Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• How do VM-aware storage and virtual storage appliances differ?

  Virtual storage appliances and VM-aware storage both cater to virtual environments, but in different ways, explains expert Phil Goodwin.  Continue Reading

• How will server SAN adoption play out in IT organizations?

  Wikibon senior analyst Stuart Miniman offers up his prediction for how server SAN adoption will play out in IT organizations.  Continue Reading

• How storage IT pros can support the recovery of in-memory databases

  Wikibon CTO David Floyer provides advice on how storage IT pros can support the recovery of an in-memory database to avoid hours of downtime.  Continue Reading

• MLC flash controller improvements increase reliability, performance

  George Crump discusses how flash controller improvements have increased the performance and reliability of MLC flash in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Comparing performance and cost of DRAM vs. NAND

  George Crump of Storage Switzerland compares the performance and cost of DRAM to NAND flash in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• What are the pros and cons of storing VMs on a unified storage array?

  Phil Goodwin outlines and gives examples of how unified storage can be beneficial in virtual server environments -- but not without difficulties.  Continue Reading

• Comparing write-through, write-back and write-around caching

  George Crump of Storage Switzerland compares three common types of caching -- write-through, write-back and write-around -- in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Is MLC flash reliability still an issue?

  Independent storage expert George Crump discusses MLC flash reliability concerns in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Is there a difference between traditional tiering and sub-LUN tiering?

  Sub-LUN tiering can help with performance in some environments, but according to analyst Jon Toigo, it can also get complicated with growing capacity.  Continue Reading

• Understanding the importance of distributed server-side caching

  George Crump of Storage Switzerland explains distributed server-side caching and why the technology is important in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• NAND flash process geometry and its relation to drive reliability

  George Crump examines the relationship between NAND flash process geometry and drive reliability in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• TRIM support, compatibility with major operating systems

  Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses which operating systems provide TRIM support in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• SSD pricing and use cases

  Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses SSD pricing and use cases when SLC flash makes sense in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Primary storage deduplication increasingly at play in all-flash arrays

  Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses how primary storage deduplication increases efficiency and longevity of solid-state storage.  Continue Reading

• Sub-LUN auto tiering performance considerations

  Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses sub-LUN auto tiering performance considerations in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Comparing DIMM-connected flash vs. PCIe flash benefits

  Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses DIMM-connected flash as compared with PCIe flash benefits in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• SSD form factors and their specific use cases

  Leah Schoeb discusses the specific use cases for enterprise flash storage form factors in this Expert Response.  Continue Reading

• The variety of enterprise SSD options available today

  Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses the variety of enterprise SSD options available today in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Creating hybrid SSD arrays on your own

  Dennis Martin of Demartek discusses creating DIY hybrid SSD arrays by adding flash drives to an existing array.  Continue Reading

• Are NAND flash wear-out issues solved?

  Dennis Martin of Demartek discusses whether NAND flash wear-out is still a concern in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• How PCIe solid-state cards differ from vendor to vendor

  Dennis Martin of Demartek discusses differences between various PCIe solid-state cards available today in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Advice for IT shops on erasure coding vs. replication in data storage

  Replication is critical for disaster recovery in IT shops. UC Santa Cruz professor evaluates erasure coding versus replication in data storage.  Continue Reading

• How essential is a Hadoop infrastructure to a big data environment?

  Expert Jon Toigo explains why Hadoop and big data are frequently used together, but argues that Hadoop has a number of downfalls.  Continue Reading

• What role does Smart Paging play in Dynamic Memory allocation?

  Smart Paging uses physical storage to make up for shortcomings in available physical RAM. Learn how it works on a host server with a high VM density.  Continue Reading

• How will Windows Server 2012 upgrades impact Windows storage pools?

  Learn what steps administrators should take to preserve the functionality of storage pools when upgrading to Windows Server 2012 R2.  Continue Reading

• How does storage thin provisioning work with Hyper-V automatic trim?

  Learn how Windows Server 2012 R2's automatic trim feature frees up capacity from thinly provisioned virtual hard disks.  Continue Reading

• How should I factor dedupe technology into my virtual machines?

  Technology expert Brien Posey explains how deduplication for virtual machines can help performance in a virtual server environment.  Continue Reading

• Using live virtual disk merge in Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V

  Live virtual disk merge, a new feature in Windows Server 2012 R2, allows snapshots to be restored without downtime. Expert Brien Posey explains how.  Continue Reading

• What are the challenges associated with resizing virtual hard disks?

  Brien Posey explains how to resize virtual hard disks in Windows Server 2012, and provides tips on how to avoid technical difficulties.  Continue Reading

• Top mistakes users make when switching from HDD to SSD storage

  In this Expert Answer, Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses the top three mistakes people make when switching from HDD to SSD storage.  Continue Reading

• The importance of NVMe and SCSI Express for PCIe SSD development

  Leah Schoeb of Evaluator Group discusses whether the emerging SCSI Express and NVMe standards will have an impact on PCIe flash adoption.  Continue Reading

• Why is persistent cache important?

