Tips

Tips

• When -- and when NOT -- to use mirroring

  Mirroring provides a failsafe for data, but it's not without its pitfalls. Here's when and when not to use the features of mirroring.  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: Five ways to boost iSCSI performance

  There are several things you can do to boost the performance of your iSCSI storage system -- some are easy, and fairly inexpensive.  Continue Reading

• Checklist: Ten steps to troubleshooting SAN/NAS performance problems

  Learn how to isolate the cause of performance problems in your storage system, fix what's broken and learn from your mistakes.  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

• Pros and cons of iSCSI arrays

  ISCSI arrays will save you a pretty penny, but at a slight cost in terms of performance.  Continue Reading

• A quick and dirty way to increase a RAID 5 array

  You can quickly and easily increase the storage capacity of a RAID 5 array in Windows by using RAID 5's redundancy to sequentially add larger disks.  Continue Reading

• Preventing common RAID errors

  There's a reason we still make backups of data stored in RAID arrays: Things can still go wrong that can cost you all or most of the data stored on the array.  Continue Reading

• Checklist: Ten steps to data replication

  Christopher Poelker has assembled the following tips and best practices to help your team devise a data replication architecture that reduces downtime and saves money.  Continue Reading

• Why aren't you using iSCSI HBAs?

  If you have an iSCSI SAN, chances are that you aren't using iSCSI HBAs. But maybe you should be.  Continue Reading

• 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

• How to scan your SAN

  Trying to recreate SAN diagrams with no documentation to guide you? These scanning tools might help.  Continue Reading

• 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 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

• Advanced RAID functions

  Part one introduced you to hot swapping, online capacity expansion and online RAID level migration. Part two exposes you to N-way mirroring, splitting and hiding and more.  Continue Reading

• Enterprise-class RAID functions: What they are and when to use them

  This column explains these less familiar enterprise-class RAID features, starting with a set of features that ensure system uptime and flexibility.  Continue Reading

• Top 10 tips on storage management

  Jamie Gruener offers his top 10 pieces of advice for storage managers.  Continue Reading

• How to document a SAN

  Effective SAN documentation will keep your systems up and running even if your entire staff gets hit by a bus.  Continue Reading

• Pros, cons of host-based technology for data migration

  There are a number of good reasons to use host-based technologies for data migrations, and some bad ones. This tip covers both.  Continue Reading

• Six steps to improving disk throughput

  In Windows 2000, while the disk system is the logical suspect in performance degradation, it's not the only possible culprit--it may mean you need more memory.  Continue Reading

• Set up persistent binding on an HBA

  In this Ask the Expert Q&A, SAN expert Chris Poelker gives you the code to set up persistent binding on an HBA for a Unix host.  Continue Reading

• What causes slow startup in Windows 2000

  Failure to keep your service packs up-to-date is one reason Win2000 can be slow to startup. Find out in this tip how the problem has been corrected.  Continue Reading

• Using NAS for database storage

  This tip takes a look at online yellow page company YP.Net, and shows how their CTO optimized the company's database for high performance, and why he chose NAS storage over SAN.  Continue Reading

• Which switches to consider for iSCSI SANs

  Which switch is best for an iSCSI SAN? Chris Poelker helps you determine the options.  Continue Reading

• The best practices of storage management

  If you're going to try new technologies, you need to implement them with new processes and procedures to maximize their benefits. This tip will show you how.  Continue Reading

• Defining critical storage management functions

  In this tip, expert Brett Cooper lists several leading areas critical to managing the day-to-day storage environment and a highlights a few improvements of current processes.  Continue Reading

• Troubleshooting Fibre Channel host bus adapters in PCs

  Installing HBAs to connect a desktop system to a SAN doesn't always go smoothly. This tip will help you get the HBA working in short order.  Continue Reading

• RDCs and SDCs: How to replicate data between clustered nodes

  Backup and availability experts describe the difference between using a replicated data cluster (RDC) versus a shared data cluster (SDC), and why one is better.  Continue Reading

• Set up RAID on tape

  How do you get better tape performance? Why not try setting up a tape RAID system? This tip explains how to get it done.  Continue Reading

• Make sure you inventory your tapes

  Some advice on conducting periodic inventories of your tapes.  Continue Reading

• How will you implement RAID?

