Problem solve
Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.
Problem solve
Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.
Storage management tips: What's hot this summer?
Evaluating VTL products, comparing SAN and NAS, data retention, cable management and SRM are issues that are our readers are sweating these days. Continue Reading
Creating NAS partitions
NAS expert Randy Kerns offers important advice about creating partitions in a NetApp NAS system. Continue Reading
iSCSI, iFCP and FCIP: How do they stack up?
iSCSI, iFCP and FCIP are compared in this Q&A. Continue Reading
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FATA vs. FC disk drives
Storage expert Greg Schulz compares FATA and FC disk drives. Continue Reading
NAS permissions
NAS expert Randy Kerns offers advice to a reader who asked: "How are permissions controlled on NAS?" Continue Reading
SAN/NAS tech tips: What's hot this summer?
Network attached storage products, iSCSI, SATA and RAID are hot topics among our readers right now. Check out the top tips of the past few months.Continue Reading
NAS appliance vs. homegrown file server
NAS expert Randy Kerns outlines why he believes purchasing a vendor offering of a NAS product has advantages over rolling your own file server.Continue Reading
SRM software evaluation: 10 things you should consider
This tip presents 10 things you need to consider when choosing storage resource management software.Continue Reading
NAS checkpoints for NFS and CIFS file systems
NAS expert Randy Kerns discusses NAS checkpoint best practices for NFS and CIFS file systems.Continue Reading
Leasing vs. buying storage: A closer look
To help you decide between leasing and buying storage, this tip looks at the pros and cons of each approach along with some situational considerations.Continue Reading
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NAS: Can you add capacity non-disruptively?
Storage expert Randy Kerns offers advice about adding capacity to a NAS system non-disruptively in this Q&A.Continue Reading
NAS survey: Top NAS hardware on the market
Our survey reveals the top NAS hardware products, according to storage professionals at enterprise organizations.Continue Reading
Is storage automation right for you?
This tip covers what storage automation is, and what it is not, and what it means to you. Also, you will learn why you should, or should not implement a storage automation product.Continue Reading
Restoring data: Increase your efficiency
This tip highlights an aspect of backup that most are not as experienced and comfortable with -- restoring.Continue Reading
SATA drives: Four worst practices
SATA drives have a few gotchas. Read about the four common SATA drive mistakes to avoid in your storage environment.Continue Reading
Thirteen data retention mistakes to avoid
Information security expert Kevin Beaver outlines 13 data retention mistakes storage administrators frequently make, and what you can do to avoid them.Continue Reading
NFS vs. CIFS for Red Hat Enterprise 4
NAS expert Randy Kerns offers advice about using NFS or CIFS for Red Hat Enterprise 4.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
Narrow down your iSCSI SAN options
The iSCSI SAN market is hot right now. Get started learning about recent developments and key players so you can make good choices regarding iSCSI.Continue Reading
Decreasing I/O latency in RAID array
Greg Schulz offers troubleshooting advice for a reader looking to decrease I/O latency in a RAID-5 array.Continue Reading
Take full advantage of the remote replication process
With the increasing availability of cost-efficient products, many view remote data replication as the DR strategy of choice to address tighter RTO and offsite media handling issues. This tip outlines the other considerations you should keep in mind ...Continue Reading
SAN vs. NAS: Which do you need?
This tip will enable you to make a more informed decision on whether a NAS or SAN environment is best for the applications you need to deploy.Continue Reading
ISCSI SANs: How to alleviate the congestion
Careful configuration of an iSCSI SAN will usually preclude most problems. But for slow network performance, adapter and switch settings can help speed things up.Continue Reading
Out of capacity: What now?
This tip discusses how to avoid running out of storage capacity by evaluating your options, investigating re-allocation and knowing where to turn if you can't solve the problem yourself.Continue Reading
Server-based RAID vs. controller-based RAID
SAN expert Greg Schulz discusses the difference between server-based RAID and controller-based RAID.Continue Reading
Cannot retrieve data from RAID
Storage expert Greg Schulz offers troubleshooting suggestions for a user whose RAID array can't communicate with four units of PowerMac G5 Quad Core.Continue Reading
SATA port: Can you run multiple drives off of one?
