Access "Storage thin provisioning benefits and challenges"
This article is part of the October 2011 issue of Break free with open source storage
What you will learn in this tip: Storage thin provisioning is a popular technology for users looking to improve storage efficiency, but it can be difficult to implement. Find out what to look for in thin provisioning technology, the challenges associated with it and how to use thin provisioning in your environment. Nobody wants to pay for something they’re not using, but enterprise data storage managers do it all the time. The inflexible nature of disk storage purchasing and provisioning leads to shockingly low levels of capacity utilization. Improving the efficiency of storage has been a persistent theme of the industry and a goal for most storage professionals for a decade, but only thin provisioning technology has delivered tangible, real-world benefits. The concept of thin provisioning may be simple to comprehend, but it’s a complex technology to implement effectively. If an array only allocates storage capacity that contains data, it can store far more data than one that allocates all remaining (and unnecessary) “white space.” But storage arrays are ... Access >>>
Access TechTarget
Premium Content for Free.
What's Inside
Features
-
-
In pursuit of affordable shared-storage options
by Antony Adshead, UK Bureau Chief
There are viable, affordable shared-storage options available via open source storage software and AoE-based gear, so why is the big-vendor regime still so powerful?
-
Storage thin provisioning benefits and challenges
by Stephen Foskett, Contributor
Storage thin provisioning requires transparency into your storage environment and an understanding of how the technology works. We detail the benefits and challenges.
-
Remote and mobile data backup: Backup's last frontier
by W. Curtis Preston
With organizations becoming more mobile, the time to get a handle on mobile data backup is now.
-
Where is the cloud storage market headed?
by Jeff Byrne, Contributor
Break down the cloud storage services market and you’ll find players both big and small jockeying for position in key segments.
-
In pursuit of affordable shared-storage options
by Antony Adshead, UK Bureau Chief
-
-
Open source storage users break free of vendor lock-in
by Manek Dubash
Open source storage frees users of the need for proprietary software on top of commodity disk. Read how UK IT departments have used it to gain cost-saving advantages.
-
Exchange 2010 and storage systems
by Brien M. Posey, Contributor
With Exchange Server 2010, Microsoft made some significant changes to the email app's database structure, and those changes may also affect the storage it resides on.
-
Tape makes a comeback (but was it ever gone?)
by Rich Castagna, Editorial Director
Somebody out there is spreading rumors about the death of tape, but there’s plenty of life left in this venerable storage technology.
-
Open source storage users break free of vendor lock-in
by Manek Dubash
More Premium Content Accessible For Free
Computer Weekly Buyer's Guide to context-aware security
E-Handbook
In this 11-page buyer’s guide, Computer Weekly looks at how organisations should approach context-aware security technologies and what business ...
Computer Weekly Buyer's Guide to software as a service
E-Handbook
In this nine-page buyer’s guide, Computer Weekly looks at how a CIO can best integrate it with existing on-premise software, the restrictions behind ...
Computer Weekly Buyer's Guide to infrastructure on demand
E-Handbook
Working out how to make infrastructure on demand work for your company is a challenge. In this 10-page buyer's guide, Computer Weekly looks at ...