  Different ways and tradeoffs for each.  Continue Reading

• Data management, the next major vendor battleground

  Bits & Bytes: Storage expert Randy Kerns explores the importance of lifecycle data management and why vendors need to deliver a timely and effective solution.  Continue Reading

• How to secure NFS access to NAS devices

  Bits & Bytes: Security expert Vijay Ahuja discusses several approaches to prevent unwarranted user access to NAS devices, when made via the Network File System (NFS).  Continue Reading

• Which SAN cache do you need?

  Beware of data loss in cache.  Continue Reading

• Comparing SCSI and ATA drives

  Bits & Bytes: Author of "The Backup Book" continues his comparision series by looking at SCSI vs. ATA drives.  Continue Reading

• The advantages of serial ATA over parallel ATA

  Bits & Bytes: Author of "The Backup Book" Dorian Cougias breaks down the benefits of serial ATA as the storage industry transitions off of parallel ATA.  Continue Reading

• Five rules for migrating from DAS to SAN

  Migrating your data from a DAS storage environment to a SAN can be a difficult process. Here are five rules every storage manager should follow.  Continue Reading

• Prepare a tech-support checklist

  What should be on that list.  Continue Reading

• Disk and tape on the same HBA? Think again.

  Don't connect tape and disk to the same HBA in a SAN.  Continue Reading

• Shared file systems: An overview

  At their core, shared file systems let multiple users access the same files at the same time. Learn about the different products in this space and the categories they fall into.  Continue Reading

• What to consider when evaluating file systems

  Looking to file systems to provide better file management and heterogeneous support for your networked storage resources? Analyst Jamie Gruener shares how to go about your search.  Continue Reading

• Dos and don'ts of SAN cabling

  Fiber optic cable is one of the simplest parts of a SAN and one of the most time-consuming to troubleshoot. Here's how to insall and troubleshoot it.  Continue Reading

• Backup basics: Three backup plans -- ten tape backup

  Backup basics: Three backup plans -- ten tape backup  Continue Reading

• SD2003: The pros and cons of content-addressed storage (CAS)

  File location independence, authenticity of your files, and the elimination of redundancy are just a few of the benefits of content-addressed storage (CAS) as cited by Arun Taneja.  Continue Reading

• Using SRM for backup

  Storage managers aren't just looking for storage resource management (SRM) tools to help with primary storage allocation anymore -- but also for secondary storage purposes.  Continue Reading

• The myth of the nines

  The nines of reliability is a theory that refers to the percentage of time a system is running. But the theory's flaw is that it doesn't consider the timing of a system outage.  Continue Reading

• DR planning phase three: Implementation

  This is the third of four parts of a mini-tutorial covering the disaster recovery planning process, covering the final phase, which you can refer to as Plan Implementation.  Continue Reading

• The guidelines of data retention

  Bits & Bytes: Have you ever wondered how long you need to keep your data? Bill Oliver goes over the rules of data retention.  Continue Reading

• Audit your SAN's security risks

  This tip describes checklists for auditing the security of your storage area networks (SANs).  Continue Reading

• The benefits of WORM disk

  New read-once write-many (WORM) disk is gaining regulatory acceptance. Read about the two WORM disk leaders, EMC's Centera and Net App's SnapLock here.  Continue Reading

• A beginners guide to iSCSI

  SearchStorage.com contributor Simon Gordon answers FAQs about iSCSI.  Continue Reading

• Configuring the SAN: Zoning, HBAs and switches

  Bits & Bytes: SearchStorage.com's newest contributor Arthur Scrimo offers expert advice on working with switches, HBAs and zoning in a SAN.  Continue Reading

• Deal with those saturated links

  This tip explains what saturated links are, how they affect performance and how you can handle them.  Continue Reading

• MB/s or IO/s: Which to measure?

  There are two common methods of measuring performance in a storage network, but which do you measure? According to this tip, it depends on what you're doing.  Continue Reading

• Get the most from a storage RFP

  Considerations for a good RFP.  Continue Reading

• Fibre Channel, part 2: Calculating data speed over distance

  An overview of the basic components of Fibre Channel, how it works and some basic math for running FC over long distances.  Continue Reading

• Know the performance impacts of replication

  Bits & Bytes: Availability Maven Evan Marcus describes three replication techniques and the level of protection and performance impacts you can expect from each.  Continue Reading

• Fibre Channel, part 1: Going the distance with SANs

  Techniques for establishing fast, long-distance storage area networks.  Continue Reading

• Best principles for storage security

  Best principles for storage security  Continue Reading

• How to save money on SAN backup

  How to efficiently back up your SAN  Continue Reading

• Brocade vs. McData: Who's really winning in switch technology?

