Manage
Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.
Manage
Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.
Comparing different backup strategies
Review the primary options for backup including direct, network and SAN, and determine which solution is best for your backup strategy. Continue Reading
Companies try green storage strategies to reduce power consumption
Storage administrators are trying to mitigate the growing problems of power cost and availability by turning to green storage -- a broad mix of technologies and tactics intended to reduce power consumption not only in the data center but across the ... Continue Reading
How to create a SAN performance baseline
To understand SAN performance and what is normal SAN behavior, you must have a performance baseline. Continue Reading
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How to integrate iSCSI and Fibre Channel, and make it work
Although companies of every size are embracing iSCSI SAN technology because of its lower cost and relative simplicity, there are situations where iSCSI and Fibre Channel coexistence makes sense. Here are eight best practices for integrating iSCSI ... Continue Reading
How data deduplication works
Chapter one of our data deduplication handbook takes you under the hood to show how data deduplication works so you can maximize the efficiency of this data reduction technology. Continue Reading
How to calculate available disk space on a RAID 5
Storage management expert Ashley D'Costa answers a reader's question: "How do I calculate the disk space available on my RAID 5?"Continue Reading
How to select a storage capacity planning tool
To select a storage management and capacity planning tool, first calculate how much storage is available and how much of your total storage capacity is actually being used.Continue Reading
Best Practices: Finding the logic in volume managers
Host-based volume managers (also known as logical volume managers) are the most underrated or underutilized components in storage ecosystems. Here are seven reasons why they deserve some respect.Continue Reading
How useful are storage benchmarks?
Most storage vendors like to tout how well their gear performed on benchmark tests, but the results may not always be as they first appear. The benchmarking process can be easily manipulated because of the large number of variables that influence ...Continue Reading
Top 10 tips for capacity management
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Best practices for expanding or replacing disk arrays
No matter how much storage capacity you squeeze into a disk array, eventually it will run out of room. Tiered storage tactics and data deletion policies can help you stay one step ahead, but no matter what, you'll periodically need additional ...Continue Reading
How to reduce response time in a SAN
When it comes to storage area network (SAN) metrics and measurements, such as bandwith, input/output per second (IOPS) and utilization, more is usually better. However, when it comes to response time and latency (the amount of time it takes to ...Continue Reading
Ten tips to meet data compliance audits
Here are 10 tips that will help you prepare for, and master, the inevitable data compliance audits.Continue Reading
How to choose an e-discovery tool
Here is a list of factors to consider when choosing an e-discovery tool.Continue Reading
How to write an archiving program RFP
With so many archiving systems on the market, putting together a request for proposal (RFP) for an archiving program for structured, semistructured or unstructured data is a key step. It's equally important that your team is well-prepared to ...Continue Reading
How to make the right NAS gateway purchasing decisions
NAS gateways overcome the inherent limitations of scale and flexibility by utilizing externally connected storage as external standalone disk arrays. NAS storage capacity is typically expanded by simply adding more disks to the appliance, but this ...Continue Reading
NAS management software specifications
Network attached storage (NAS) appliances and gateways must be configured and managed using NAS management software that allows administrators to allocate space, manage RAID and storage behaviors, perform routine maintenance, and other tasks. ...Continue Reading
IBM washes hands of IceCube storage project
IBM is spinning out its long overdue next-generation storage system, code-named IceCube, and is seeking $15 million in funding to commercialize the product.Continue Reading
How to choose the correct RAID level
This tip offers nine things to consider when deciding which RAID level is right for your organization's needs.Continue Reading
Iron Mountain buys Accutrac for records management
Continuing its effort to reinvent itself as an online backup and records management company, Iron Mountain announces its second acquisition in this market in as many months.Continue Reading
What to expect from a storage audit
This tip outlines the three main types of storage audits, what you stand to gain from each type and offers insight into the audit process.Continue Reading
LUN management at the heart of SAN configuration
LUNs are the basic vehicle for delivering storage, but provisioning SAN storage isn't just a matter of creating LUNs or volumes; the SAN fabric itself must be configured so that disks and their LUNs are matched to the appropriate servers. Proper ...Continue Reading
Data retrieval strategies: Document management software overview
This overview focuses on the role of document management software in data storage and how it can mitigate risk for the enterprise.Continue Reading
Data retrieval strategies: Retrieving data from archives overview
This overview highlights some of the key issues involved with retrieving data from archives, such as data security, indexing and searching, and data retention.Continue Reading
What are SAS, SATA, Fibre Channel and FATA disk drives? When will there be an iSCSI disk drive?
