Exploring Storage Technologies: From Evolution to Performance

Exploring Storage
Technologies: From
Evolution to
Performance
A Comprehensive Journey Through the World of Data Storage

Table of contents
Overview of Storage Topics
Evolution of Data Storage
Memory Storage Devices
Advancements in Hard Disks
LTO Tape Cartridges
Storage Building Blocks
Disk Drive Types
Disk Drive Command Sets
Understanding SSD Disks
Disk Capacity Growth Trends
Importance of Kryder's Law
Tape Libraries and VTLs
Controllers in Storage Systems
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Table of contents
RAID Configurations Overview
RAID 0 and RAID 1 Explained
RAID 1 and RAID 10
Configurations
RAID 10 vs. RAID 5 Performance
Understanding RAID 6 Technology
Data Deduplication in Storage
Cloning and Snapshotting Services
Snapshots vs. Clones
Thin Provisioning in Storage
DAS vs. SAN Systems
Fibre Channel Technology
Fibre Channel over Ethernet
(FCoE)
FCoE vs. iSCSI Technologies
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Table of contents
SAN vs. NAS Systems
Clustered NAS and Object
Storage
Object Storage and SDS
Storage Performance
Considerations
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Overview of Storage Topics
Importance of Caching in Disk Systems
Enhances performance by reducing access time
Minimizes latency and improves I/O operations
Storage Tiering
Creates a hierarchy based on cost and
performance
Optimizes resource allocation and management
Introduction to Information Lifecycle
Management (ILM)
Manages data based on value and policies
Ensures data is stored in the most appropriate tier
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Exploring Storage Technologies: From
Evolution to Performance
Use of Automated Tiering
Optimizes storage efficiency
Reduces manual intervention and errors
Challenges of Managing Multiple Storage Tiers
Complexity in categorizing data
Difficulty in ensuring optimal placement

Evolution of Data
Storage
Early Storage Methods
Punched cards and paper tape were used as
basic persistent storage systems in early
computers.
Drum Memory
Introduced in the 1950s, drum memory was one
of the first magnetic read/write storage systems
widely used.
Mainframe to PCs
Transition from mainframes to PCs brought
about various file formats like BMP, GIF, MP3, and
MPEG.
Importance of Open Standards
Storing data in structured, human-readable
formats like XML text files ensures long-term
readability.
Storage Media Evolution
From floppy disks to CDs to Blu-ray, data transfer
to the latest storage media standard every 10
years is recommended for longevity.
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Memory Storage
Devices
Memory Storage Devices
Memory storage devices play a crucial role in
storing and accessing data efficiently.
Different types of memory storage devices
include RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM
(Read-Only Memory).
RAM is volatile memory used for temporary data
storage, providing fast access for running
applications.
ROM is non-volatile memory that stores firmware
and essential system instructions.
Flash memory, commonly found in USB drives
and SSDs, offers a balance between speed and
non-volatility.
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Advancements in Hard Disks
Increased Rotation Speeds
Hard disks have evolved to have faster rotation
speeds, allowing for quicker data access and
improved performance.
Enhanced Seek Times
Advancements in hard disk technology have led to
reduced seek times, enabling faster data retrieval.
Improved Interface Protocols
Modern hard disks utilize advanced interface
protocols for efficient data transfer and
communication with other system components.
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Enhanced Reliability
Advancements in hard disk design have improved
reliability, reducing the risk of data loss and
system failures.
Higher Capacities
Hard disks now offer significantly larger storage
capacities, allowing for the storage of vast
amounts of data in a single drive.