  Brocade vs. McData: Who's really winning in switch technology?  Continue Reading

• Next-generation NAS

  Next-generation NAS  Continue Reading

• SAN topologies, part 2: How to design your SAN

  How to build a SAN using various topologies.  Continue Reading

• Seven steps to data replication

  Seven steps to data replication  Continue Reading

• The truth about synchronous replication

  The obvious and not-so-obvious issues with synchronous replication.  Continue Reading

• SAN topologies, part 1: Know your switch options

  What size switch to use when designing a SAN.  Continue Reading

• Reap the benefits of intelligent storage

  Defines intelligent operating environments, business benefits they will deliver and key features to look for.  Continue Reading

• Sorting out the OEM SAN switch market

  Sorting out the OEM SAN switch market  Continue Reading

• SLAs, SLOs and policies

  Understand the differences.  Continue Reading

• Blue light storage specials

  Blue light storage specials  Continue Reading

• Understand disk performance numbers in Windows

  What disk performance numbers mean in Windows.  Continue Reading

• Solid-state disk gives SANs performance

  Why you can use them somewhat cost-effictively.  Continue Reading

• Zone with zone sets

  A discussion of zone sets.  Continue Reading

• Symmetrical and asymmetrical SANs

  The differences and what each is good for.  Continue Reading

• The data density dilemma

  Find out about the dilemma of rapidly increasing disk densities combined with slower increases in disk speed.  Continue Reading

• Issues/benefits of offline, online and Nearline® storage

  Graham Irving shares on some of the considerations involved in offline, nearline and online storage.  Continue Reading

• Mixing arbitrated loop and fabric

  Why you would want to do it, and how.  Continue Reading

• Implementing a storage-management policy

  Important considerations on implementing a storage-management policy.  Continue Reading

• EMC introduces Centera to the fixed content market

  EMC introduces Centera to the fixed content market  Continue Reading

• Masking and zoning for SAN security

  How they work to enhance security.  Continue Reading

• Availability, Part 1: The availability index

  Part one of a series on storage availability.  Continue Reading

• A brief history of storage management

  An amusing look at the history of storage with Jon William Toigo.  Continue Reading

• Top 10 business continuity elements

  This tip is the first of a series that analyzes disaster recovery and BC technologies.  Continue Reading

• Maximum mailbox sizes in Exchange

  Why you should set them, and how to do it.  Continue Reading

• SAN approaches to LUN security

  Different ways to help manage security of data on a SAN.  Continue Reading

• LAN-free backup vs. server-free backup in a SAN: Part 1

  Functional benefits of LAN-free versus server-free backup implementations using a storage area network (SAN).  Continue Reading

• Clustering in a SAN environment for high availability

  How to increase availability by implemeting a SAN in a clustered environent.  Continue Reading

• Guidelines for carrying out a network storage policy

  Guidelines for carrying out a network storage policy.  Continue Reading

• Use a NAS server for bare-metal restore

  How you can speed restore after a disaster by backing up on a NAS server.  Continue Reading

• Why have storage policies?

  Expert advice on why and how to establish a solid storage management policy.  Continue Reading

• Certification for SAN professionals

  Which SAN certification is best to help you meet your goals?  Continue Reading

• Integrating SAN and NAS

  A guide to where to find info on current storage architectures.  Continue Reading

• Considerations for SAN extension

  Extending SAN connections over long distances is getting easier with new IP storage products, but look before you leap.  Continue Reading

• Ping to test your SAN

  Proactive testing is the ticket for optimum SAN performance.  Continue Reading

• SAN switch design considerations

  Do you need a large number of ISLs in order to build a single FC fabric? This user suggests probably not.  Continue Reading

• DWDM for long-distance SANs

  Discussion of optical multiplexing technique that allows for SANs over greater distances.  Continue Reading

• Retain your staff if you outsource

  Ideas to follow when your are considering outsourcing some or all of your storage.  Continue Reading

• Rewind? Non-Rewind?

  Keep track in Linux of backup devices that rewind and those that don't.  Continue Reading