Problem solve

Problem solve

Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• How can I benchmark resource consumption before implementing a VDI architecture?

  Brian Madden explains how you can determine your resource needs before carrying out a VDI project in this expert answer. Continue Reading

• When should persistent VDI be used over non-persistent VDI?

  VDI expert Brian Madden explains why most of today's storage options can handle persistent desktops, and how non-persistence can contribute to VDI failure. Continue Reading

• Virtual flash caching increases SSD efficiency for VMware, Hyper-V

  To get the greatest benefit from virtual flash caching, you need to understand how your hypervisor uses the cache and then add flash storage. Continue Reading

• Use storage system features to granularly manage virtual machines

  Arun Taneja explains the importance of managing storage granularly and which vendors are meeting the demand for VM-level visibility. Continue Reading

• What are some downsides to using erasure codes with object storage?

  Erasure coding is an effective tool for correcting errors in data systems, but when used with object storage systems, latency issues can arise. Continue Reading

• Overcome virtual machine performance issues with flash storage

  Flash-based storage is the logical choice to tackle virtual machine performance issues thanks to its zero-latency, high-performance capabilities that make it impervious to random I/O workloads. But flash comes at a premium versus hard disk ...Continue Reading

• Avoid VDI configuration issues by building desktops from scratch

  Expert Brien Posey discusses common problems faced when configuring virtual desktop deployments and how to work through them.Continue Reading

• Which archive type is best for small businesses?

  Which archive type is best for small offices: tape, disk or the cloud? There are many factors you must consider before answering this question.Continue Reading

• What complications can arise when thin provisioning VMware storage?

  Brien Posey dives into the complications users might run into with thinly provisioned VMware data stores and how to address them.Continue Reading

• How does Tahoe-LAFS store data in the cloud?

  Open source Tahoe-LAFS stores fragments of data across multiple cloud storage providers to improve the reliability of cloud security.Continue Reading

• How do I increase cache memory?

  Increasing cache memory in your environment might help allocate CPU processes, but it doesn't necessarily result in better performance.Continue Reading

• Cloud storage providers moving to all-flash platform

  Colm Keegan explains why some cloud storage providers are moving to an all-flash platform and how bursting workloads into an all-flash cloud can reduce costs.Continue Reading

• The knock-down, drag-out battle for server-side flash

  Learn how PCIe-based server-side flash stacks up against emerging in-memory flash technology in this tip from Marc Staimer of Dragon Slayer Consulting.Continue Reading

• Are more than five nines of availability really possible?

  When cloud durability is added to the mix, cloud providers are able to tout a high number of nines of availability.Continue Reading

• Breaking the tier one storage habit with hybrid flash tiering

  How can hybrid flash tiering decrease reliance on expensive tier one storage and improve performance? Independent storage expert Phil Goodwin shows us how in this tip.Continue Reading

• Improve all-flash storage array efficiency with thin provisioning

  George Crump discusses how an all-flash storage array benefits from thin provisioning and what to look for when evaluating a system's thin provisioning capability.Continue Reading

• What are some cloud migration challenges or limitations?

  It's not uncommon to run into challenges when migrating data to the cloud. Here are some roadblocks to keep an eye out for.Continue Reading

• How can I ensure peak cloud storage performance?

  You can hold the keys to better cloud storage performance by looking at the right metrics and knowing what to expect from them, says expert Greg Schulz.Continue Reading

• Redundant cloud storage ensures high availability

  Redundant cloud storage gateways and redundant WAN links help companies avoid protection gaps that could result in outages or data loss.Continue Reading

• Spin-transfer torque memory properties and benefits

  How does STT-RAM differ from flash memory chips? Marc Staimer takes a closer look.Continue Reading

• Memory channel flash use cases explained

  Marc Staimer of Dragon Slayer Consulting discusses possible use cases for memory channel flash storage in this Expert Answer.Continue Reading