  Leah Schoeb, partner with Evaluator Group, discusses the importance of persistent cache in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Choosing the correct laptop SSD

  Leah Schoeb, partner with Evaluator Group, discusses the important considerations for selecting the right laptop SSD.  Continue Reading

• How does the shared VHDX file feature in Windows Server 2012 R2 work?

  The new shared VHDX feature brings shared storage to guest clusters by eliminating the need for an iSCSI or Fibre Channel connection.  Continue Reading

• Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V features: Generation 2 virtual machines

  Learn how Generation 2 virtual machines, a new Hyper-V feature in Windows Server 2012 R2, affect storage with dynamic resizing, cloning and more.  Continue Reading

• How cloud providers are using NAND flash technology today

  Leah Schoeb, senior partner with Evaluator Group, discusses how cloud providers are using flash today in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• All-flash array options evolve to offer enterprise-class functionality

  Leah Schoeb, senior partner with Evaluator Group, discusses the development of all-flash array functionality in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Shrinking SSD die sizes enable high performance in a small format

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer discusses how flash vendors cram more capacity onto smaller chips through the use of shrinking die sizes.  Continue Reading

• Will memristor technology be a successor to NAND flash?

  Leah Schoeb, senior partner with Evaluator Group, discusses whether memristor technology might be a successor to NAND flash in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Cost and capacity of 3D NAND flash

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer discusses 3D NAND flash in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• The future of SATA and SAS SSD

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer discusses the future of SCSI and SAS SSDs in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Synchronous, asynchronous and toggle-mode NAND

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer discusses synchronous, asynchronous and toggle-mode NAND in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Does RAID have a place in object-oriented storage environments?

  Expert Brien Posey explains whether RAID technology can bring any benefits to an object storage environment.  Continue Reading

• OpenStack Swift object storage: How does data placement work?

  OpenStack Swift uses regions, zones, servers, drives for data placement and places three copies of each object in unique-as-possible locations.  Continue Reading

• What is SCSI Express designed to accomplish?

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer answers a SCSI Express question in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• PCIe SSD pooling technology vs. storage-array-based SSD cards

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer compares PCIe SSD pooling technology like QLogic's Mt. Rainier FabricCache and storage-array-based SSDs.  Continue Reading

• How to align laptop flash drive partitions in Windows

  Marc Staimer outlines how to ensure that your laptop flash drive partitions are aligned properly in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• Top three mistakes when switching from HDD to SSD

  Marc Staimer outlines the top three mistakes users make when switching from HDDs to SSDs in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• What are the goals of the NVM Express standard?

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer discusses Nonvolatile Memory Express and what the standard is designed to accomplish.  Continue Reading

• Can storage hypervisors bring high availability to the cloud?

  Learn how the advanced functionality of a storage hypervisor provides a cloud infrastructure with high availability.  Continue Reading

• The top three use cases for PCIe SSD

  Learn more about the most common applications of PCIe solid-state cards today in this Expert Answer from independent storage expert Marc Staimer.  Continue Reading

• Laptop SSD applications and monitoring

  Learn what applications benefit from laptop SSDs and what tools are available to monitor wear on these drives in this Expert Answer from Marc Staimer.  Continue Reading

• Is there any popular software that allows me to share PCIe SSD cards?

  Learn the different methods to share PCIe SSD cards among multiple servers to improve performance and still keep costs down.  Continue Reading

• Can object storage systems be used with file-based apps?

  Learn how to use applications such as Microsoft Exchange or SQL Server with object storage systems on the back end.  Continue Reading

• How can host-based and array-based data replication techniques be compared?

  Learn the benefits and drawbacks to host-based and array-based replication methods to determine which one better suits your environment.  Continue Reading

• SSD cache appliances: Pros and cons

  Analyst George Crump outlines the benefits and drawbacks of using caching appliances as a method of adding solid-state performance to an environment.  Continue Reading

• Storage thin provisioning: Comparing implementation types

  Analyst Erick Slack explains how to create a thin volume, migrate from thick to thin provisioning and determine when to use thin provisioning.  Continue Reading

• What can software-defined storage do that traditional storage can't?

  Analyst George Crump explains what software-defined storage is, and how it's able to drive down costs and tie into an existing virtual infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Storage considerations for a Hadoop implementation

  Storage Switzerland analyst Colm Keegan explains how to determine whether a SAN or NAS should be used as primary storage with Hadoop.  Continue Reading

• Which devices do I need for I/O virtualization?

