Flash-based storage systems continue to make inroads into the enterprise. Initially those inroads started as flash systems targeted at improving database response time. Then it spread to virtual workloads to alleviate the IO blender. Now, flash storage is on the…
Knowledge is power. But knowledge in a heterogeneous storage environment can be difficult to come by. Modern data centers often have a mix of software-defined storage, traditional proprietary storage, all-flash or hybrid storage arrays, and even cloud storage – all…
Software Defined Storage (SDS) solutions are a dime a dozen. The problem is that only a few solutions truly differentiate themselves from the features that come with the legacy storage hardware systems they are replacing. The key value to SDS…
The modern data center today is faced with storing, managing and protecting an ever-increasing torrent of data, most of which needs to be stored for indefinite periods of time due to various government rules, regulations and laws. File counts have…
VMware is releasing VSAN 6.2, the third major release of VSAN since its introduction in August of 2014. (Like other VMware companion products, the release number is tied to the vSphere release number it is associated with.) This release gives…
Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) projects bring many benefits to the data center. The operational gains alone justify VDI. The challenge is getting users to embrace it so that IT can experience those operational gains. User adoption often comes down to…
Most of the time when unstructured data is created there is never a need to access it again. But it is still necessary to store it just in case you need it. When the “just in case” scenario occurs, you…
Enterprise Applications and Dynamic Business Workloads Demand Faster and Faster Response Times Applications are driving the enterprise, whether it is a relatively simple application used by millions of customers or a complex, scalable database that drives an organization’s back end.…
Cloud and traditional data centers face two competing challenges. The first is meeting the ever-increasing demand for performance. Flash, in its various forms, can meet these requirements. On the other end of the spectrum is meeting the demands of storing all the data we create. The answer to these environments has not been as simple. Flash, by itself, is not the answer due to its higher cost per GB. SMR hard drives improve the ability to meet capacity demands, but have limited random write performance. By coupling SMR drives with flash, these two technologies can create a very practical solution which enables adoption without significant change to the existing infrastructure. In this article we will discuss how SMR drives work and how they can be coupled with flash to meet both of these challenges
All-Flash Array Vendors are now releasing systems with 3D TLC SSDs. They claim that they have reached price parity, without data efficiency, to mainstream data center hard disk arrays. 3D TLC NAND does bring the price per GB of flash…
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