More bandwidth needed for storage arrays

10/06/2011

Storage arrays have advanced substantially in recent years, as hard disk drive and solid state drive manufacturers have introduced innovative products and server technologies have become more sophisticated.

However, a recent Register report said the networking technology used in storage arrays has not seen the same advances, creating the potential for major bottlenecks as data travels through the SAN.

According to the news source, software-based solutions, such as deduplication, can help resolve this issue. Deduplication accomplishes this by making sure blocks of data already stored within the array are not copied and saved over and over again.

In the end, this may not be a full solution, and many data center operators may need to invest in new network equipment to add bandwidth to the storage network. Essentially, the report explained, the pipes that drain data from storage devices are too thin, and need to either be made wider or more plentiful to handle current storage needs.

Some organizations are addressing this issue by converging input/output infrastructure. A recent Network World report explained converged I/O allows businesses to put storage network transmission on the LAN, where more bandwidth is accessible.

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