Manage

Manage

Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

• The fundamentals of troubleshooting VMware performance

  Storage expert George Crump outlines the major VMware performance tuning points, from the network to switches, controllers and devices. Continue Reading

• Hyper-V storage best practices to optimize your virtual environment

  Microsoft expert Brien Posey walks through the best storage tips and features to make the most out of a Hyper-V environment. Continue Reading

• How OpenStack Storage fits in the larger open source OpenStack picture

  IDC analyst Ashish Nadkarni explains how OpenStack Storage's Swift and Cinder fit into the larger open source OpenStack cloud computing platform. Continue Reading

• How OpenStack Block Storage differs from traditional block storage

  OpenStack Block Storage differs from integrated stacks of traditional block storage, says IDC analyst; it's more akin to storage virtualization. Continue Reading

• File storage and management issues growing, but mostly under control

  Our latest survey finds the biggest problem with file storage and management is backup. Learn how respondents are managing file storage. Continue Reading

• Networking server-based storage

  Direct-attached or server-based storage is gaining renewed attention as emerging techs offer ways to pool and share this scalable storage resource.Continue Reading

• Complete guide to Hadoop technology and storage

  Learn how Apache Hadoop works, some of its benefits and drawbacks, and what it means for big data and cloud storage.Continue Reading

• Erasure coding tradeoffs include additional storage, disk update needs

  Erasure coding tradeoffs include requirement for additional data storage, need to update extra disks for redundancy purposes, UC professor cautions.Continue Reading

• Erasure coding brings trade-off of resilience vs. performance

  IT's decision on using erasure coding in storage rests on data importance, durability more than amount of data, says storage consultant Marc Staimer.Continue Reading

• Accelerate the performance of virtual machines with flash technology

  Learn where to implement flash in your environment to tackle virtual machine performance issues.Continue Reading

• Understanding storage options for big data projects

  Ben Woo discusses why some storage options are better for big data than others, and what to consider when carrying out a big data project.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

• Storage considerations for a big data infrastructure

  Jon Toigo discusses what big data is, the popularity of object storage and how to determine the best storage for a big data infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Big data storage architecture: Categories, strengths and use cases

  We explore distributed nodes, scale-out NAS, all-SSD arrays and object storage as choices for a storage architecture for big data.Continue Reading

• Managing storage for virtual environments: A complete guide

  Find best practices, top tips and the most effective tools for managing storage in virtual environments in this essential guide.Continue Reading

• How to allocate and configure virtual machine storage

  Two key tasks of a virtual server implementation are determining how much storage will be needed to support the system, and how to handle the initial provisioning and configuration of the virtual storage. The complexity of shared storage, ...Continue Reading

• Configuring Hyper-V storage

  New storage features in Windows Server and Hyper-V make storage configuration and maintenance easier for Microsoft–based virtual environments.Continue Reading

• Windows Storage Spaces

  Windows Storage Spaces is a feature in Microsoft Windows Server 2012 that is used to virtualize and provision storage.Continue Reading

• Best practices for SSD technologies

  No longer a luxury item for well-heeled data centers, SSD technologies are more affordable than ever and come in a variety of form factors with a choice of deployment options.Continue Reading

• Virtual data protection: Seeing is believing

  Virtual data protection is hard, but could be easier if you had a better view into what's going on. Learn how to increase visibility into your virtualization protection solution.Continue Reading

• How Windows Server 2012 R2 will change storage management

  Microsoft MVP Brien Posey explains how new features in Windows Server 2012 R2, such as native tiering and deduplication, affect storage management.Continue Reading

• Hadoop clusters: Benefits and challenges for big data analytics

  Brien Posey explains how Hadoop clusters can be extremely beneficial to large amounts of unstructured data, but aren't ideal for all environments.Continue Reading

• FlexPod architecture: Top five things you should know

  FlexPods may seem like an easy way to implement storage and a hypervisor at once, but Brien Posey explains there are several things to consider first.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

• Top tips for OpenStack Swift object storage use

  Senior cloud architect Beth Cohen offers tips on how to use OpenStack Swift object storage in the most efficient and economical ways.Continue Reading

• Tiering storage: Best practices to promote efficiency

  Storage expert Jon Toigo explains how to effectively use storage tiering to boost efficiency and ultimately cut storage costs.Continue Reading

• RAID alternatives: Will erasure codes rule?