Well, with the right marketing and packaging, we could say there's already an iSCSI disk drive today...Continue Reading
Why do enterprise storage arrays cost so much when hard drives are so cheap?
Why the cost of an enterprise storage array costs so much more than the hard drives inside it.Continue Reading
Best Practices: Balance workloads with RAID types
Vendors will tell you how beautifully parity-based RAID works in their storage subsystems, making it almost unnecessary to use any type of striped/mirrored RAID protection. But if you don't match the workload profile of the application to how ...Continue Reading
Specifications for storage capacity planning products
Gauging storage needs over time is one of the biggest challenges faced by IT administrators, and a new generation of capacity planning tools is emerging to help forecast growth and utilization of storage resources, and even perform predictive ...Continue Reading
How data deduplication eases storage requirements
Storage administrators are struggling to handle spiraling volumes of documents, audio, video, images and large email attachments. Adding storage is not always the best solution, and many companies are turning to data reduction technologies such as ...Continue Reading
Justifying your storage staffing
Three things to consider when calculating staffing levels to get beyond staffing per terabyte.Continue Reading
What are some of the best practices for managing the growth of unstructured data?
It starts with corporate policies around data management ...Continue Reading
What is unstructured data and how is it different from structured data in the enterprise?
Expert Pierre Dorion talks about unstructured data and its impact on the data enterprise.Continue Reading
How do data classification and file indexing manage unstructured data?
Well, data classification itself is not really a technology, but rather a policy-driven practice of data categorization based on an understanding of the data on hand...Continue Reading
What is the impact of unstructured data on backup and restore and disaster recovery in general?
As data volumes grow, there's a bigger problem meeting recovery time objectives. We depend on our data, and we have set recovery times for our systems that are zero (no downtime) in some cases, though most companies set recovery times from eight to ...Continue Reading
Data storage quiz
So you say you're an expert when it comes to backup or RAID or SANs? That's nice, but you have to admit there's just something about the well-rounded storage techie that makes him/her a hot commodity. Take our Data storage quiz and see how you stack...Continue Reading
Data storage quiz cheat sheet
If you must peek and cheat, here are the answers to our Data storage quiz.Continue Reading
Test your knowledge of data storage management strategies
Are you on top when it comes to data management? Take our final exam and evaluate your knowledge of data management strategies. This test isn't for the weak, so you might want to do a bit of studying first by checking out our new Data Management ...Continue Reading
How does IP storage differ from iSCSI, NAS and Fibre Channel?
