I started the IT series with the blog Back to Physical, this one really should be called Back to the Future, as it is all about hardware. I originally put this together a couple of years ago and it’s all still valid, just with some minor tweaks.
Month: May 2019
Storage by Software
The most expensive part of Enterprise Storage Arrays, which should not be confused with a SAN, is the software. The majority of parts in most of the major vendors platforms are now made in the same factory, utilise drives from Seagate and Western Digital, and Intel chipsets where possible. The reason behind this is quite simple, economies of scale. the vendors can buy products at a lower price point, and use their Intellectual Property to create the fastest performing box of disk possible.
Software defined storage has a lot of buzz around it, and for good reason. The promise of policy driven storage, controlled through software and not hardware is almost irresistible, like a good ice-cream on a hot day. SNIA has a fantastic definition for SDS (https://www.snia.org/sds) and there are lots of articles on the pitfalls and tribulation of SDS, along with the amazing outcomes that it has given. As with most things your mileage may vary. Continue reading “Storage by Software”