Premium Content

Access "Scaling storage"

Published: 20 Oct 2012
What to do when storage capacity keeps growing

This article is part of the Vol. 5 No. 4 June 2006 issue of What to do when storage capacity keeps growing

Scaling storage might seem as easy as tossing a few more disks into the array, but adding just capacity can affect your overall performance. "Scalability" is often defined as the ability of a storage system to support more or higher capacity hard drives. But that's not the whole story. For a storage array to be considered truly "scalable," there are other factors that are just as important -- or maybe even more important -- than disk capacity. Scaling an array's disk capacity may be as simple as buying a few drives, but scaling throughput or performance (such as changing the fan-out ratio or an application I/O profile) can be a challenging task. And it's a task that may be compounded if too little thought was put into the initial design of the storage system in terms of how it was implemented or its hardware configuration. There are many perils associated with growing a storage environment, as additional I/O may cause an imbalance that could impact the system's overall performance. When additional capacity is being considered, you should first ensure that ... Access >>>

Access TechTarget
Premium Content for Free.

By submitting you agree to receive email from TechTarget and its partners. If you reside outside of the United States, you consent to having your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States. Privacy

Already a member? Login to access this content.

What's Inside

Features
  • Columns
    • Time to think outside the box when it comes to data protection

      Storage Bin: The concept of "That's the way we've always done it" isn't going to work anymore, and it sure won't help you build an efficient disaster recovery plan. It's time to think outside the box when it comes to data protection.

    • The rise of the ultra-dense array by Stephen Foskett

      Disk drives are getting smaller and smaller even as their capacities rise. Now storage vendors are packing more disks than ever into smaller spaces, which saves costly data center real estate. But the denser arrays also have a downside--higher power consumption and more heat.

    • A look at data classification products for e-discovery

      New technology products that look inside data can help you classify and manage that data more effectively. But these tools can also be leveraged for e-discovery, allowing specific data to be found and acted upon quickly to satisfy legal requirements.

    • The heat is on

      The heat is on

More Premium Content Accessible For Free

Back to top