Generically, IP storage involves any storage functionality that is leveraging TCP/IP as a network transport...Continue Reading
SAN consolidation strategies
As islands of SANs proliferate in companies, the cost of storage can soar. Sound SAN design strategies allow companies to reduce the number of SAN islands, strengthen a primary SAN, make storage easier to manage and provide more data protection.Continue Reading
How to compare Fibre Channel (FC) and SCSI
Storage expert Greg Schulz offers advice on how to compare Fibre Channel (FC) and SCSI technology.Continue Reading
Data storage technologies quiz
Sit down, grab a pencil and some paper, and list what you think are the top 10 data storage technologies of 2006. Then, take our quick quiz to see how many match up to our top 10 picks.Continue Reading
Keep end-user storage under control
With free email services offering up to 2 GB of storage, it's tough to convince corporate email users that mailbox limits are needed. But companies are realizing that user storage quotas are a necessary evil.Continue Reading
Download Advanced Storage Guide Chapter 1: Storage components (PDF)
You asked for it, so here it is -- a printable version of our Advanced Storage All-In-One Guide. Download Chapter 1: Storage components in .pdf format now.Continue Reading
Capacity planning: Reclaim orphaned storage
This tip takes a look at how to maximize your storage capacity utilization by finding orphaned data and storage that can in turn be re-allocated for another productive use.Continue Reading
How to improve SAN utilization
Improve the utilization of your SAN in terms of performance, capacity and availability. These tips can be applied in principal to FC, iSCSI or InfiniBand block-based SANs, as well as NFS or CIFS file-based NAS environments.Continue Reading
The rising cost of cheap storage
The commoditization of storage has been driving acquisition cost down for quite some time. However, hidden costs are now starting to surface as organizations struggle to manage hundreds of terabytes of data. This tip discusses the some of the ...Continue Reading
How to count the cost of storage
The cost of each gigabyte of storage is declining rapidly in every segment of the market. Enterprise storage today costs what desktop storage did less than a decade ago. So why are overall costs increasing?Continue Reading
SAN performance: Five tips in five minutes
Answers to frequently asked questions about how to improve SAN performance.Continue Reading
NAS: How does a client access files?
NAS expert Randy Kerns offers advice to a reader who asked: "How does NAS appear to machines accessing files from it?"Continue Reading
What is Information lifecycle security management?
Information lifecycle security (ILS) is a new approach to securing data based on the value of the content. ILS defenses change over time as information ages and its value decreases.Continue Reading
Best practices in data warehouse storage infrastructures
Today's business isn't just about putting products on the market. It's about getting the right product to the right consumer at the right time. But such precision requires much more than a solid product and keen business sense -- it takes business ...Continue Reading
Introduction to data storage management
Storage is a resource, and it must be allocated and managed as a resource in order to truly benefit a corporation. Successful data storage management strategies leverage a suite of tools to configure, provision, archive and report storage activities...Continue Reading
iSCSI, iFCP and FCIP: How do they stack up?
iSCSI, iFCP and FCIP are compared in this Q&A.Continue Reading
FC vs. iSCSI: Five tips in five minutes
Recently, there has been a buzz among storage pros about how FC and iSCSI stack up. Check out this expert advice, so you can decide what is right for your organization.Continue Reading
Five tips in five minutes: A guide to cost management
The following tips offer quick and easy advice on how to keep costs low while maintaining a prolific storage system.Continue Reading
The winners of Storage magazine's Products of the Year were surprising
Storage Bin: The winners of Storage magazine's Products of the Year were surprising, as so few of them were big-name storage vendors. Here's Steve Duplessie's take on the subject.Continue Reading
How to minimize I/O latency
Storage expert Greg Schulz details how to minimize the latency between a server and a storage device.Continue Reading
How many disk drives do you need for RAID 10?
What is the minimum number of disk drives you can have in a RAID 10 array? I have read you must have at least four, but our server admin said it is HP's default, and he can do it on just two drives. This is on a Window Server 2003 with a total of ...Continue Reading
How to convince management to upgrade
Learn how to effectively convince your boss or other management of the need for an upgrade or technology acquisitions.Continue Reading
Five tips for forecasting storage resource needs
Here are five ways to forecast your storage resource needs more accurately.Continue Reading
Calculator for disks per usable space or how much space from each disk
Which is the best platform for a storage subsystem management tool?
What is block I/O?
