Table of ContentsBusiness BriefsFeaturesData replication: Host, network, or array?It should come as no surprise that replication is a hot topic today. Because of the huge increase in the amount of mission-critical data—as well as growing concerns and new regulations regarding data availability—disaster recovery and business continuance are leading IT managers to revisit their current data-protection and recovery plans.
Technical view of disk journaling for secondary diskPrevious articles in this series have shown how introducing a secondary disk layer between the primary storage (application) layer and the tape layer can enhance the utility and value of the data protection process in many ways, including
The role of secure archiving in the e-mail life cycleE-mail is the lifeblood of modern commerce, and preserving and protecting e-mails is now a critical business function.
User view: Storage management softwareThere are many challenges associated with the ups and downs of storage and storage management (see figure). While many aspects of data storage are growing rapidly, just as many are shrinking.
News Analysis TrendsDataCore counters performance criticismNo longer a start-up after more than five years in business, feisty DataCore Software doesn't take criticism lying down. Responding to long-standing charges (mostly from large disk array vendors) that its in-band "storage area network (SAN) appliances" cause bottlenecks in storage networks, the company earlier this year ran tests based on the Storage Performance Council's SPC-1 benchmark, an industry-standard suite of tests designed to measure performance of disk subsystems.
EMC and Documentum: A marriage made in heaven?Whether or not you think EMC's acquisition of Documentum is a masterstroke or a billion-dollar-plus blunder, you have to admit that the move is unprecedented. For the first time, an independent storage company has reached well outside its own backyard to grab a content management software applications provider.
EMC continues midrange NAS pushEMC is continuing its move into the midrange network-attached storage (NAS) market by expanding its line of proprietary Celerra NS600 devices, as well as adding the Windows-based NetWin 200 last month (see "EMC debuts Windows-based NAS," InfoStor, October 2003, p. 14).
Emulex acquires VixelThis month, Emulex completed its acquisition of Vixel Corp., a manufacturer of embedded Fibre Channel switches.
HDS emphasizes information life-cycle managementThis month, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) began shipping a modular disk array (the Thunder 9580V) with twice the raw capacity, Fibre Channel connections, and LUNs and nearly twice the bandwidth of the Thunder 9570V.
IBM delivers SAN file system, falls shortAfter several years in development and a number of false starts, IBM this month began shipping the first iteration of its TotalStorage SAN File System, more commonly known as "StorageTank."
IP SAN activity picks upThe IP storage area network (SAN) market is still in its infancy, but a number of smaller vendors recently debuted new devices and expanded existing products with performance upgrades and more functionality. Analysts expect the competition to really heat up early next year.
Luminex links mainframes, open-systems storageUsers know how costly it can be to scale mainframe environments—even in small increments—to meet growing data needs, but few have thought to ask why.
Sonasoft provides fast recovery for SQLThe SQL Server Worldwide User's Group recently awarded five out of a possible five stars to Sonasoft for its data-protection console for SQL Server databases. The Sonasoft appliance, called SonaSafe, was introduced in January for SQL Server; the company released a version for Exchange this month and will support Microsoft flat files early next year.
Symantec acquires PowerQuestBest known for its Norton line of security products, Symantec recently signed an agreement to acquire PowerQuest, an Orem, UT-based company that specializes in volume imaging and server provisioning. Symantec will incorporate Power-Quest's technology into its Ghost line of products, which provides PC management for software distribution, migration, backup, and disaster recovery.
User group options multiplyIf you're a storage end user with a desire to join an association of your peers, your alternatives are expanding. The Association of Storage Networking Professionals (ASNP) recently became the newest end-user organization dedicated to storage issues.
When does database-on-NAS make sense?If you're running DB2, Oracle, or SQL Server on network-attached storage (NAS), you're not alone. Increasingly, more IT administrators are hosting database applications on NAS to leverage its ease of use and relatively low cost.
EditorialGood news for tight storage budgetsIf you're in the process of finalizing your 2004 storage budget, you're probably pulling your hair out trying to figure out how to handle capacity growth, hardware procurement, and ongoing storage management costs on such a puny allowance. The economy may be loosening up, but that doesn't mean that upper management has untied the IT purse strings.
Business Continuity PlanningIs it a logical or physical copy?In today's 24x7 data centers, one copy of a critical application volume is not enough. To run backup operations, load data warehouses, or test new versions of applications without disrupting the flow of information to users and applications, IT administrators need to create multiple copies of volumes that are used as the data sources for these operations.
New ProductsNews BytesSpecial ReportWhat are the benefits of storage area networks?The U.S. Air Force's 45th Space Wing, headquartered at Patrick Air Force Base near Cocoa Beach, FL, exemplifies an almost literal "mission-critical" storage area network (SAN) customer.
Lab ReviewXeon CPUs + Ultra320 SCSI = blazing speedWe recently began testing commodity servers based on Intel's Xeon processors. One of the leading examples in this new class of server is the IBM xSeries 235 eServer.
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Issue issue-11
November 2003
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