Microsoft’s place in the datacenter is secure, and Windows Server really hums with SMB 2/3 storage. The enterprise storage industry needed an alternative to Samba and do-it-yourself SMB servers, and it’s good to see Visuality Systems step up with NQ Storage. Although I have not seen it in action, their OEM claims sound good and their roadmap looks right.
Using NFS to Share Data Between UNIX and Mac OS X
I had a little bit of a learning experience this week regarding NFS exports and Mac OS X that I thought would be interesting to share with my readers. It’s part “simple tip” and part “facepalm.”
Samba 4.0 is Released with Full Active Directory and Updated SMB Support
Samba is becoming more and more important. Windows servers will increasingly use SMB 3.0 as their networked storage protocol in Windows Server 2012 and Hyper-V 3. And EMC’s purchase of Likewise means the rest of the storage industry is looking for an SMB stack. But I’m most interested to see what Active Directory support means for future home and business devices.
Geoff Barrall is Back with Transporter, a Personal Shared Storage Solution
I’m a hardcore Dropbox user, but I don’t love their limited sharing features or having my personal data in the cloud. I was intrigued by the waves of personal shared storage devices that have appeared, but none are appropriate and complete replacements for Dropbox. But a new product just launched on Kickstarter really has a chance of success!
Storage Developer Conference, Santa Clara CA
If you’re a real storage geek like me, you simply must attend SDC. If you’re there this year, come say hi! If not, you should start making plans for next year. Be there!
Who Will Support SMB 3.0, and Which Features Will They Support?
I’m really thrilled about the improvements Microsoft is making to the core SMB protocol in Windows Server 2012. But it won’t really matter if nobody but Microsoft supports the new protocol. So I like to call out to all the enterprise storage vendors: Let me hear your support for SMB3.0!
SMB 3 is Going to be Huge, in both Scope and Impact
Microsoft is about to release the third major revision to their ubiquitous network storage protocol, SMB. Windows Server 2012 and Hyper-V 3 will really highlight this technology, and I predict it will transform the way people think about networked storage for Windows systems. But SMB 3 is big in another way, too: there are tons of new features, and not all will be implemented by everyone.
From LAN Manager and SMB to CIFS: The Evolution of Prehistoric PC Network Protocols
Computers aren’t much good on their own. This simple fact was evident even at the dawn of the microcomputing age, and has never been more true today in the “post-PC” world. If the standard microcomputer is the “Wintel” box (Microsoft’s Windows, Intel’s CPUs, and all that implies) then the standard network services protocol is SMB. So let’s take a nice deep dive into SMB, past, present, and future!
Why You Should Never Again Utter The Word, “CIFS”
CIFS is not the network storage protocol used by Microsoft Windows, and many other clients. The protocol used to share files over a LAN by the majority of personal computers is called SMB. I wish everyone in the industry would get that through their heads.
Key Storage Features in Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion”
Apple’s not an enterprise company or a storage company, but Apple does have enterprise storage features in their operating systems. And Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” is a great case in point. From Versions to Time Machine Local Snapshots to AirDrop, Lion brings some storage love, and NFS, SMB, and Xsan are there, too. Let’s look at what’s new and key in terms of storage in the latest version of Mac OS X.