LTO Tape
Cartridges
LTO Tape Cartridges
LTO tape cartridges have a market share of over
80%.
The latest LTO-7 tape cartridges can store up to 6
TB of uncompressed data.
Typical tape throughput ranges from 100 to 150
MB/s.
Existing tape drives typically use 4 Gbit/s Fibre
Channel interfaces, supporting a sustained
throughput of between 350 and 400 MB/s.
LTO-5 drives require an 8 Gbit/s FC interface to
support up to 800 MB/s.
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Server Storage Options
Servers can utilize internal storage or
external storage, often combined with
internal storage.
Types of Disks
Disks are crucial storage building blocks, with
two main types in use today: mechanical hard
disks and SSD disks.
Disk Controllers
These disks are connected to disk controllers
using a command set based on ATA or SCSI.
Storage Building Blocks
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Disk Drive Types
SATA Disks
Low-cost, high-capacity disks ideal for bulk
storage applications.
Commonly used in PCs, laptops, and for archiving
or backup due to their cost-effectiveness.
Controlled using the SMART command set for
disk management.
SAS Disks
High-end disks with faster rotational speeds
(10,000 or 15,000 rpm) compared to SATA disks.
Better error correction capabilities and reliability
than SATA disks.
Utilize the SCSI command set for error-recovery
and reporting.
NL-SAS Disks
Combine SAS interface with SATA disk mechanics.
Used for bulk storage applications due to their
cost-effectiveness and energy efficiency.
Spin at 7,200 rpm and can be combined with
faster SAS disks in storage arrays.
Solid State Drives (SSDs)
Based on flash technology with no moving parts
for high performance.
Offer faster data access compared to mechanical
disks (microseconds vs. milliseconds).
All-flash arrays using SSD disks preferred for
high-demanding OLTP systems.
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Disk Drive Command Sets
Disk Drive Connections
Disk drives are connected to disk controllers using
command sets based on ATA or SCSI.
SATA Disks
SATA disks use the SMART command set for disk
control.
The SMART command set is limited but easy to
implement.
SAS Disks
SAS disks utilize the SCSI command set.
SCSI provides better error correction capabilities
compared to SATA disks.
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SSD Disks
SSD disks are based on flash technology.
They are connected using a standard SAS disk
interface.
They provide high performance due to their lack of
moving parts.
NL-SAS Disks
NL-SAS disks combine the SAS interface with the
mechanics of SATA disks.
They offer a balance between speed and cost.

SSD disks, or Solid State Drives, are storage devices that do not have moving parts.
They are based on flash technology, which is semiconductor-based memory.
SSDs offer high performance due to their lack of moving parts, allowing for faster
data access compared to traditional mechanical disks.
These drives are commonly connected using a standard SAS disk interface.
Most storage vendors now offer all-flash arrays, which are storage systems using
only SSD disks for enhanced performance.
SSD Disks
Understanding SSD Disks
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Disk Capacity
Growth Trends
Disk Capacity Growth Trends
Disk capacity has shown exponential growth over
the years, following Kryder's Law.
In the 1960s, a core memory of 8 bytes has
evolved into an 8 GB micro SD flash card,
showcasing a billion-fold increase in storage
capacity.
The trend of increasing disk capacity continues to
shape the storage landscape, enabling more data
to be stored efficiently.
This growth in disk capacity has revolutionized
data storage capabilities, allowing for the storage
of vast amounts of information in compact
formats.
Understanding the historical context of disk
capacity growth provides insights into the rapid
advancements in storage technologies.
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Importance of Kryder's Law
Kryder's Law and Storage Capacity Growth
Kryder's Law illustrates the remarkable growth in storage capacity over
the years.
Significant increase in the amount of data that can be stored.
Designing Efficient Storage Infrastructure
Understanding Kryder's Law is crucial for designing storage
infrastructure efficiently.
Highlights the need to adapt to advancements in technology by
implementing new disks just in time.
Optimizing Storage Systems
By aligning storage expansion with Kryder's Law, organizations can
optimize their storage systems.
Handle increasing data demands effectively.
Scalable and Cost-Effective Storage Solutions
Implementing storage solutions in line with Kryder's Law ensures
scalability.
Storage infrastructure remains cost-effective in the face of rapid data
growth.
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Tape Libraries
Tape Libraries, like the one depicted in Picture 24,
can store a significant number of tapes, such as 150
LTO tapes with a total capacity of 750 TB.
Virtual Tape Libraries (VTLs)
Virtual Tape Libraries (VTLs) utilize disks for storing
backups and emulate traditional tape devices and
formats for seamless integration with backup
applications.
VTL solutions commonly employ NL-SAS or SATA disk
arrays for cost-effectiveness and efficiency in
handling multiple virtual tape drives in parallel.
Data stored on VTL disk arrays can be exported to
other media, like physical tapes, for disaster recovery
purposes.
VTLs offer high-performance disk-based backup and
restore capabilities, ensuring data protection and
availability in critical scenarios.
Tape Libraries and VTLs
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Controllers connect disks and tapes to servers, providing high performance and
availability using RAID technology.
They are crucial in NAS or SAN deployments, linking disks and tapes to redundant
Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or FCoE connections.
Controllers implement features like cloning, data deduplication, and thin
provisioning to optimize storage efficiency.
By virtualizing physical disks into Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs), controllers enable
seamless interaction with the operating system without revealing the underlying disk
details.
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RAID Configurations Overview
RAID Solutions
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks)
solutions provide high availability and
performance through redundant disks.
Common RAID Levels
Commonly implemented RAID levels include RAID
0 (Striping), RAID 1 (Mirroring), RAID 10 (Striping
and Mirroring), RAID 5 (Striping with distributed
parity), and RAID 6 (Striping with distributed
double parity).
RAID 1
RAID 1 involves disk mirroring for high availability,
with mirror disks often placed in separate
enclosures for optimal redundancy.
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Importance of RAID
RAID configurations play a crucial role in
optimizing data distribution and reliability within
storage systems.
RAID 10
RAID 10 combines striping and mirroring, offering
both high performance and availability at a higher
cost.

