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Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
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Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
storage replication service
A storage replication service is a managed service in which stored or archived data is duplicated in real time over a storage area network (SAN). Continue Reading
Ghost
Ghost is a software product from Symantec that can clone (copy) the entire contents of a hard disk to another computer's hard disk or to storage media. Continue Reading
COLD (Computer Output to Laser Disk)
COLD (Computer Output to Laser Disk) is a system for archiving data such as business records and reports to one or more optical disks in a compressed but easily retrievable format. Continue Reading
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virtual tape
Virtual tape is an archival storage technology that makes it possible to save data as if it were being stored on tape although it may actually be stored on hard disk or on another storage medium. Continue Reading
SAN island
A SAN island is a storage area network (SAN) that exists as a discrete, isolated entity within a larger SAN. The components of a SAN island are usually all located in the same building, or even within a single room. Continue Reading
geek speak
Geek speak is how the uninitiated refer to the jargon and special vocabulary used by those immersed in computers and other fields of information technology.Continue Reading
DAT USB drive
A DAT USB drive is a tape drive with digital audio tape (DAT) that can be plugged into a Universal Serial Bus (USB) connection as a simple and relatively low-cost way to back up data routinely, especially on servers. DAT USB technology is expected ...Continue Reading
buffer credits or buffer-to-buffer credits (BBCs)
Buffer credits, also called buffer-to-buffer credits (BBCs), allow data communication in a Fibre Channelstorage area network (SAN) where there are long spans of fiber opticcable.Continue Reading
SAN routing
SAN (storage area network) routing is a technology used for interconnecting SAN islands (separately designated logical portions of a storage area network) within a larger network.Continue Reading
information life cycle management (ILM)
Information life cycle management (ILM) is a comprehensive approach to managing the flow of an information system's data and associated metadata from creation and initial storage to the time when it becomes obsolete and is deleted.Continue Reading
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bit padding
Bit padding is the addition of one or more extra bits to a transmission or storage unit to make it conform to a standard size.Continue Reading
SMI-S (Storage Management Initiative Specification)
SMI-S (Storage Management Initiative Specification) is a standard developed by the Storage Network Industry Association (SNIA) that is intended to facilitate the management of storage devices from multiple vendors in storage area networks (SANs).Continue Reading
storage security
Storage security is the group of parameters and settings that make storage resources available to authorized users and trusted networks - and unavailable to other entities.Continue Reading
failover
Failover is a backup operational mode in which the functions of a system component (such as a processor, server, network, or database, for example) are assumed by secondary system components when the primary component becomes unavailable through ...Continue Reading
double-parity RAID
Double-parity RAID (redundant array of independent disks), also called diagonal-parity RAID, Advanced Data Guarding (RAID_ADG), or RAID-6, is a method of protecting against multiple storage drive failures by creating two sets of parity data on an ...Continue Reading
SerDes (serializer/deserializer)
A SerDes or serializer/deserializer is an integrated circuit (IC or chip) transceiver that converts parallel data to serial data and vice-versa.Continue Reading
storage distance extension
Storage distance extension refers to any of several different technologies that allow data communication in Fibre Channel storage area networks (SANs) over long spans of fiber optic cable.Continue Reading
SAN file system
A SAN file system (that is, a storage area network file system) is programming that enables the sharing of the same copies of files stored on common storage media among multiple servers that may have different operating systems.Continue Reading
intelligent switch
An intelligent switch is a high-level storage area network (SAN) routing switch that provides features such as storage virtualization, quality of service (QoS), remote mirroring, data sharing, protocol conversion, and advanced security.Continue Reading
storage encryption
Storage encryption is the use of encryption/decryption of backed-up and archived data, both in transit and on storage media.Continue Reading
bare metal restore
In disaster recovery, a bare metal restore is the process of reformatting a computer from scratch after a catastrophic failure.Continue Reading
zoned-bit recording (ZBR)
Zoned-bit recording (ZBR) is a method of physically optimizing the utilization of a hard drive by placing more sectors in the outer tracks than in the inner tracks.Continue Reading
