Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• Network performance bottlenecks and SSDs

  Dennis Martin talks about how SSDs can shift performance bottlenecks away from storage and onto the network in this Expert Response.  Continue Reading

• Process to convert thick- to thin-provisioned VMDKs

  Learn about the disk provisioning options in vSphere and the process for changing a thick-provisioned VMDK to a thin-provisioned one.  Continue Reading

• New 2.5-inch PCIe SSD form factor emerging

  Dennis Martin, independent storage expert and founder of Demartek, discusses the 2.5-inch PCIe SSD form factor in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Does PCIe SSD live up to the hype?

  Dennis Martin, independent SSD expert and founder of Demartek, discusses PCIe SSD in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• How will 10 GbE impact iSCSI speed?

  The adoption of 10 gigabit Ethernet has ramped up iSCSI speed and resulted in a smaller performance gap between iSCSI and Fibre Channel.  Continue Reading

• Three ways to configure iSCSI LUNs in a virtual environment

  Dennis Martin offers three ways to configure iSCSI LUNs with VMware and Hyper-V -- two using the hypervisor while the other bypasses the hypervisor.  Continue Reading

• Understand which SSD specs are most important

  SSD expert Dennis Martin explains which SSD specs you should care about and why they are important in this Expert Response.  Continue Reading

• What to expect when using HDFS in Hadoop architecture

  Analyst John Webster details issues with Hadoop architecture and what users can expect from Hadoop Version 2.0.  Continue Reading

• Understanding big data analytics and data warehousing

  Understanding big data analytics, and how it differs from data warehousing, depends on time to information, content complexity and cost.  Continue Reading

• Implementing Hadoop for reasons other than big data

  There are multiple ways an organization can benefit from implementing Hadoop, according to analyst John Webster.  Continue Reading

• Comparing scale-out and object-based storage systems

  Scale-out and object-based storage systems are both built for scaling, but metadata characteristics are the difference maker.  Continue Reading

• What's down the road for NAND flash technology?

  Technology expert Dennis Martin of Demartek discusses whether NAND flash technology will stick around or be overtaken in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• SSD controller technology continues to improve endurance, performance

  IT expert Dennis Martin of Demartek discusses SSD controller technology developments that increase endurance and performance in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• How should I spec a storage system for big data apps?

  Analyst John Webster explains the difference between big data apps for large-capacity applications and analytics applications.  Continue Reading

• Limited third-party management tool support exists for FCoE protocol

  Storage expert Marc Staimer explains that FCoE protocol support is best in end-to-end integrated offerings.  Continue Reading