What does I/O stand for?
information lifecycle management
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
information life cycle management
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
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
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 area management
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
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
Storage for manufacturing
Manufacturing environments typically have different storage requirements than corporate apps, and have to deal with globally dispersed design teams as well as growing regulatory concerns. Here's how several prominent manufacturers have met the ...Continue Reading
Encrypting tape: Software vs. hardware and key management
Encrypting data is a high priority for businesses these days. This tip will help you become familiar with the formats of encryption and the importance of key management.Continue Reading
How DBAs view storage
Storage magazine's exclusive poll gives you the lowdown on how DBAs and storage pros view storage. We detail each group's areas of concern, spotlight their differences and find some common ground.Continue Reading
How to troubleshoot SATA drive connection problems
Use this checklist to help troubleshoot your SATA drive connection problems, and find out what to do with the jumpers and how to check the SATA BIOS drive.Continue Reading
How many backup administrators?
How to select storage management tools
This tip offers information about various types of storage management tools, and how to choose the right ones for your needs.Continue Reading
SAN disaster recovery planning
Disaster recovery expert Pierre Dorion offers advice to a reader looking for a feasible and cost effective disaster recovery plan for a SAN environment.Continue Reading
HSM (Hierarchical Storage Management)
HSM (Hierarchical Storage Management) is policy-based management of file backup and archiving in a way that uses storage devices economically and without the user needing to be aware of when files are being retrieved from backup storage media.Continue Reading
The business case for storage networks
The business case for storage networksContinue Reading
Checklist: How to troubleshoot your LUN
LUN issues are difficult to diagnose, because they usually arise from specific features of a specific system's hardware and software.Continue Reading
Checklist: How to set up HBAs
Host bus adapters are one of the most time-consuming parts of a SAN to install.Continue Reading
How to choose the best SAN or LAN switch
Looking to buy a SAN or LAN switch? Here are key questions to ask before you make a product choice.Continue Reading
How many devices can be attached to an IDE cable?
How to plan for I/O-intensive environments
I/O-intensive environments with large, sustained workloads of various I/O sizes have their own special management challenges.Continue Reading
How to plan for a firmware upgrade
Many storage administrators don't manage drivers or firmware until something happens, such as an upgrade or new hardware implementation.Continue Reading
Checklist: How to design LUNs for high performance
If you want the best performance, you need to design your LUNs so they map effectively onto storage devices.Continue Reading
How to choose the right RAID level for your disk array
Cut through vendor hype and determine which RAID level (or levels) is right for your disk array.Continue Reading
How to design a core/edge SAN
Use the SPICE algorithm to simplify the process of designing a large core/edge SAN.Continue Reading
How do you defrag a hard drive on NAS?
There are some situations when you need to defrag a hard drive, but it depends what type of NAS you are using. Learn more in this expert tip.Continue Reading
Ten best practices for moving data files to a SAN
How to defrag a hard drive on NAS to fix unusual hard drive formatting
If a drive is used in a NAS device, you should never have to defrag it. Read one expert's take on why and how to fix unusual hard drive formatting.Continue Reading
Learning Guide: SAN management
Managing your SANs has always been challenging. So, to help you along with the process we've assembled arguably the most comprehensive listing of the SAN management tools and resources on the Web -- the "Learning Guide to SAN management". Take a ...Continue Reading
How to start an online storage business
How to isolate and solve performance bottlenecks
Find out how to determine whether your subsystem or application is the cause of I/O wait states -- and what to do about the problem.Continue Reading
Best practices: Tackling storage provisioning
Before you even think of provisioning new storage, it's essential to create specific procedures for this multilevel process.Continue Reading
How do I connect a Fibre Channel switch to a router?
How to test your UPS
Uninterruptible Power Supplies are extremely rugged beasts -- which is both good news and bad news for storage administrators who rely on them.Continue Reading
How to prevent common problems in SATA drives
Problems in SATA drives generally stem from one of two causes. This tip will tell you how to prevent both.Continue Reading
How much information is 350 terabytes?
How to troubleshoot SANs using WWN zoning
Identifying devices by their World Wide Name (WWN) when setting up zones on a SAN makes configuration easier, but it also provides some maintenance and troubleshooting advantages.Continue Reading