One reason I decided to work with the folks at DCIG to collect data for their Small Business Storage Array Buyers' Guide was to learn more about the various products in the space. One difference I noted in these small arrays, which usually hold 4 to 8 drives, is their use of hard disk drive carriers or sleds. There are pros and cons to both approaches, but I was pleased to see … [Read more...] about SMB Arrays: Drive Carriers Or Not?
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Iomega Graduates and Goes to Work with the ix12-300r
EMC's Iomega unit today released the 12-drive rack-mount storage product we have all been waiting for. It was never a question of whether Iomega could produce such a beast: The EMC LifeLine software and Iomega hardware were definitely up for it. The question was always if EMC would direct Iomega to fill the gaping hole in their storage lineup between the 4-drive ix4-200r and … [Read more...] about Iomega Graduates and Goes to Work with the ix12-300r
Interop Show-Floor Gimmicks: What’s the Tie-In?
I was at Interop Las Vegas this week, and the Expo floor was alive with gimmicks. We had a talking robot, a boxing ring, a GT40, and two Mythbusters lookalikes. But what's the point of a gimmick without a tie-in? So I set out on a personal quest, asking the sponsors of the gimmickiest stunts to explain what point they were trying to make. Why did McAfee have two Ford GT's? … [Read more...] about Interop Show-Floor Gimmicks: What’s the Tie-In?
10 GbE, iSCSI, FCoE, Microsoft, and the Future
In case you didn't notice the earth move, I have a wake-up call for you: 10 gigabit Ethernet is here. It's real. It's in use. Last year, we were all wondering when the 10 GbE wave would hit and what impact it would have. That's not worth pondering anymore. Sure, prices remain high, but they're falling fast and many folks are already implementing 10 GbE in their data centers. … [Read more...] about 10 GbE, iSCSI, FCoE, Microsoft, and the Future