  Learn why the reliability of RAID technologies could be related to the increased use of erasure coding by both new and established storage vendors.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

• 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

• 10 ways to improve virtual server storage

  Virtual server storage operations can have a profound effect on the storage network. Here are 10 ways to help ensure that your storage yields its best I/O for the VMs it supports.Continue Reading

• Software-defined storage: Answering frequently asked questions

  Russ Fellows, a senior analyst at Evaluator Group, breaks down the concept of software-defined storage, its benefits and the vendors who offer it.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

• PowerShell tutorial: Managing Windows Storage Spaces

  This PowerShell tutorial shows users how to fully interact with Windows Storage Spaces, which will help them script the storage provisioning process.Continue Reading

• I/O contention (input/output contention)

  I/O contention (input/output contention), occurs when virtual machines compete for I/O resources because there is a limited storage bandwidth.Continue Reading

• Five LUN management basics

  IT expert Brien Posey discusses five fundamental ideas storage professionals must understand when dealing with LUN management.Continue Reading

• Streaming large video files in today's big data environments

  Solid-state drives are a good choice for streaming large video files. Other factors to consider include cost and how often video will be accessed.Continue Reading

• Expert offers top tips on Amazon S3 vs. Azure storage

  Consultant Marc Staimer offers practical advice on comparing Amazon S3 and Windows Azure Storage with use cases for enterprise IT shops in mind.Continue Reading

• IBM SmartCloud Enterprise–Object Storage cloud plans expansion

  IBM SmartCloud Enterprise–Object Storage cloud service plans to expand and offer customers 99.999% availability with three or more copies of data.Continue Reading

• The state of network storage technologies

  While often overlooked, there's a lot happening with network storage technologies to keep up with the ever-increasing I/O demands coming from virtualized servers and storage.Continue Reading

• The dangers of 3-D printing

  Use 3-D printing to build your own storage array. Or get a 3-D printer and watch your storage array fill up with data.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

• Top tips for doing a cloud storage cost analysis

  Arun Taneja breaks the cloud storage cost analysis process into three categories: monthly storage pricing, transaction charges and cost of bandwidth.Continue Reading

• StorSimple set to boost Microsoft cloud strategy

  Continue Reading

• Should you believe vendors’ jaw-dropping solid-state performance specs?

  The benefits of solid-state storage are clear -- cool running, space-saving and blistering performance. But just how “blistering” is that performance? Data storage vendors toss previously unheard of numbers around, like millions of IOPS, to show the...Continue Reading

• Download Storage Decisions 2012: Resource Guide

  Conquer 2013 with our most educational articles from 2012 including advice from expert Storage Decisions Seminars speakers.Continue Reading

• Hot data storage technologies for 2013

  These six storage technologies will play pivotal roles in transforming data centers in 2013.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

• Brian Madden: Why VDI performance improvements don’t rest on SSD alone

  VDI expert Brian Madden argues that SSD alone is not a panacea for VDI performance issues and that sharing images to save capacity is a bad idea.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

• 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

• A friction theory of storage clouds

  Applying the economic theories of a Nobel laureate suggests that storage may be heading to the cloud … or maybe not.Continue Reading

• Data management techniques more important than ever

  In this Storage Decisions Chicago 2012 video, Jon Toigo discusses data management techniques that can help you control the data in your environment.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

• How Hyper-V storage migration has improved in version 3.0

  Storage expert Brien Posey compares VMware Storage vMotion and Hyper-V Live Storage Migration, with a look at how they work.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's October 2012 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: Data reduction technologies, virtualization and DR, and caching software that adds IOPS to solid-state storage.Continue Reading

• I/O virtualization video: SR-IOV, MR-IOV, NICs and more

  Dennis Martin discusses the advantages of using the SR-IOV and MR-IOV specifications for I/O virtualization in this expert video.Continue Reading

• The storage-for-VDI equation: Capacity, IOPS, TCO, ROI and persistency

  A virtual desktop project can bring savings and efficiency to IT operations, but storage for VDI is a complex issue, and the wrong choices can hobble the project.Continue Reading

• Fiber optic cabling and copper options for data storage pros

  Dennis Martin advises data storage managers on fiber optic and copper cabling choices, and how changing requirements can affect their choices.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's August 2012 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: All-solid-state arrays, efficient storage and disaster recovery in the cloud.Continue Reading

• Server virtualization and storage management: Better integration, specialized tools

  Virtualization and storage management still presents challenges, but nowadays it provides tighter integration and more effective management tools.Continue Reading

• I/O performance, storage infrastructure lead big data issues list

  ESG senior analyst Terri McClure looks at the latest big data issues relating to I/O, Hadoop and storage sprawl.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's July 2012 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: Solid-state storage adds "vroom" to desktops, tuning storage for database apps and building a 10 GigE network.Continue Reading

• Data storage management in a virtual data center

  In this video, expert Ben Woo discusses key steps in managing storage in a virtual data center and how this will impact the administrator’s role.Continue Reading

• How to manage storage in a VMware environment

  Read up on how VMware servers are communicating with your storage and how administration in this environment is becoming easier.Continue Reading

• Scalable storage systems: Examining scale-out NAS

  Scale-out NAS systems can accommodate data growth simply by adding more capacity and processing power.Continue Reading

• Understanding storage in the Hadoop cluster

  Of all the ways to handle the storage requirements of 'big data' analytics, the Hadoop cluster is receiving the most attention. Find out why.Continue Reading

• Managing big data: Petabytes, exabytes and analytics

  Learn the differences between managing big data and traditional data warehousing. We'll also explore big data analytics, MapReduce and Hadoop.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's May 2012 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: archiving to the cloud, direct-attached storage and our Storage Purchasing Intentions survey.Continue Reading

