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JULY 2008 |
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FEATURES |
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TOOLS, TRENDS & ANALYSIS |
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COLUMNS |
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Find out more about this month's Storage Magazine advertisers by clicking on the company names below to contact them and request more information on their products and services. |
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December 2005 |
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Hot technologies for 2006
by Alan Radding
Storage's editors considered a wide range of technologies before settling on the five that we feel will be the hottest storage technologies for 2006. Among the many technologies available to storage shops, we see e-mail archiving, midrange arrays, virtual tape and disk-based backup, SAS/SATA drives and remote office support emerging as the technologies that will be most in demand next year. |
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NAS consolidation options
by Ray Lucchesi
There are four main ways to consolidate NAS--upgrading to larger traditional NAS boxes, clustered file systems, parallel file systems and NAS aggregators. We help you determine the best consolidation option for your storage environment. |
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Smart career moves
by Ann Dalrymple
It's a good time to be working in storage, but no matter what your background or training, gone are the days when you could count on your company to have the same concerns about your career that you do. Here are some steps you can follow to take control of your storage career. |
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Larger SANs drive storage growth
by Mark Schlack
Storage's exclusive Purchasing Intentions Survey polled 524 storage professionals. The survey suggests that storage managers are moving away from many small SANs to fewer, larger SANs that can power more services and connect to more places. |
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Get ready for virtualization
by Jerome M. Wendt
The benefits of virtualization are apparent, but getting there is another matter. Many products can deliver some form of virtualization, but behind the promises of storage utopia looms vendor lock-in. But even if the rewards are greater than the risks, you still need to assess which virtualization options are mature enough to deploy. |
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November 2005 |
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Storage salaries increase
by Alan Radding
The results for Storage's annual salary survey are in and storage professionals report salary growth. While the increases over last year are modest, they do represent the third straight year that our exclusive survey has shown an increase in storage salaries. |
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File Systems: The state of the art
by Brad O'Neill
Generally overlooked, file systems are assuming a prominent place at the heart of new technologies that address some of the most vexing storage problems, such as scaling and performance. New file-system approaches provide the underpinnings for technologies such as clustering, global namespaces and wide-area computing. |
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Secure your backups
by Alex Barrett
The headlines tell the story: Lost tapes can jeopardize the confidentiality of personal information and cause public-relations woes for those companies charged with safeguarding that data. Encryption can solve the problem, but implementing tape encryption isn't so easy, as performance issues could impact backup windows. |
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The lowdown on replication appliances
by Jerome M. Wendt
Operating system- and storage array-agnostic, replication appliances give companies increased flexibility to address one-time and continuous data replication needs, while allowing applications to continue processing without data loss or to recover with minimal downtime. |
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October 2005 |
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Will your disaster recovery plan work?
by Alan Radding
No matter how many checklists a company creates, the number of disaster scenarios it considers or even how assiduously it backs up data, managers can't be confident in their firm's ability to recover data unless the systems have been tested thoroughly. |
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Process frameworks and storage
by Mike Drapeau
Process frameworks provide guidelines for improving storage practices and procedures. But understanding the differences between process, procedure and policy is essential. Here are 10 ways to ensure a successful process framework implementation. |
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Better capacity forecasting
by Dan Weinstein
There are two methods for devising storage capacity forecasts: quantitative and qualitative. By combining the two, you can develop practical metrics that will make more accurate forecasts. |
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Data grids for storage
by Ray Lucchesi
Data grids are used by the scientific community to access data resources around the world. Companies can use the principles underlying these global grids to link geographically dispersed sites. |
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Hidden threats to data
by Dick Benton
Inadequacies in storage governance and weaknesses in data management may pose far less-visible risks to a company's data. To mitigate these threats, you must be aware of the impact and probability of these risks to reduce or eliminate them. |
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Keep remote offices in sync
by Jerome M. Wendt
With regulatory compliance, data protection requirements and the need to share data, remote office data can no longer be ignored. Wide-area file system products can rein in and protect remote data. |
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September 2005 |
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10 basic steps for better backup
by Jim Damoulakis
The most evident common denominator in well-functioning backup infrastructures is effective process and control. This checklist highlights 10 areas you should focus on to build a better backup practice. |
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How disk has changed backup
by W. Curtis Preston
Inexpensive disk has spawned a variety of disk-based backup alternatives. But with more choices comes greater complexity compared to the days when you simply had to choose a backup application and tape library. Backup guru W. Curtis Preston explains the advantages of using disk for backup, including virtual tape libraries and disk-as-disk backup targets, and discusses the pros and cons of alternative disk-based backup methods. |
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Shorten your backup window
by Matt Rock and Phil Poresky
With growing data stores and complex environments, it's becoming more
and more difficult to keep backup operations within their allocated windows.
