Back in the day, when data was smaller and servers were machines, I/O followed a predictable pattern. Storage arrays could anticipate requests and RAID was beautiful. Then came virtualization, and with it an end to ye olde storage I/O path. Server = HBA = LUN It was a simpler time back in the 1990's. Each server had a SCSI host bus adapter (HBA) of its own. Maybe two, if … [Read more...] about The I/O Blender Part 1: Ye Olde Storage I/O Path
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Storage Arrays Do A Few Things Very Well
Storage arrays are big, expensive, and difficult to manage. Plus, concentrating storage in a single device puts everything at risk if there is an outage. So why buy a storage array at all? Arrays do a few things very well, and this often makes up for the difference, on balance. Storage Arrays Accelerate Performance One of the most important advancements in data storage in … [Read more...] about Storage Arrays Do A Few Things Very Well
NetApp heads to the buffet
So NetApp is bundling their software for their low-end iSCSI arrays according to CRN. Aah that perennial battle of a la carte pricing versus bundles... Is it better to offer customers everything they might need at a single price or to give them the chance to pick and choose? Let's think about it... … [Read more...] about NetApp heads to the buffet