HP Simply StorageWorks

Introduction to storage technologies

Table of contents
Storage technologies at a glance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Moving your data: storage networking options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Comparing disc drive technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Choosing the appropriate on line storage strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Direct attached storage (DAS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Network attached storage (NAS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Storage area network (SAN) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
NAS/iSCSI gateway with a SAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Choosing the appropriate data protection strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Traditional tape-based data protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Comparing tape drive technologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Disc-based data protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Two-stage backup and recovery: disc-to-disc-to-tape (D2D2T) . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Snapshots, clones and mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Remote data replication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Clustering: server and storage clusters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Added value from HP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
What to do now . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
HP Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Financial Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Jargon buster – glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Whether your business is large or small, data is
critical to your operations. In fact, it is at the very
heart of your company – and there’s more of it than
ever. In many businesses, the volume of data doubles
every year.
The problem is, how do you handle this explosive
growth? How can you be sure you can access your
data quickly? And how do you back it up in case
of an emergency, a disaster, a power outage or
an audit that goes back five years? There are so
many confusing choices for data protection and
storage solutions, so many buzzwords and so
much jargon-filled tech-speak – and so little guidance
on which solution is the right choice to meet your
business objectives.
At HP, we understand servers, business applications
and storage. In fact, we’ve dedicated significant
resources to enable these elements integrate with
each other to address the needs of small and
medium businesses in a simple and affordable
way. And we’ve created this guide to help you
make sense of data storage for your business. Read
it cover to cover or refer to it when researching
specific storage solutions. However you use it, this
guide will give you the knowledge to make informed
decisions about data storage and protection.
Storage is easy when you choose HP
HP Simply StorageWorks
Designed specifically for small and midsize
companies, HP Simply StorageWorks delivers better
business outcomes by bringing together the tools,
solutions, products and services to help you navigate
the storage landscape, bridging the gap between
the data explosion and your IT infrastructure. With
simple, affordable and reliable storage and data
protection solutions, HP and our channel partners
can help you improve the efficiency, performance
and continuity of your business.
Storage technologies
at a glance
Before we dive into the details of the various storage
technologies, it’s important that we take a high-level
look at the available types of storage and data
protection paradigms.
On line storage
Storage for information that is regularly accessed
by clients and servers is often referred to as
on line storage and its properties and functional
attributes differ from those of storage that’s used
for data protection or disaster recovery.
3
 On line storage is typically in one of two categories –
file or block – depending on the type of data and
the access method. The typical office productivity
applications retrieve data as files (.doc, .pdf, .gif,
.mp3 and others) on a file system. This is called file
access. Some other applications, such as databases,
virtual machine hypervisors and e-mail, can get
direct access to blocks of data without the overhead
of a file system. This is known as block access.
It’s important to remember that because different
applications store and access data in different ways,
most environments are likely to need both types of
data access.
This guide will discuss four types of storage
architectures:
• Direct attached storage (DAS) – the simplest type
of data storage, located in or attached directly to
a server
• Network attached storage (NAS) – a dedicated file
server attached to a local area network, running
an operating system that is specifically dedicated
to file serving
• Storage area network (SAN) – a dedicated
network for storage traffic between servers and a
disc storage array or tape device
• Unified network storage – a combination of NAS
and SAN (generally IP iSCSI-based) that provides
both file and application storage capabilities
Data protection technologies
Because data is the lifeblood of your business,
data protection equates to business protection.
Depending on your business needs, both tape and
disc-based protection strategies can be implemented
to meet increasingly demanding backup and
recovery requirements.
Tape-based data protection is still the most cost-effective
technology for high-capacity and long-term data
protection. In addition, it offers a number of other
advantages imperative for disaster recovery and
archival, including its small size, removability and
long shelf life.
4
However, with the advent of lower-cost disc arrays,
disc-based data protection has been making inroads
into areas where physical tape drives were once
the primary means of data protection. Disc-based
data protection increases backup performance and
allows storage of more backup data on line for
longer periods of time, providing fast access to an
increased number of available ‘recovery points.’
Disc-to-disc-to-tape (D2D2T) is a two-stage backup
process that combines disc-based and tape-based
data protection to achieve the benefits of both.
Solutions using D2D2T draw on the speed and
efficiency of disc along with the portability, longevity
and cost-effectiveness of tape.
Finally, two key metrics can help you assess the
needs of your business. The first is the recovery
time objective (RTO), which is the amount of time
a business process can be down. The second, the
recovery point objective (RPO), is the amount of data
you can afford to lose. For 24x7 applications, the
RPO could be the most recent transaction; for file
servers, it could be last night’s backup.
Moving your data:
storage networking
options
Because of high data volumes and applications’
fast data access needs, data storage often requires
higher transmission speeds and greater bandwidth
than the typical network provides.
Listed here are some of the networking protocols
found in today’s storage subsystems:
Fibre Channel (FC) – The low-latency Fibre Channel
protocol is designed specifically for larger, more
demanding environments and storage networks,
providing a high level of performance and reliability
when used between servers and storage devices.
Disc drive technologies comparison

Serial ATA (SATA) SCSI Serial-attached Fibre Channel

SCSI (SAS)