• Cloud Data Management Interface

  Cloud Data Management Interface (CDMI) is a Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) industry standard that defines the interface that applications will use to create, retrieve, update and delete data elements from the cloud.Continue Reading

• Performance considerations for efficient data storage

  Data storage administrators can achieve efficient data storage by checking performance acceleration expectations at the door.Continue Reading

• Five data protection guidelines for business continuity

  Storage expert Jon Toigo offers data protection guidelines to help storage admins achieve the best possible results when protecting data in their care.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's April 2012 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: integrating cloud backup, storage for virtual servers and coping with big data.Continue Reading

• Capacity allocation efficiency explained

  Jon Toigo provides tips on how to improve capacity allocation efficiency. Successful allocation prevents storage-related downtime and associated costs.Continue Reading

• Choose an integrated stack for efficiency, easy storage implementation

  An integrated stack bundles servers, storage and networking in a preconfigured product and is easy to install and manage.Continue Reading

• Top 10 enterprise data storage terms from SearchStorage.com

  Our list of the top 10 data storage terms allows IT pros to dig deeper into popular storage industry terminology.Continue Reading

• Calculating ROI for storage virtualization is tricky

  Calculating ROI for storage virtualization is difficult because it’s tough to determine soft costs associated with migrating data and managing disk arrays.Continue Reading

• 2011 Storage Products of the Year

  These 18 enterprise data storage products rank as the best of 2011 and stand out because of their innovation, practicality and good value.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's February 2012 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: 2011 Products of the Year, new tape technologies and how storage stacks stack up.Continue Reading

• Helluva lot of data

  All data isn’t big data, and dealing with it requires a variety of data storage technologies and disciplines.Continue Reading

• Coming in the March 2012 issue of Storage magazine

  A sneak peek at Storage magazine's March 2012 issue: Learn how to leverage solid-state storage, why you should consider virtual I/O and our Quality Awards for enterprise arrays.Continue Reading

• VMware Inc. vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) 5

  vCenter Site Recovery Manager 5 is the first hypervisor-level replication product on the market. It can also automatically move virtual machines to a primary site after a failover.Continue Reading

• Managing storage in a Citrix environment

  In this podcast, find out how Citrix XenServer storage management functionality compares with that of VMware and Hyper-V environments.Continue Reading

• managed storage

  Managed storage is the process of offloading an organization’s data storage requirements to an outside managed service provider.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's January 2012 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: choosing the best recovery site setup, backing up remote site data and NAS Quality Awards.Continue Reading

• IOPS per what?

  Disk capacity has been the sexy specification the majority of us have latched onto, but it’s time to start thinking about performance and power consumption.Continue Reading

• Coming in the February 2012 issue of Storage magazine

  A sneak peek at Storage magazine's Feb. 2012 issue: Learn the results of our 2011 Products of the Year awards, why tape is thriving and if storage stacks are a good deal.Continue Reading

• Determining the real cost of storage

  Vendors tout dollars per gigabyte per I/O, but figuring out what a data storage system will really cost your company is a much more complicated process.Continue Reading

• “Big data” conspiracy theories abound

  Could the latest and greatest buzzword in the storage biz be killing off some of the most useful storage technologies around?Continue Reading

• Coming in the January 2012 issue of Storage magazine

  A sneak peek at Storage magazine's Jan. 2012 issue: Explore ROBO backup, get the results of our Quality Awards for NAS systems and learn what kind of DR site is best for your firm.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's December 2011 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: Hot technologies for 2012, mobile backup and Quality Awards for tape libraries.Continue Reading

• vStorage APIs for Storage Awareness improve view into arrays in VMware environments

  The new vStorage APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA) improve visibility into storage arrays that support VMware environments. In this tip, find out how VASA can help admins better manage storage.Continue Reading

• storage capacity planning

  The goal of storage capacity planning is to predict how much storage an organization will require so that just enough disk space can be purchased to meet the needs of users and applications.Continue Reading

• Storage magazine's November 2011 PDF

  Download Storage magazine's all-digital issue. This month: Our ninth annual Salary Survey results, NAS systems buying decisions and DR monitoring applications.Continue Reading

• Control VDI costs for storage by careful configuration planning

  Address virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) storage issues and costs by focusing on IOPS and configuration.Continue Reading

• Coming in the November 2011 issue of Storage magazine

  A sneak peek at Storage magazine's Nov. 2011 issue: The results of our latest Storage Salary survey, NAS system buying decisions and DR monitoring applications.Continue Reading

• Hospital system addresses IBM SVC performance, stability problems with alternative configuration

  Spectrum Health breaks up IBM SVC eight-node cluster, taking uncommon tiered approach to improve stability and performance of storage virtualization system.Continue Reading

• storage stack

  A storage stack, also called an integrated stack, is a bundled storage product that include servers, networking components and server virtualization software. Continue Reading

• Hyper-V storage: Managing storage for a Hyper-V environment

  In this podcast interview, Dennis Martin discusses Hyper-V storage best practices and tools and techniques to support and improve storage management in a Hyper-V environment.Continue Reading