RAID 0 and RAID 1 Explained
RAID 0: Striping
Enhances performance by spreading data across
multiple disks.
Cost-effective and boosts read and write speeds by
accessing data from multiple disks simultaneously.
Lacks data redundancy, meaning if one disk fails, all
data is lost.
RAID 1: Mirroring
Ensures high availability by duplicating data on two
disks.
Data is written to both disks simultaneously,
providing reliability in case of disk failure.
Considered the most reliable RAID level but comes at
a higher cost due to data redundancy.
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RAID 1 and RAID 10 Configurations
RAID 1 Overview
RAID 1 involves mirroring data on two
disks for high availability and data
protection.
RAID 1 is considered the most reliable
RAID level but comes at a higher cost
due to the redundancy of data on two
disks.
Optimizing RAID 1
To optimize high availability in RAID 1,
it is recommended to place mirror
disks in a separate enclosure and use
redundant disk controllers.
RAID 10 Overview
RAID 10 combines striping and
mirroring for high performance and
availability, but at a relatively high
price.
RAID 10 requires at least four disks,
with only 50% of the disk space being
used for data storage, while the rest is
used for mirroring.
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RAID 10 vs. RAID 5 Performance
RAID 10
Combines striping and mirroring for high
performance and availability.
Requires at least four disks, utilizing 50% of disk
space for mirroring.
Provides faster write operations compared to RAID 5
due to its mirroring setup.
RAID 5
Offers a balance between performance and data
protection with distributed parity.
Has a higher penalty for write operations due to its
parity calculations.
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Understanding RAID 6 Technology
RAID 6 Overview
RAID 6 is a storage technology that offers a high
level of data protection through its use of
distributed double parity.
Data Striping and Dual Parity
In RAID 6, data is striped across multiple disks like
in RAID 5, but with the added feature of dual
parity for enhanced fault tolerance.
Fault Tolerance
This dual parity allows RAID 6 to withstand the
simultaneous failure of up to two disk drives
without losing any data.
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Performance Trade-off
While RAID 6 offers robust data protection, it
comes with a trade-off of slightly reduced write
performance due to the additional parity
calculations required.
Suitability
RAID 6 is particularly suitable for environments
where data integrity and fault tolerance are
critical, providing an extra layer of protection
compared to RAID 5.