There are two fundamental ways to shorten a backup window: data
reduction and data elimination. |
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Keep track of backups
by Phil Goodwin
Backup reporting applications keep track of backup operations, noting where failures have occurred while helping to determine the problems in the backup process. We tell you what to look for in this new category of backup tools, and provide a sampling of currently available backup reporting products. |
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Any-point-in-time backups
by Brad O'Neill
Continuous data protection captures changes at a file- or block-level as they happen, and provides running recovery journals for all historical data states. This shifts data protection to a more flexible any-point-in-time framework. |
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Sizing up VTLs
by Alex Gorbansky
Virtual tape libraries present disk as tape, so backup apps can perform backups as usual, regardless of the physical backup infrastructure. Learn about hardware and software VTLs, the benefits of each and how they might fit into your backup operation. |
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Match snaps to apps
by Glenn Duzy
Snapshots can help make short work of both backup and recovery. But there are different types of snapshots and various ways to implement them. See what type of snapshot technology would be most appropriate for your application environment. |
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Use mainframes for backups
by Gary Brown
You can put that big iron sitting in your data center to better use by using it to back up open-systems data, too. The net effect is a streamlined backup and disaster recovery operation. |
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Make tape libraries work with all platforms
by Mike Drapeau and Gary Brown
If tape libraries could share IT resources and data across all processing platforms, data center complexity and cost could be dramatically reduced. |
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September 2005 |
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Data migration: Preparation equals success
by Richard Harsell
Moving data from one array to another is becoming more commonplace for reasons such as implementing new or upgraded systems, tiering storage or archiving older data. Data migration is a complex and painful process, but these steps can help ease the pain. |
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Data migration: Tales from the trenches
Finding the right tools to handle a data migration is no easy task. Here's how several users found the best tool for the job and solved their data migration problems. |
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Cisco's switch-based backup
by Logan G. Harbaugh
Serverless backup can take the load off servers and ease network traffic. Cisco uses Xcopy on its MDS 9000 switch for serverless backup; see how it compares to other methods and products. |
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First SAS products arrive
New serial attached SCSI (SAS) products are beginning to flood the market. SAS, by all accounts, will displace parallel SCSI, but its compatibility with SATA will also allow easy storage tiering in a single box. But will it prove to be a serious challenger to Fibre Channel? |
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Database archiving software
by Jerome M. Wendt
There are two good reasons to archive database data: to improve the performance of production systems and to reclaim expensive primary storage space. Archiving apps are now compelling alternatives to application-based archiving and manual procedures. |
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August 2005 |
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Bridging the gap
by Greg Schulz
Many disaster recovery and remote backup programs rely on an efficient, cost-effective WAN. Fiber-optic network technology is often required for long-distance data transmission, but you need to know what transport is best and the related implementation issues. |
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Storage for manufacturing
by Alan Radding
Manufacturing environments typically have different storage requirements than corporate apps, and have to deal with globally dispersed design teams as well as growing regulatory concerns. Here's how several prominent manufacturers have met the challenge. |
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New tools to classify data
by Brad O'Neill
Putting data on storage systems appropriate to its value requires the ability to classify data. An emerging category of applications, Information Classification and Management apps, can index enterprise information and execute precise actions based on its content. |
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Archiving unstructured data
by Jerome M. Wendt
It may no longer be enough to archive your files and e-mail to meet compliance regulations. You also need to provide a way to search archives and find related information based on specific criteria. |
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July 2005 |
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HP reassures the faithful
by Rich Castagna
With a bevy of new products, including a long-awaited refresh of its EVA arrays, Hewlett-Packard is trying to convince its users and critics that the company really is committed to storage. |
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Data classification: Getting started
by Karl Langdon and John Merryman
Classifying data and knowing how its value changes over time will improve service levels, create a better working relationship with business units and reduce costs. |
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Backup-to-disk performance tuning
