Jeffrey Layton

Microservers are a huge coming wave that could overtake you if you’re not ready. Microservers are simply small servers. Compared to a dual-socket or quad-socket server, a microserver has reduced capabilities and options. But they can still run virtually the same set or, at the very least, a useful subset of the applications larger servers […]

Many people have the perception that archive storage should be really, really cheap. After all, you don’t need much performance, so it shouldn’t cost much, should it? However, these people tend to ignore important aspects of archival storage that can greatly impact the cost of the solutions. In just about any storage pyramid diagram, archive […]

Many people have said RAID is dead. But just like the Phoenix, RAID may rise from the dead thanks to some new technologies. One of the more recent and interesting of those technologies is Dynamic Disk Pools (DDP) from NetApp. An examination of DDP illustrates the problem with conventional RAID and what can be done […]

Introduction Henry Newman and I have undertaken the task of examining Big Data and what it really means. It’s a buzzword. Like many buzzwords, it has been beaten to death yet contains a kernel of real usefulness, technology, and ideas. We’ve decided to tackle Big Data by doing some “ground and pound” on the subject […]

What tools are used in Big Data, and how do they influence storage design? Explore Hadoop and MapReduce, & their role in Big Data. Click here now.

In May, Henry kicked off a collaborative effort to examine some of the details behind the Big Data push and what they really mean. This article is the third in our muiltipart series and the second of three to take a high-level examination of Big Data from the top of the stack — that is, […]

Henry kicked off our latest collaborative effort to examine some of the details behind the Big Data push and what they really mean. In my first article, I’m going to begin at the beginning, where every discussion around Big Data should begin — at the top. What is Big Data, what are we trying to […]

The results of our Linux file system fsck testing are in and posted, but the big question remains: What do the results tell us, what do they mean, and is the performance expected? In this article we will take a look at the results, talk to some experts, and sift through the tea leaves for […]

After an extended delay, the Linux File System fsck testing results can now be presented. The test plan has changed slightly from our kickoff article previous article. We will review it at the beginning of the this article, followed by the actual results. Henry Newman will be reviewing the results and writing some observations in […]

There is a somewhat famous saying that goes something like, “If you ask five economists their opinion, you will get 14 answers.” The general idea is that any pundit can easily give you several opinions about a subject, but economists just seem to do it better than anyone else. This sentiment is also true in […]

Building on Henry’s Problem Statement, this article will present the test plan for performing fsck tests on Linux file systems. The goal is to test fairly large file systems that might be encountered on large systems to determine the status of file system check (fsck) performance. We ask and appreciate your feedback on the test […]

Building on Henry’s Problem Statement, this article will present the test plan for performing fsck tests on Linux file systems. The goal is to test fairly large file systems that might be encountered on large systems to determine the status of file system check (fsck) performance. We ask and appreciate your feedback on the test […]