Data deduplication in storage is a process where duplicate data is identified and
replaced with pointers to existing data to save disk space.
This process can be executed during low-performance periods to minimize the
impact on system performance.
All-flash storage systems are ideal for efficient deduplication due to their fast read
and write speeds.
Deduplication enables all-flash systems to host fewer disks compared to traditional
storage systems, offsetting the higher cost of SSD disks.
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Cloning and
Snapshotting
Services
Cloning and Snapshotting Services in
Enterprise Storage Systems
Cloning and snapshotting services are essential
features provided by enterprise storage systems.
Cloning involves creating a full copy of a disk,
allowing for independent use of the copied data.
Snapshotting captures a specific point in time of
the data on disks, preventing further writes to
those disks during the snapshot period.
These services are valuable for creating backups,
test data sets, and reverting to older data without
the need to restore from a backup.
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Snapshots and clones are essential services provided by enterprise storage systems.
Cloning involves creating a full copy of a disk, similar to a RAID 1 mirror disk.
Snapshotting captures a specific point in time of the data on disks, preventing
writing to those disks during the snapshot period.
Both cloning and snapshotting are useful for creating backups and test sets of data.
Cloning allows for creating backups without affecting the original disks that are still
online.
Snapshots and Clones
Snapshots vs. Clones
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Thin Provisioning
in Storage
Thin Provisioning in Storage
Allows for allocating more storage capacity to
users than physically installed.
Operates similarly to overcommitting memory in
virtual machines, optimizing storage usage.
Traditional Storage Applications
Provided with predetermined physical storage
space, often leading to underutilization.
Monitoring and Allocation
Thin provisioning closely monitors actual storage
needs and adds physical disk space only when
necessary.
Cost Optimization
Defers disk purchases until truly needed,
optimizing storage capacity and costs.
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Direct Attached Storage (DAS)
DAS is a storage system where dedicated disks
connect to a controller via SAS or SATA protocols,
providing disk blocks to the computer for file
storage.
DAS is commonly used for boot devices and caching
in servers, offering storage that is only available to
the server with the DAS storage attached.
Storage Area Network (SAN)
SAN is a specialized storage network that connects
servers to disk controllers using technologies like
Fibre Channel or iSCSI.
SAN offers virtual disks to servers in the form of
LUNs (Logical Unit Numbers), which are only
accessible to the server with that specific LUN
mounted.
The core of a SAN is a set of SAN switches known as
the Fabric, enabling the connection of multiple
servers to a large pool of central storage.
DAS vs. SAN Systems
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Fibre Channel is a high-speed network technology primarily used for storage area networks
(SANs).
It provides reliable and fast data transfer rates, ranging from 1 to 128 Gbit/s.
Fibre Channel operates over fiber optic cables, ensuring secure and efficient data
transmission.
This technology is known for its low latency and high bandwidth capabilities, making it ideal
for demanding storage environments.
Fibre Channel supports features like zoning and masking to enhance security and manage
access to storage resources.
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Fibre Channel
over Ethernet
(FCoE)
Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)
FCoE is a switching technology that does not
involve routing and requires specialized switches.
It is typically implemented gradually, starting
with the host and switch layers, while back-end
storage arrays continue to run native Fibre
Channel.
FCoE enables the convergence of Fibre Channel
storage traffic onto Ethernet networks.
Specialized FCoE enabled switches are necessary
due to the requirement of DCB or CEE Ethernet.
FCoE implementation allows for the coexistence
of Fibre Channel and Ethernet in the same
network infrastructure.
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FCoE vs. iSCSI Technologies
FCoE (Fibre Channel over
Ethernet)
FCoE is a switching technology that
does not involve routing and requires
specialized switches.
Typically implemented gradually,
starting with the host and switch
layers, while back-end storage arrays
continue to run native Fibre Channel.
iSCSI (Internet Small Computer
System Interface)
Allows the SCSI protocol to run over
Ethernet LANs using TCP/IP.
Provides a cost-effective alternative to
Fibre Channel and is gaining popularity
in the SAN market with advancements
in Ethernet speeds.
Comparison of FCoE and iSCSI
Both offer unique advantages and
considerations in storage networking
technologies.
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SAN (Storage Area Network) operates by offering disk blocks that are exclusive to a single
server.
NAS (Network Attached Storage) provides a shared filesystem accessible by multiple servers.
SAN uses technologies like iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or FCoE for communication, while NAS uses
SMB/CIFS or NFS over TCP/IP.
NAS systems typically offer redundancy, load balancing, data replication, and other services,
freeing up operating systems from these tasks.
NAS has knowledge about the files it stores, enabling optimized file handling and file-level
services like snapshot and clone technology.
SAN vs NAS
SAN vs. NAS Systems
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Clustered NAS
Utilizes a distributed file system across multiple
servers to provide unified access to files.
Object Storage
Manages data as objects with unique identifiers and
metadata, accessed through a REST API over HTTP.
Simplifies data location and enables massive
scalability, suitable for static data like backups and
archives.
High availability is achieved through replication
across multiple servers and locations.
Clustered NAS and Object Storage
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Object Storage
and SDS
Object Storage
Object Storage manages data as objects with
unique identifiers and metadata.
Object Storage uses a REST API over HTTP for
data retrieval and storage.
Software-Defined Storage (SDS)
SDS virtualizes physical storage into a shared
storage pool.
SDS provides data services like deduplication,
compression, and tiering.
APIs are used to provision storage pools and set
performance levels in SDS.
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Disk Performance Variation
Differences in disk rotation speed, seek
times, and interface protocol impact overall
performance.
High-end disks with faster rotation speeds
can handle more operations per second
efficiently.
Importance of Caching Systems
Storage vendors implement caching to
significantly boost performance by buffering
data for reads and writes.
Read-cache acts as a buffer for repeated
reads, enhancing data retrieval speed.
Types of Disk Drives
SATA disks are cost-effective and suitable for
bulk storage applications.
SAS disks are high-end with better error
correction capabilities.
NL-SAS disks combine SAS interface with
SATA mechanics for bulk storage.
SSDs, based on flash technology, offer high
performance due to their lack of moving
parts.
Storage Performance Considerations
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Exploring Storage Technologies: From Evolution to Performance

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