Storage networking expert Greg Schulz discusses how to run multiple drives off a SATA port.Continue Reading
Backing up a LUN snapshot
SAN expert Marc Staimer offers a detailed description of what you need to consider when making a snapshot of a LUN and then performing a backup.Continue Reading
Guidelines for better iSCSI security
Learn about the following iSCSI SAN security guidelines: How to secure the management interface, how to authenticate and how to disable unnecessary network services.Continue Reading
Implementing SAS storage
This tip offers advice on how to carefully lay out your topology, choose an appropriate mix of SAS and SATA drives and plan for future growth before setting up a SAS system.Continue Reading
Build the ultimate storage team
Learn why your storage team should be made up of people with experience in a variety of disciplines, such as networking, server administration and budgetary planning.Continue Reading
Keep your backups within your window
This tip discusses how pruning your data, tailoring your backups to network patterns and checking the logs of network activity can allow you to do more with less and deal with a shrinking backup window.Continue Reading
Troubleshooting your NAS system
This tip will point out some common sense suggestions and best practices that may help you to create or maintain a more robust and reliable NAS infrastructure.Continue Reading
Balance costs and demands for proper storage allocation
Effective storage acquisition requires a clear understanding of your applications' I/O, storage capacity, service and availability requirements. This tip details how to balance costs and demands for proper storage allocation based upon your needs ...Continue Reading
Guidelines for controlling clustering
This tip outlines different approaches, implementations and the factors to consider to effectively manage clustered resources.Continue Reading
Cable management best practices
Maximize uptime by limiting bandwidth, distance, latency and congestion issues in your cable plant.Continue Reading
Storage 101: Using a director switch
This tip outlines the features of a director switch and details the reasons a director could be advantageous to your particular SAN system.Continue Reading
Five reasons to outsource your SAN
This tip discusses how storage service providers' business model has changed since the dot-com era and how outsourcing your data storage needs may help you save money.Continue Reading
Plan ahead to skip storage snags
Marc Staimer explains how testing backups at least once a quarter, encrypting backups in flight and at rest and implementing an effective SRM tool can prevent storage nightmares.Continue Reading
Seven ways to protect high-value information on SANs
Controlling access to your SAN, using hard zoning and establishing a good key management can keep your data safe. Learn more about these techniques and others in this tip.Continue Reading
How to select an archiving product for ILM
Selecting an archiving product for an organization's ILM strategy requires careful consideration. While cost is a primary concern, decision-makers need to consider several factors, including the TCO, before deciding on the best product.Continue Reading
Think 'big picture' for SATA Exchange storage
Storage management expert Brett Cooper outlines things to consider before deploying SATA for Exchange data storage.Continue Reading
Tools for securing mobile drives
Information security expert Kevin Beaver outlines various security tools available for keeping your mobile devices secure when they're lost or stolen, as well as when a user loses data that has to be restored.Continue Reading
Storage configuration on enterprise storage arrays hosting databases in the terabyte range
What techniques does Oracle recommend for storage configuration on modern enterprise storage arrays hosting databases in the terabyte range? The complexity and abstraction involved in partitioning the physical disks into the chunks presented to the ...Continue Reading
SRM packages: A closer look
Storage resource management (SRM) is central to the storage administration in the modern enterprise. But like a lot of terms, SRM tends to conceal as much as it reveals. There are many SRM products available, with at least as many different ...Continue Reading
LUN expansion with Microsoft cluster server
SAN expert Chris Poelker discusses how to change the size of a LUN in a Microsoft cluster server environment.Continue Reading
Wavelength vs. dark fiber for SAN
SAN expert Chris Poelker compares connecting a SAN with wavelength cabling and dark fiber and discusses the pros and cons of each.Continue Reading
Why do HBAs in a SAN have same base?
Storage expert Chris Poelker outlines WWN basics in order to answer the question: "Why do HBAs in a SAN have same base?"Continue Reading
SATA and SCSI compatibility
Storage expert Chris Poelker discusses SATA/SCSI compatibility issues in this expert advice article.Continue Reading
Four ways to consolidate NAS boxes
The first NAS box installs without a hitch, but the more filers you install the more your problems grow. Consolidating NAS brings huge benefits to your storage environment.Continue Reading
Separate or combine tiers in SAN?
Storage expert Brad O'Neill discusses setting up tiered storage with a SAN.Continue Reading
Five tips in five minutes: Tiered storage and ILM
This article offers a collection of expert responses to recent reader queries about tiered storage and ILM.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
Storage: Getting better every minute
The storage system landscape is diverse, competitive and rapidly growing. While the fundamentals haven't changed, the technology is constantly moving forward. There are pockets of innovation that are game-changing, and we are on the edge of making ...Continue Reading
Troubleshooting McData 2640 SAN router issues
Storage expert Greg Schulz offers guidelines for troubleshooting SAN router issues.Continue Reading
Server expansion and growth without wasted space
Acquire new servers without the issues associated with excess or wasted storage capacity.Continue Reading
DWDM, SONET/SDH or IP based technologies for SAN extension?
Storage expert Greg Schulz offers advice on how to choose the right SAN extension technology for your environment.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
Windows can't read from the bootdisk
SAN expert Chris Poelker offers advice about configuring and troubleshooting SAN boot drives.Continue Reading
RAID striping or concatenation: Which has better RAID performance?
Designing storage for performance can be difficult, but these tips from our expert will help you compare RAID striping or concatenation based on RAID performance.Continue Reading
Back up your system with iSCSI
The cost of an iSCSI backup system can range from practically nothing to as much as a Fibre Channel SAN. Here's what you need to know to pick the right price-performance point for your enterprise.Continue Reading
Better performance -- RAID striping or concatenation?
