Storage Management Strategies for the CIO
QUESTION OF THE WEEK:
This is the use of a special storage device that manages less-frequently needed data so that it appears to be stored entirely on tape cartridges when some parts of it may actually be located in faster, hard disk storage.
a. virtual tape
b. linear tape
c. hard disk
d. bridge disk
e. 8-track tape
Were you correct? This week's answer is:
a. virtual tape
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Virtual tape is the use of a special storage device that manages less-frequently needed data so that it appears to be stored entirely on tape cartridges when some parts of it may actually be located in faster, hard disk storage. The programming for a virtual tape system is sometimes called a virtual tape server (VTS). Virtual tape can be used with a hierarchical storage management (HSM) system in which data is moved as it falls through various usage thresholds to slower but less costly forms of storage media. Virtual tape may also be used as part of a storage area network (SAN) where less-frequently used or archived data can be managed by a single virtual tape server for a number of networked computers.
A virtual tape system offloads from the main computer the processing involved in deciding whether data should be available in the faster disk cache or written onto a tape cartridge. The virtual tape system also can manage data so that more of the space on a tape cartridge is actually used.
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This was first published in May 2002