• Use third-party SRM software to improve monitoring and management

  Retrofit your existing infrastructure with third-party storage resource management software to gain more control over monitoring and management.Continue Reading

• Effective storage service management rests on well-allocated features

  Jon Toigo explains how proper management of value-added storage features can make a data center more efficient.Continue Reading

• Overcoming the unpredictable nature of the hybrid flash array

  Eric Slack takes a closer look at what happens when the flash in a hybrid flash array 'misses.'Continue Reading

• Six things that can wreck storage system performance

  Performance bottlenecks can occur in different places in a storage system. Here's how to identify and eliminate them.Continue Reading

• Hypervisor vendors up the ante with new storage features

  There's a struggle between doing storage the "old way" and the new demands that virtual servers put on networked storage. Storage vendors have retooled their systems to be virtual machine (VM)-friendlier and startups offer VM-specific arrays, but...Continue Reading

• Where should the iSCSI initiator run in a Hyper-V environment?

  Learn what Microsoft expert Brien Posey has to say about when and how to use an iSCSI initiator when using Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V.Continue Reading

• Has Cluster Shared Volume support changed in Windows Server 2012 R2?

  Support for Cluster Shared Volumes has improved since its original release. Windows expert Brien Posey explains some of the most important upgrades.Continue Reading

• How should I provision storage when using Hyper-V replication?

  Windows expert Brien Posey explains the best way for storage to be provisioned with regard to the three-way replication feature in Hyper-V.Continue Reading

• Why isn't Windows Server allowing me to create a storage tier?

  Microsoft expert and SearchStorage.com contributor Brien Posey addresses key challenges to creating storage tiers in Windows Server 2012 R2.Continue Reading

• How can I prevent rogue access to an iSCSI Cluster Shared Volume?

  Expert Brien Posey explains how to create a secure connection for iSCSI-attached Cluster Shared Volumes in Hyper-V R2.Continue Reading

• All-flash storage arrays: Performance vs. function

  George Crump offers criteria to help IT pros decide whether performance or function is most important when choosing all-flash storage arrays.Continue Reading

• What scaling and protection issues exist in virtual server technology?

  Learn scalability and protection factors to consider when trying to identify if a virtual server product you're assessing meets your enterprise needs.Continue Reading

• Lessons in virtual technology: Evaluating hypervisor-aware storage

  Expert Jacob Gsoedl outlines some key areas of hypervisor-aware support to help you align vendors' virtual roadmaps with your requirements.Continue Reading

• Can hypervisor-aware systems improve virtual server performance?

  Expert Jacob Gsoedl outlines the various techniques hypervisor-aware storage systems use to achieve acceptable performance in virtual environments.Continue Reading

• How hypervisor-aware are today's virtualized server environments?

  New virtualized server environments created hypervisor-aware storage systems. But some products are more hypervisor-aware than others.Continue Reading

• When should you consider the purchase of an all-flash storage array?

  The decision to buy an all-flash storage array depends on finances; use case; and needs for performance, functionality and scalability.Continue Reading

• Seven questions to ask a potential public cloud storage provider

  Use these seven questions from analyst Arun Taneja to help you in your quest to choose the right cloud provider for your environment.Continue Reading

• Public cloud storage options: Determining what data to move

  Analyst Arun Taneja explains how to establish suitable workloads and use cases for a public cloud environment.Continue Reading

• What options exist when placing storage in the cloud?

  Object storage is a popular choice for moving storage to the cloud, but it can present a number of challenges. This tip presents three alternatives.Continue Reading

• How can Atlantis ILIO USX be used to optimize VMware vSAN storage?

  Atlantis Computing's ILIO USX could be offered as a joint offering with VMware's Virtual SAN. Find out how it can improve capacity and performance.Continue Reading

• How does VMware VDPA work with VMware's vSAN?

