ZFS should have been great, but I kind of hate it: ZFS seems to be trapped in the past, before it was sidelined it as the cool storage project of choice; it's inflexible; it lacks modern flash integration; and it's not directly supported by most operating systems. But I put all my valuable data on ZFS because it simply offers the best level of data protection in a small … [Read more...] about ZFS Is the Best Filesystem (For Now…)
Enterprise storage
What is OCuLink?
I'm a storage connectivity nerd, but I often learn new things I missed. Reading about the new Tyan servers with AMD's Epyc server processor, I was surprised by an off-hand mention of "OCuLink" as a storage expansion port. Naturally, I did some digging and discovered what it is: OCuLink is a competitor for Thunderbolt for cabled PCI Express connectivity, offering similar … [Read more...] about What is OCuLink?
Storage is Getting Cloudier!
Cloud storage is nothing new, but we're now starting to see real integration between on-premises enterprise arrays and as-a-service cloud storage solutions. I've recently written two pieces on this subject for Gestalt IT and thought I would direct you, my beloved readers, over there to have a look! Storage in the Cloud First up is NetApp Heads Into Microsoft’s Azure … [Read more...] about Storage is Getting Cloudier!
Turn Off Error Recovery in RAID Drives: TLER, ERC, and CCTL
Hard disk drives encounter errors from time to time, so it's a good thing that most have the ability to recover data anyway. But RAID systems usually have their own error recovery capabilities and can be thrown off when a hard disk pauses I/O. So it's a good idea to use hard disk drives that allow you to disable or limit error recovery in RAID systems. Error Recovery … [Read more...] about Turn Off Error Recovery in RAID Drives: TLER, ERC, and CCTL
Download My Free E-Book, “Essential Enterprise Storage Concepts”!
I've got a lot to say about storage, as you might have noticed from reading my blog. So I finally sat down and wrote a book on enterprise storage. Now you can download the e-book for free, thanks to support from my friends at SolarWinds! The book, "Essential Enterprise Storage Concepts", is intended as an introduction to the field of enterprise storage for technical … [Read more...] about Download My Free E-Book, “Essential Enterprise Storage Concepts”!