  Jon Toigo explains how I/O virtualization can simplify the server configuration used to host VMs and its role as an enabling technology for I/O processing.  Continue Reading

• Debunking some common myths about high-performance networks

  Storage expert Marc Staimer discusses why high-performance networks can reduce costs for enterprises while adding value.  Continue Reading

• Manufacturing NAND flash chips

  NAND flash chips are made in fabrication plants known as fabs. Market oversupply or undersupply can cause manufacturers to alter production plans.  Continue Reading

• Installing SSD to boost laptop performance

  Marc Staimer explains how installing SSD can improve the performance of a laptop computer.  Continue Reading

• VMware market share is high in a small pool of virtualization

  Storage expert Jon Toigo explains how VMware is the market leader, and why virtualization growth statistics seem more impactful than they truly are.  Continue Reading

• VAAI storage: Vendors aim to fix hypervisor's problems

  Storage expert Jon Toigo discusses how storage vendors are evolving to work better with virtualization, specifically with support for VAAI.  Continue Reading

• How a virtualized storage infrastructure improves performance

  Jon Toigo compares methods for improving performance in virtual environments and explains why a virtualized storage infrastructure is a good option.  Continue Reading

• Solving the I/O bottleneck issue: Most options mask rather than solve

  Storage expert Jon Toigo explains why virtualization causes slow performance, and how methods for speeding it up don't address the real problem.  Continue Reading

• Storage and virtualizing servers: What to consider before your project

  Jon Toigo explains how virtualizing servers can affect storage and what to consider before carrying out a virtualization project.  Continue Reading

• Software-defined storage and SSDs

  Marc Staimer, independent storage expert and founder of Dragon Slayer Consulting, discusses software-defined storage and SSDs in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• How is Hadoop infrastructure improving?

  John Webster describes how changes to HDFS and the NameNode can help to improve Hadoop infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Can shared storage be used with Hadoop architecture?

  Storage expert John Webster discusses three ways to use shared storage together with Hadoop architecture in this Ask the Expert answer.  Continue Reading

• How do flash caching software products differ from one another?

  Marc Staimer, independent storage expert, discusses flash caching software in this Expert Response.  Continue Reading

• Is primary storage deduplication important for SSDs?

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer discusses the importance of primary storage deduplication in SSD and hybrid storage systems.  Continue Reading

• Choosing the right SSD application for addressing VDI boot storms

  Marc Staimer, founder of Dragon Slayer Consulting, discusses how to choose the right SSD application for VDI boot storms in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• HDD vs. flash storage for virtual desktop infrastructure

  Independent storage expert and founder of Dragon Slayer Consulting Marc Staimer answers a question about comparing HDD vs. flash storage for VDI.  Continue Reading

• How to determine whether SSDs are necessary for a VDI implementation

  Independent storage expert Marc Staimer discusses how you can determine whether SSDs are necessary for a VDI implementation.  Continue Reading

• Thin provisioning space reclamation issues with vSphere

  Learn about space reclamation in a VMware environment, including how vSphere's Thin Provisioning Stun primitive works.  Continue Reading

• How to best handle storage oversubscription in a VMware environment

  Storage expert Chris Evans explains the best process for handling oversubscription in a VMware environment, to avoid running out of space.  Continue Reading

• Hard drive cost vs. SSD cost with compression and dedupe

  Dennis Martin discusses the cost of hard drives versus the cost of SSDs when using compression and deduplication in this Expert Answer.  Continue Reading

• 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

• 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

• Best practices and hardware requirements for FCoE storage deployment

  Find out a key requirement when implementing FCoE storage in your data center, as well as general best practices to deploying FCoE.  Continue Reading

• Comparing SLC SSD with DRAM SSD when it comes to IOPS

  Find out how DRAM SSD and SLC SSD compare when it comes to IOPS and if you need a DRAM solution in this Expert Response from Marc Staimer.  Continue Reading

• Windows Storage Spaces: Thin provisioning for Windows Server

  In Windows Server 2012, Windows Storage Spaces allows for thin provisioning and brings RAID-like features to improve virtual hard disk resiliency.  Continue Reading

• How are FCoE switches used in the data center?

  Adoption of FCoE switches is dependent on Data Center Bridging Capability Exchange Protocol (DCBx) switch technology, says storage expert Marc Staimer.  Continue Reading

• Why has FCoE adoption been slower than expected?

  Marc Staimer explains why FCoE adoption has been slower than expected, despite having advantages over iSCSI and Fibre Channel.  Continue Reading

• How to use MLC SSD for tiered storage

  Find out how to use MLC SSDs for tiered storage and how to improve their endurance in this Expert Response from Marc Staimer.  Continue Reading

• Offloaded Data Transfer speeds up reads and writes in Hyper-V

  Storage expert Brien Posey explains how Offloaded Data Transfer, a new feature of Hyper-V 3.0, works to perform tasks quicker.  Continue Reading