  VSphere Data Protection Advanced is currently the primary product for backing up VMs running on VMware's vSAN. Brien Posey explains how it works.Continue Reading

• Three key strategies to allocating a data protection service

  By using these three methods to understand the type of protection your applications need, you'll achieve a more efficient data protection strategy.Continue Reading

• To address limitations of today's NAND chips, 3-D NAND emerging

  In this Q&A, learn more about 3-D NAND, how different vendors' architectures compare and contrast, and when we'll see 3-D-NAND-based products.Continue Reading

• Hypervisor comparison: VMware vs. Microsoft vs. Red Hat

  VMware has had the dominant enterprise-class hypervisor, but there are others worth reviewing. This tip details how Microsoft and Red Hat compete.Continue Reading

• Top tips for software-defined storage infrastructure management

  While software-defined storage eases management of storage applications, it doesn't do much for the hardware, so effective SRM is still necessary.Continue Reading

• Implementing new technology: Software-defined storage

  Jon Toigo explains how to set up software-defined storage products in an environment so users can achieve the best performance and capacity.Continue Reading

• How SDS influences data storage infrastructure planning

  Even though software-defined storage abstracts functionality from hardware, understanding the underlying infrastructure is still important.Continue Reading

• Use software-defined storage to separate storage application, hardware

  According to Jon Toigo, SDS technology spreads storage functions across hardware in a way similar to that of server virtualization.Continue Reading

• Software-defined infrastructure or how storage becomes software

  Maybe there really is something behind all this "software-defined storage" talk -- but maybe it doesn't mean what I think it means.Continue Reading

• How does a scale-out NAS environment affect storage management?

  Phil Goodwin explains how scale-out NAS systems simplify storage management through a single point of control and by combating performance problems.Continue Reading

• Are SSDs the best VM storage option for high performance?

  Storage expert Phil Goodwin describes how solid-state drives can improve performance in virtual environments, if they're deployed effectively.Continue Reading

• Can software-defined storage be used in a private cloud environment?

  According to Phil Goodwin, SDS may not provide the performance a physical array can, but that doesn't mean it's useless to private clouds.Continue Reading

• Are SSDs necessary to perform analytics on big data efficiently?

  Storage expert Phil Goodwin explains how SSDs can speed up analytics, but solid-state technology is only needed in certain types of environments.Continue Reading

• Data loss concerns with write caching products

  George Crump of Storage Switzerland discusses how data loss issues can be mitigated in write caching products.Continue Reading

• Comparing network-, server- and storage-based flash caching

  George Crump of Storage Switzerland discusses the variety of ways flash caching can be implemented today in this Expert Answer.Continue Reading

• Pros and cons of file- and block-based flash caching

  George Crump of Storage Switzerland discusses pros and cons of file and block flash caching and how they can be implemented in this Expert Answer.Continue Reading

• Enhance RAID by leveraging storage virtualization

  According to expert Jon Toigo, RAID doesn't have to be on its way out, as long as it's supplemented with other technologies.Continue Reading

• As users search for RAID alternatives, erasure coding returns

  According to Jon Toigo, erasure coding is becoming popular for its ability to provide data protection in areas where RAID has some shortcomings.Continue Reading

• Three key strategies to prevent RAID failure

  In this tip, analyst Jon Toigo shares several ways storage admins can proactively prevent the failure of RAID arrays.Continue Reading

• What is the top storage challenge with in-memory databases?

  Wikibon CTO David Floyer said the greatest challenge with an in-memory database from a storage perspective is recovery in the event of a problem.Continue Reading

• Storage design for in-memory databases should focus on low latency, flash

  Storage design for an in-memory database should focus on low latency, low variance through use of DRAM and NAND flash, notes Wikibon CTO David Floyer.Continue Reading

• Considerations when using server-side caching in virtual environments

  George Crump of Storage Switzerland outlines issues associated with using server-side caching in virtual server environments in this Expert Answer.Continue Reading

• Is there still a place for RAID technologies to rule?