atomic storage (atomic memory)
Atomic storage (sometimes called atomic memory) is a nanotechnology approach to computer data storage that works with bits and atoms on the individual level.Continue Reading
AIT (advanced intelligent tape)
AIT (advanced intelligent tape) is a magnetic tape and drive system used for computer data storage and archiving.Continue Reading
storage utilization
Storage utilization is a measure of how well the available data storage space in an enterprise is used.Continue Reading
NAS accelerator
A NAS accelerator (network-attached storage accelerator) is a printed circuit card that offloads TCP/IP processing from a microprocessor.Continue Reading
storage area management (SAM)
Storage area management (SAM) is a still-evolving set of procedures, services, and standards for comprehensively managing the infrastructure of a storage area network (SAN), including all components within all servers, the disk arrays, the tape ...Continue Reading
RAMAC
(IBM had an earlier system called RAMAC. See RAMAC (original).Continue Reading
address space
Address space is the amount of memory allocated for all possible addresses for a computational entity, such as a device, a file, a server, or a networked computer.Continue Reading
DDR SDRAM (double data rate SDRAM)
DDR SDRAM (double data rate SDRAM) is synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM) that can theoretically improve memory clock speed to at least 200 MHz*. It activates output on both the rising and falling edge of the system clock rather than on just the rising ...Continue Reading
recordable DVD (writable DVD)
Recordable DVD (sometimes called writable DVD) is a DVD technology that allows a PC user to write data one or more times to a DVD with the PC's DVD drive.Continue Reading
direct access
In computer storage, direct access is the ability to obtain data from a storage device by going directly to where it is physically located on the device rather than by having to sequentially look for the data at one physical location after another.Continue Reading
Mammoth
Mammoth is a magnetic tape and drive system used for computer data storage and archiving.Continue Reading
disk duplexing
Disk duplexing is a variation of disk mirroring in which each of multiple storage disks has its own SCSI controller.Continue Reading
8-track tape
An 8-track tape is a hard plastic cartridge about the size of an external modem that houses a continuous loop of non-digital (analog) audio data stored on magnetic tape.Continue Reading
DVD-RAM
DVD-RAM is a DVD(optical disc) technology for high-capacity data storage for computers.Continue Reading
MrSID (Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database)
MrSID (Multi-resolution Seamless Image Database) is an image compressor, viewer, and file format for extremely large raster graphics images.Continue Reading
digital film
Digital film is any storage medium (such as a memory card, diskette, or recordable CD) used in a digital camera to capture and store images.Continue Reading
Serial Storage Architecture (SSA)
Serial Storage Architecture (SSA) is an open standard for high-speed access to high-capacity disk storage.Continue Reading
IP storage
IP storage is a general term for several approaches to using the Internet Protocol (IP) in a storage area network (SAN) usually over Gigabit Ethernet.Continue Reading
buffer flush
A buffer flush is the transfer of computer data from a temporary storage area to the computer's permanent memory.Continue Reading
Common Information Model (CIM)
The Common Information Model (CIM) is a computer industry standard for defining device and application characteristics so that system administrators and management programs will be able to control devices and applications from different ...Continue Reading
two-spindle system (twin-spindle system)
A two-spindle system, also called a twin-spindle system, is a computer design with two internal storage drives.Continue Reading
iFCP (Internet Fibre Channel Protocol)
iFCP (Internet Fibre Channel Protocol) is an emerging standard for extending Fibre Channel storage networks across the Internet.Continue Reading
compression artifact
A compression artifact is the fuzz or distortion in a compressed image or sequence of video images.Continue Reading
pixie dust or antiferromagnetically-coupled (AFC) media
Pixie dust is the informal name that IBM is using for its antiferromagnetically-coupled (AFC) media technology, which can increase the data capacity of hard drives to up to four times the density possible with current drives.Continue Reading
RIMM
In a computer, a RIMM is a memory module developed by Kingston Technology Corp.Continue Reading
International Standard Recording Code (ISRC)
The International Standard Recording Code (ISRC) is an international code used to identify sound and audio-visual recordings on compact discs (CDs), music videos, and other media, primarily to ensure royalty payments.Continue Reading
data availability
Data availability is a term used by some computer storage manufacturers and storage service providers (SSPs) to describe products and services that ensure that data continues to be available at a required level of performance in situations ranging ...Continue Reading
Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP or FC/IP)
Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP or FC/IP, also known as Fibre Channel tunneling or storage tunneling) is an Internet Protocol (IP)-based storage networking technology developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).Continue Reading
information architecture
In technical writing, information architecture is the set of ideas about how all information in a given context should be treated philosophically and, in a general way, how it should be organized.Continue Reading
White Book
The White Book, which was released in 1993 by Sony, Philips, Matsushita, and JVC, is the specification document for Video CD (VCD).Continue Reading
CD-R (compact disc, recordable)
CD-R (for compact disc, recordable) is a type of write once, read many (WORM) compact disc (CD) format that allows one-time recording on a disc.Continue Reading
CD-RW (compact disc, rewriteable)
CD-RW (for compact disc, rewriteable) is a compact disc (CD) format that allows repeated recording on a disc.Continue Reading
VCD (video CD or video compact disc)
VCD (also called video CD, video compact disc or "disc") is a compact diskformat based on CD-ROM XAthat is specifically designed to hold MPEG-1video data and to include interactive capabilities.Continue Reading
HD-ROM (High-Density - Read Only Memory)
HD-ROM (High-Density - Read Only Memory) is a high-capacity storage technology developed at Norsam Technologies in conjunction with an IBM research group that enables a disk to store hundreds of times as much information as a CD-ROM. HD-ROM uses a ...Continue Reading
Double-Density Compact Disk (DDCD)
Double-Density Compact Disk (DDCD) is a CD format that increases the storage capacity of the disk through means such as increasing the number of tracks and pits (scores on the disk that are used to encode the data).Continue Reading
CD burner (CD recorder)
A CD burner is the informal name for a CD recorder, a device that can record data to a compact disc.Continue Reading
access method
In computing, an access method is a program or a hardware mechanism that moves data between the computer and an outlying device such as a hard disk (or other form of storage) or a display terminal.Continue Reading
Purple Book
The Purple Book is the informal name for Philips and Sony's specification document for the double-density compact disk (DDCD) format.Continue Reading
storage service provider (SSP)
Also see two related terms, application service provider and management service provider.Continue Reading
DVD-Audio (DVD-A)
DVD-Audio (DVD-A) is a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) format, developed by Panasonic, that is specifically designed to hold audio data, and particularly, high-quality music.Continue Reading
CD-Bridge Disc
A CD-Bridge Disc (sometimes just called a bridge disc) is a compact disc (CD) format that includes extra information on a CD-ROM XA (extended architecture) track, so that the disc can be played on either a CD-i (interactive) player attached to a ...Continue Reading
multisession CD
A multisession CD is a recordable CD format (like a CD-R) that allows the recording of a compact disk to be conducted in more than one recording session.Continue Reading
enhanced CD (E-CD)
Enhanced CD (E-CD) is a compact disc (CD) format that enables discs to be played on either a CD player or a multimedia-capable device, such as a CD-i player, or a DVD-ROM, or CD-ROM drive, where added material can be displayed.Continue Reading
Blue Book
The Blue Book is the informal name for the standard specification document for stamped multisession (also known as the enhanced CD or E-CD) disk format, developed in 1995 from a supplement to Philips and Sony's 1988 Orange Book.Continue Reading
DVD Forum
The DVD Forum is an international organization made up of companies using or manufacturing digital versatile disc (DVD)-related products.Continue Reading
Virtual Storage Portal (VSP)
Another meaning for VSP is vertical solutions provider.Continue Reading
JBOD (just a bunch of disks)
JBOD ("just a bunch of disks") refers to a computer's hard disks that haven't been configured according to the RAID system.Continue Reading
Red Book
The Red Book is the 1980 document that provides the specifications for the standard compact disc (CD) developed by Sony and Philips.Continue Reading
Yellow Book
The Yellow Book is the informal name for Philips and Sony's ECMA-130 standard specification for compact disc, read-only-memory (CD-ROM).Continue Reading
CD-ROM XA (Compact Disc - read-only-memory, extended architecture)
CD-ROM XA (Compact Disc - read-only-memory, extended architecture) is a modification of CD-ROM that defines two new types of sectors that enable it to read and display data, graphics, video, and audio at the same time.Continue Reading
CD-i (Compact Disc - interactive)
CD-i (Compact Disc - interactive) is the multimedia CD format specified in 1986 (in the Green Book).Continue Reading
Universal Disk Format (UDF)
Universal Disk Format (UDF) is a CD-ROM and DVD file system standard developed as a means of ensuring consistency among data written to various optical media, by facilitating both data interchange and the implementation of the ISO/IEC 13346 standard.Continue Reading