Designing storage for performance is a very esoteric effort by nature. There are quite a few variables that need to be taken into account.Continue Reading
Software vs. hardware RAID
Storage expert Evan Marcus compares software and hardware RAID and outlines the benefits and drawbacks of each.Continue Reading
20 tips in 20 minutes: Clustering explained
SearchStorage.com readers frequently ask questions about using clustering for storage. This article offers a collection of expert responses to recent reader queries.Continue Reading
SAS makes its way into the storage market
SAS products are now coming on the market and, according to experts, can be a good fit in many kinds of storage setups.Continue Reading
Which RAID configuration offers the best price-to-performance ratio?
SAN expert, Christopher Poelker addresses a reader's concerns about the way we explained the relationship between RAID price and performance in a 2003 SAN quiz.Continue Reading
Using iSCSI for clustering
Storage expert Christopher Poelker offers insight on setting up clustered storage with iSCSI.Continue Reading
Limiting access to a SAN volume
This advice details how to set up multiple servers with read-only access to the same SAN volume and have a single server read-write access to the same SAN volume.Continue Reading
Troubleshooting clustered server issues
Storage expert Marc Staimer offers advice on troubleshooting a clustered storage environment with connectivity problems.Continue Reading
Preparing an acceptance document for an FC SAN
Preparing an acceptance document for the installation of a FC SAN can help ensure that the installation is fully implemented and all the features are enabled and available as per the vendor specification.Continue Reading
Storage security 101 -- A checklist of practical safeguards
There are some commonly overlooked storage security issues that every storage administrator needs to consider. In this tip, information security expert Kevin Beaver outlines a set of solid storage security basics you can use as a guide to check your...Continue Reading
Easing away from ESCON
ESCON, the protocol that pre-dated FICON as a systems-to-storage connection, is incompatible with the newer FICON-based systems. This tip looks at various ways you can tackle this dilemma.Continue Reading
NetWare replication options
This advice details options for replication in a Novell NetWare environment.Continue Reading
Data migration options
Brett Cooper answers the question: What is the best practice for moving AIX 5.2 data, including an Informix database, over to a SAN that is attached through fiber?Continue Reading
ILM in the large enterprise
Storage management expert Brett Cooper answers the question: Are there any basic guides on how a manufacturing company could manage their data better?Continue Reading
Get connected -- FICON to ESCON
ESCON is incompatible with the newer FICON-based systems. This tip looks at various ways you can tackle this dilemma.Continue Reading
NAS backup: What are my options?
This advice explains how NAS can simplify your backups.Continue Reading
NAS for file storage: Pros and cons
This advice takes a look at some of the benefits and drawbacks of using NAS as file storage.Continue Reading
RAID striping or concatenation
Designing storage for performance is a very esoteric effort by nature. There are quite a few variables that need to be taken into account.Continue Reading
How to safely relocate your SAN
This tip details how to perform a smooth SAN relocation, saving everyone involved a great amount of time and aggravation.Continue Reading
Really delete your data
Permanent data destruction is harder to achieve than you might think. Nexsan and Plasmon offer different approaches to tackle the problem.Continue Reading
Go beyond SOX for business continuity
Achieving SOX compliance does not ensure business resilience or continuity. There are extra steps you should take to make sure that your business is protected.Continue Reading
How many backup apps do you have?
How many backup apps do you have?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
Are enterprise-ready storage resource management products for Linux available today?
Checklist: First steps for limiting your downtime
Keeping downtime to a minimum requires forethought, preparation and practice. This checklist covers what you need to do to win the downtime battle.Continue Reading
Five tips for forecasting storage resource needs
Here are five ways to forecast your storage resource needs more accurately.Continue Reading
Setting up RAID
How to tell when it's time to implement data classification
Many companies fail to recognize the importance of their data and its impact on everyday business operations. The process of data classification helps businesses understand what data is actually available, its location in the enterprise, how that ...Continue Reading
How disk has changed backup
Inexpensive disk has spawned a variety of disk-based backup alternatives. But with more choices comes greater complexity compared to the days when you simply had to choose a backup application and tape library. Backup guru W. Curtis Preston explains...Continue Reading
How can I reclaim unused space?
Calculator for disks per usable space or how much space from each disk
Which is the best platform for a storage subsystem management tool?
Moving Oracle DBs from HDS to EMC
SANs with HP-UX, Solaris or AIX
The compliance payoffs for securing vulnerable information at rest
Kevin Beaver highlights several business needs associated with securing data at rest.Continue Reading
Who makes 19-inch racks?
How to compare FC and SCSI
Storage expert Greg Schulz offers advice on how to compare FC and SCSI technology, and technology in general.Continue Reading
Exclusive mode for a SAN disk drive?
Exclusive mode for a SAN disk drive is explained.Continue Reading