  While some analysts say RAID is no longer relevant, Jon Toigo points out how it can still be beneficial for data protection purposes.Continue Reading

• Five capabilities to look for in a cloud storage provider

  Cloud providers vary when it comes to management capabilities, which expert Phil Goodwin said should be a key deciding factor for storage pros.Continue Reading

• 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

• Curbing data storage capacity demand

  Analyst Jon Toigo's series of tips on common data reduction approaches will help IT pros make better use of their capacity.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

• Are flash vendor performance specs believable?

  Any flash vendor can publish test results skewed in favor of its product. Colm Keegan helps separate fact from fiction in this tip.Continue Reading

• Internal cloud toolkit: Ten questions to ask

  Marc Staimer provides storage pros 10 questions they should ask and answer in order to implement a successful private cloud.Continue Reading

• Crafting a data lifecycle management strategy to control capacity

  Jon Toigo explains how an information lifecycle management strategy helps classify data so it can live on the most appropriate storage.Continue Reading

• How DRAM or NVRAM cache can reduce flash SSD write amplification

  DRAM/NVRAM caching provides SSD systems with better performance while reducing flash SSD write amplification.Continue Reading

• Flash hypervisors, caching engines similar, but not the same

  There are misconceptions that flash hypervisors and caching engines are the same technology. They are similar technologies, but there are differences.Continue Reading

• Toigo: Deduplication and compression are short-term capacity fixes

  Learn why analyst Jon Toigo says the value of dedupe and compression software is lowering, and why other capacity tools are a better bet.Continue Reading

• How data storage type can give efficiency a boost

  Jon Toigo examines how tape storage and the cloud each affect overall data storage efficiency in a given environment.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

• Data archiving system selection dependent on features, capabilities

  Once you've determined the specific data archiving needs of your organization, you'll have to sift through existing products to find the best fit.Continue Reading

• How to create a successful data archiving strategy

  A good archiving process provides the automation needed to deliver the necessary application granularity while minimizing the impact to IT operations.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

• Capabilities and limitations of thin-provisioned capacity

  Jon Toigo explains how thin provisioning can help with capacity allocation and reduced storage cost but isn't always a flawless strategy.Continue Reading

• How to avoid wasted disk storage capacity

  Jon Toigo explains how hierarchal storage management and other technologies can help make the most of disk capacity.Continue Reading

• How cloud-integrated storage works with object storage systems

  When the RESTful API, the most common method of getting data to and from object storage, isn't an option, CIS systems can work as an alternative.Continue Reading

• Alternatives to RESTful API for accessing object storage

  This tip examines other options for connecting to object storage when an application isn't compatible with the RESTful API.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

• When data storage functions should reside in the VM

  Expert Phil Goodwin provides tips on when it's better for storage functionality to be put into VMs, and when it should be left up to the array.Continue Reading

• Using the RESTful API as an onramp to object storage

  RESTful APIs are essential in moving data on and off of object storage systems. Expert Marc Staimer describes the three options currently available.Continue Reading

• Four SSD best practices for efficient virtual machine storage

  Learn how server-side implementations of SSD differ from storage-side, and how to get the ultimate performance boost in virtual environments.Continue Reading

• Top considerations for deep archive design

  Jon Toigo explains how to determine what data should be archived and the most efficient way to migrate it for long-term storage.Continue Reading

• Tackling long-term data archiving: Three crucial factors

  Jon Toigo offers insights on storage options for deep archives, and the ways they affect data integrity and potential technology issues.Continue Reading

• Data archiving technology to keep on the radar

  Archival storage options are expanding, getting more resilient and less costly. Find out which technologies are making an impression.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

• Five questions to ask when choosing a data archiving technology

  Many factors need to be considered when determining what the right archiving platform is for you. Jon Toigo highlights the most important in this tip.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

• How server-side caching can save cash

  Server virtualization has pushed spinning disk storage to the brink, leading storage planners to opt for server-side caching products.Continue Reading