to Storage

Could ITIL be the solution to the prevailing storage management woes?

File-Area Networking Brings FAN Frenzy to Storage

As each vendor spars for its own corner, file virtualization is fast becoming the latest storage battleground.

Is There Intelligent Life in Storage?

Early signs of intelligence are finding their way into RAID data protection, switch platforms and disk arrays, with much more in the pipeline. Vendors and users are lining up, but do they see eye to eye?

Server Snapshots: Intel Storage Server SSR21MC2

Intel's not just about chips anymore. The latest addition to its stable is a box that can function as an application server, a storage server or a combination of the two.

HP-UX Takes Storage to 'Limitless' Heights

HP-UX 11i version 3 is out, offering improved storage, performance and virtualization features.

Increase Your SAN Smarts

SANs are fast becoming a critical part of many IT infrastructures. Deploying and managing a SAN often presents as many challenges as it solves. Learn best practices to follow and pitfalls to avoid.

RAID Gets Revved

Does the extra protection RAID 5EE and 6 afford mean SATA is unreliable?

NAS Goes Virtual

The proliferation of NAS boxes and file servers is leading to storage sprawl -- and an interest in virtualization.

The Semantics of Storage Virtualization

Storage virtualization is more common than many, even company's that have deployed it, believe. Virtual tape, volume managers, and in some cases the systems themselves, are places organizations often go virtual.

Storage in the Spotlight

Data management and protection were pervasive throughout this week's Storage Networking World.

DAS Lives!

Contrary to predictions, direct-attached storage remains alive and well within many enterprises.

HP Sharpens Storage offerings

At this week's Storage Networking World HP unveiled a number of storage options for SMBs, including a dedicated storage blade and a SAN in a box.

Storage Power Needs Surge

Power and cooling issues pervade the data center. Storage is no exception to this. Its power consumption in the data center is now approaching that of servers.

IBM Takes Tape Storage Into Overdrive

Big Blue adds long-distance disaster recovery and grid tools to its enterprise-class tape system.

Data Tape Constraints

Like any other medium, data tapes have limits and finite lifespans. To prevent data loss, such parameters must be followed.

Your Vendor, Friend or Foe?

A healthy vendor relationship leads to good service and great deals for the user enterprise. How do you develop one without losing your shirt? Storage users share tips on getting the most out of a vendor relationship -- in storage and beyond.

The Importance of Data Restoration

Your backup is only as good as your ability to restore. This case study demonstrates why.

Hardware Today: The Evolution of NAS

Network attached storage has changed much since the dawn of storage. From high availability to virtualization, feature options abound.

Win 2003 High Availability Solutions, Disk Storage (SCSI)

The importance of disk storage stems from its role in the server clustering architecture. The next few articles will review cluster-specific requirements and explore technologies that satisfy them. We begin with SCSI.

Tip of the Trade: Openfiler

Want network-attached storage, instantly? Openfiler bundles a variety of free and open source apps to create a cross-platform storage server.

Hardware Today: SATA and SAS Gain Ground

SATA and SAS are hot, but are they the silver bullet vendors are presenting them as?

Understanding RAID

RAID is a necessary building block when undertaking a data protection initiative.

Hardware Today: The Wide Array of Disk Arrays

EMC, HP, and IBM may account for more than 50 percent of the disk array market, but they are aren't the only show in town. Dell, HDS, and a host of smaller players fill the other half.

NetApp to Provide High-Performance Storage

The Data ONTAP GX operating system will help customers pull and tuck away files.

Going the Extra Mile in Disaster Recovery

IBM's SAN Volume Controller can now replicate data from any distance.

Storage Grids Heat Up

Are storage grids the latest killer app or merely buzzword du jour?

Storage Security: Neglect It at Your Peril

With increasing regulatory demands and complex technology, storage security has become a discipline in its own right. Still, many companies don't include it in their security plans.

Definition: 'Storage Server'

Ask most people what a storage server is, and you'll likely get blank stares or rambling varied answers. This article clarifies what makes a storage server, a storage server and provides examples of storage servers on the market.

Storage Teams Grow in Popularity

The use of storage teams has grown dramatically in recent years, but some wonder if they're always necessary.

Storage Strategies Made Simple

Don't know much about storage? With 50 percent of organizations expected to add either a dedicated storage specialist or storage management team by year end, now is a good time to get familiar with the basics.

Strategic Storage Budgeting

Before running the numbers, make sure your requirements are being met.

Storage Virtualization Spurs Debate

Is the buzz surrounding storage virtualization causing storage users to miss the big picture?

Storage Virtualization, Management, and the Midrange

The storage market is changing rapidly. What really matters?