by Craig Everett
Disk-based backup can lower costs, reduce complexity and add scalability. But to achieve top performance, you'll need to do lots of benchmarking and watch for poorly configured production storage. |
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How DBAs view storage
by Dean Auger
Storage magazine's exclusive poll gives you the lowdown on how DBAs and storage pros view storage. We detail each group's areas of concern, spotlight their differences and find some common ground. |
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Switching storage vendors
by Alan Radding
Many storage managers would rather push their existing storage to the max rather than install a new vendor's equipment. Three companies describe how they changed vendors with as little pain as possible. |
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June 2005 |
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New backup strategies
by W. Curtis Preston
In the final installment of his series on disk-based data protection,
W. Curtis Preston describes how options such as snapshots, replication, continuous data protection and data reduction backup can improve the backup process. |
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Storage spending report
by Mark Schlack
Storage magazine's exclusive semiannual Purchasing Intentions Survey shows budgets slowly climbing, a move toward tiering and an increased focus on using disk for backup. |
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iFCP vs. FCIP
by Norman Owens
Two protocols—iFCP and FCIP—tap the scalability of the Internet Protocol and Ethernet networks, and can be used to overcome Fibre Channel networking limitations when connecting SAN islands. But iFCP and FCIP operate very differently; find out which one is right for your environment. |
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Is the time right for optical storage?
by Alan Radding
Optical storage has languished on the periphery of enterprise storage, but new technologies with higher capacities and more competitive per-gigabyte prices are moving optical into the mainstream. |
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Three ways to outsource backups
by Stephen Foskett and Michael Tobin
Outsourcing storage processes—through insourcing, online backup or hosted backup services—can improve a storage group's productivity,
consistency and efficiency. |
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Directors take on more tasks
by Phil Goodwin
The competition among director-class products has never been more intense. If you're considering directors for the first time, or re-examining your fabric strategy, here's what you need to know. |
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May 2005 |
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Real-world DR
by Marc Staimer
Disaster recovery (DR) is an ongoing issue for every storage shop. Building a plan that works and is cost-effective is a challenge. Here's how six companies met their DR challenges. |
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Any-point-in-time backups
by Brad O'Neill
Continuous data protection captures all data write changes at a file or block level, and provides running recovery journals for all historical data states. This shifts traditional data protection to a more flexible any-point-in-time framework. |
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Build a winning storage budget
by Dick Benton
Building a storage budget—and getting it approved—is an annual uphill battle. By taking a business-plan approach to the process, you'll have a better chance of getting a green light while aligning your budgeting efforts with those of senior management. |
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April 2005 |
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Clustering storage
by Rich Castagna
Clustered servers have become a mainstay of the data center, and now clustering is quickly becoming the preferred technology for making
storage more scalable, reliable and easier to manage. |
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Pros and cons of VTLs
by W. Curtis Preston
For disk-to-disk backup, virtual tape libraries (VTLs) treat disk as tape and offer many advantages compared to disk-as-disk backup targets. But VTLs aren't perfect, and there some caveats about the technology that you need to know before implementing a VTL. |
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Are SATA drives ready for the enterprise?
by Alex Gorbansky
SATA drives are great low-cost alternatives to pricey Fibre Channel and SCSI drives, but they lack the reliability and performance that mission-critical applications demand. But new technologies are bringing SATA up to enterprise-class standards. |
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Chart a course for consolidation
by Bill Peldzus
Consolidating storage is a complex, challenging process. Whether you're tackling DAS, NAS or SAN, there are key issues that must be addressed to have a successful storage consolidation project. |
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March 2005 |
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Spotlight on midrange arrays
Midrange arrays can handle most jobs traditionally associated with costly monolithic arrays at a far lower price. Our Special Report describes the benefits of these modular storage systems, profiles 14 of the leading midrange arrays and offers a look at what's coming. |
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Securing IP SANs
by Stephen Foskett
IP SANs use commodity hardware and industry-standard protocols to provide a cost-conscious, easy-to-manage alternative to Fibre Channel arrays. But with IP comes the issue of security. We detail five ways to make an IP SAN more secure. |
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