Why does network-attached storage (NAS) have such a poor reputation? This isn't what the vendors want to be talking about, but some recent product announcements and discussions led to this thought. IT folks as a whole don't trust NAS for real work, and 20 years of effort from big names like Sun, Microsoft, NetApp, IBM, and the rest hasn't changed that. Fear Back when I used … [Read more...] about Why Do I Ignore NAS?
SCSI
Multipath: Active/Passive, Dual Active, and Active/Active
Although it's rare in the PC world, multipath I/O is not new in enterprise IT. I've been juggling paths to storage and networks as long as I've been a systems administrator, and that's a bit longer than I care to admit. But the proliferation of technologies has made it difficult to understand path management. What's the difference between "dual active" and "active/active"? Is … [Read more...] about Multipath: Active/Passive, Dual Active, and Active/Active
Storage Changes in VMware ESX 3.5 Update 4
Like clockwork, VMware has cranked out another update to their flagship enterprise product, ESX 3.5. The last update came out in early November, 2008, and included some major new functionality. What's in store this time to intrigue storage folks? Not much. For more information on earlier updates, see my articles: Storage Fixes in VMware ESX Server 3.5 Update … [Read more...] about Storage Changes in VMware ESX 3.5 Update 4
Essential Reading for VMware ESX iSCSI Users!
Update: Check out the latest multi-vendor iSCSI post! I usually don't write about other peoples' articles on this blog, preferring to stick to my own independent work. But this time I'm making an exception. If you use or are interested in VMware ESX 3.x and iSCSI, you simply must go read Chad Sakac's post on the topic. Co-written with just about everyone in the industry … [Read more...] about Essential Reading for VMware ESX iSCSI Users!
Top Ten Innovative Enterprise Storage Hardware Products
Looking around at the enterprise storage landscape, it is plain that certain archetypes rule: Monolithic enterprise arrays, dual-controller modular arrays, standard-sized hard disk units, NAS servers, tape libraries. Are these really the optimal designs for storage in our modern open systems world? On the contrary, I suggest that the enterprise storage world we know was … [Read more...] about Top Ten Innovative Enterprise Storage Hardware Products