Orange Book
Orange Book is the informal name for Philips and Sony's Recordable CD Standard.Continue Reading
packet writing
Packet writing is a technology that enables the writing of data to a recordable compact disk (CD-R) incrementally, in multiple small blocks of data, rather than in a single block (as in disk-at-once recording), or in blocks defined by tracks (as in ...Continue Reading
optical media
Optical media - such as the compact disk (CD) - are storage media that hold content in digital form and that are written and read by a laser; these media include all the various CD and DVD variations, as well as optical jukeboxes and autochangers.Continue Reading
RAS (row address strobe)
In computer memory technology, RAS (row address strobe) is a signal sent to a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that tells it that an associated address is a row address.Continue Reading
defragmenter
A defragmenter is a software utility that rearranges the fragments or discontiguous parts of each file stored on a computer hard disk so that the small, empty storage spaces adjacent to fragments can be used, effectively creating new storage space ...Continue Reading
phase change
Phase change is a type of compact disk (CD) recording technology that enables the disks to be written, erased, and rewritten through the use of a layer of a special material (called the phase change layer) that can be changed repeatedly from an ...Continue Reading
CD-Magneto Optical (CD-MO)
CD-Magneto Optical (CD-MO) is a compact disc format that uses magnetic fields for data storage.Continue Reading
Super Audio CD (SACD)
Super Audio Compact Disk (SACD) is a high-resolution audio CD format.Continue Reading
FICON (Fiber Connectivity)
FICON (for Fiber Connectivity) is a high-speed input/output (I/O) interface for mainframe computer connections to storage devices.Continue Reading
bus
In a computer or on a network, a bus is a transmission path on which signals are dropped off or picked up at every device attached to the line.Continue Reading
holographic storage (holostorage)
Holographic storage is computer storage that uses laser beams to store computer-generated data in three dimensions.Continue Reading
ASPI (Advanced SCSI Programming Interface)
ASPI (Advanced SCSI Programming Interface) specifies how an application program can communicate with a SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) device through a common SCSI device driver.Continue Reading
switching fabric
Switching fabric is the combination of hardware and software that moves data coming in to a network node out by the correct port (door) to the next node in the network.Continue Reading
DVD (digital video disk)
DVD is an optical disc technology with a 4.7 gigabyte storage capacity on a single-sided, one-layered disk, which is enough for a 133-minute movie.Continue Reading
diskette (floppy disk)
A diskette is a random access, removable data storage medium that can be used with personal computers.Continue Reading
FPM DRAM (Fast Page Mode DRAM)
Prior to newer forms of dynamic random access memory (DRAM), FPM DRAM (Fast Page Mode DRAM) was the most common kind of DRAM in personal computers.Continue Reading
EDO RAM (extended data output RAM)
EDO (extended data output) RAM is a type of random access memory (RAM) chip that improves the time to read from memory on faster microprocessors such as the Intel Pentium.Continue Reading
access time
Access time is the time from the start of one storage device access to the time when the next access can be started.Continue Reading
WORM (write once, read many)
In computer storage media, WORM (write once, read many) is a data storage technology that allows information to be written to a disc a single time and prevents the drive from erasing the data.Continue Reading
depository
A depository is a file or set of files in which data is stored for the purpose of safekeeping or identity authentication.Continue Reading
storage filer
A storage filer is a file server designed and programmed for high-volume data storage, backup, and archiving.Continue Reading
BEDO DRAM (Burst Extended Data Output DRAM)
BEDO DRAM (Burst Extended Data Output DRAM) is a type of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) that can send data back to the computer from one read operation at the same time it is reading in the address of the next data to be sent.Continue Reading
magneto-optical drive (MO)
The magneto-optical (MO) drive is a popular way to back up files on a personal computer.Continue Reading
ATA over Ethernet (AoE)
ATA over Ethernet (AoE) is an open source network protocol designed to connect storage devices and servers in a storage area network (SAN). ATA (Advanced Technology Attachment) is a standard interface for communication between storage devices; it is...Continue Reading
standalone dump
A standalone dump is the copying of the contents of computer main storage (random access memory) to another storage device, usually for the purpose of debugging a programming problem.Continue Reading
IPI (Intelligent Peripheral Interface)
IPI (Intelligent Peripheral Interface) is a high-bandwidth interface between a computer and a hard disk or a tape device.Continue Reading