Price per GB Low Moderate Moderate High

Capacity Highest Moderate Moderate Moderate

Reliability Moderate High High High

Performance Low High High High

Scalability Moderate Low Moderate High

Data access Moderate Frequent Frequent Frequent

Best use File storage, Business transactions and Business transactions and Business transactions and
archival/backup, primary applications primary applications primary applications
secondary applications

IP SCSI – iSCSI is a method of connecting servers
and storage through an Ethernet. A dedicated 1Gb/s
Ethernet network will provide sufficient bandwidth to
connect a storage device to several servers.
Serial-attached SCSI (SAS) – With the introduction
of shared DAS systems, SAS is an emerging option
for networked application storage. This is an easy
and low-cost way to share storage among a fixed
number of direct-connected servers.
Fibre Channel (FC) – Fibre Channel (FC) disc drives are
Serial-attached SCSI (SAS) – Featuring greater
performance than SATA discs, serial-attached
SCSI (SAS) disc drives deliver the speed, reliability
and high availability that on line applications and
storage require. Individual SAS disc drives offer
less capacity than SATA discs, but deliver greater
performance and can be grouped together in
various RAID configurations to reach virtually any
capacity point.

Comparing disc drive designed primarily for rapid data throughput for high-
capacity, performance-intensive and highly available
storage systems that require maximum scalability.
technologies With the highest cost per gigabyte of the options
described here, FC disc drives are a good choice for
You can deploy various disc drive technologies – each the most demanding mission-critical applications.
with different yet complementary benefits – throughout
your storage network. Here are some of the disc drive
technologies used in today’s storage systems: Choosing the
Serial ATA (SATA) – If performance is not a
primary consideration and your business requires appropriate on line
high-capacity, cost-effective storage for file serving,
archival data or reference information, then serial storage strategy
advanced technology attachment (SATA) is a perfect
choice. SATA discs provide a much lower cost per The storage scenarios discussed on the following
gigabyte than SCSI, SAS or Fibre Channel discs. pages will explain the benefits and weaknesses of
the various storage architectures, preparing you to
choose the right mix of technologies for your needs.

5
 Direct attached storage (DAS)

Clients

Application servers Public LAN

Direct attached storage can refer to the drives inside a server or to an external storage enclosure

Direct attached storage (DAS) DAS in brief

The simplest type of data storage is called direct What it is Storage in or attached directly to a server
attached storage (DAS). In a DAS configuration
Advantages • Low initial cost and easy to implement
one or more data storage components, such as
• Does not require storage expertise; managed
hard discs or tape drives, are either installed in a
by the server’s operating system
computer or connected directly to it – often with a
SCSI or SAS link. One emerging storage option is Disadvantages • Servers cannot share storage capacity, which
causes ‘islands’ of capacity – one server’s
shared DAS, in which a fixed number of servers are storage is at 99 per cent use, another at
connected directly to a storage system instead of five per cent use
using a storage network or fabric. • Does not scale up well
• Difficult to manage if there are more than a
In DAS, each server is configured with its own couple of servers
separate storage.
Use DAS if . . . • Immediate start-up cost is your only consideration
Example of a real-world DAS solution • You have no plans to grow in the future
The HP StorageWorks D2000 Disc Enclosure family
Do not use it if . . . • You have many servers to be interconnected
(D2600 & D2700) is an example of DAS storage.
with centralised storage
These 12 and 25 drive enclosures support both SAS
and SATA hard drives and offer quick and easy
expansion for individual servers. Shared DAS in brief

Example of shared DAS What it is Shared storage connected directly to a small,

fixed number of servers
The HP StorageWorks 2000sa G2 Modular Smart
Array (MSA2000sa G2) allows up to eight servers to Advantages • Reduced cost and complexity because there is
no storage networking infrastructure
share a common pool of discs. The MSA2000sa G2
• Easy to deploy and manage
supports data protection features such as snapshots
and cloning and it can be expanded with four Disadvantages • Does not scale beyond a small number of servers
additional drive shelves. • Limited distance between servers and storage

Use if . . . • You are setting up a small application cluster

with two to four servers

Do not use it if . . . • More than four servers need shared storage

• You need to connect other devices such as tape
to a switched storage network

6
Network attached storage (NAS)
Windows clients Linux/UNIX clients
using CIFS using NFS
File I/O traffic
Network attached storage (NAS)
Network attached storage (NAS) is essentially a
dedicated file server running an operating system
that is designed and tuned specifically to handle file
I/O traffic for network clients.
Client computer access to the NAS server is usually
over an Ethernet connection. The NAS server
appears on the network as a single node, with its
own IP address. Files stored on the NAS system are
accessible to clients on the LAN over the Ethernet
connection through protocols such as CIFS/SMB
(Windows® clients) or NFS (Linux® and UNIX®). Many
NAS systems also support protocols such as HTTP or
FTP for Internet-based file access.
NAS products range from low-cost home office –
quality devices up to fully clustered enterprise NAS
gateways that connect to a SAN.
In NAS, all clients have access to the same storage
through the local area network (LAN).
Example of a real-world NAS solution
The X1400 Network Storage System delivers
Windows-powered unified network storage that is
easy to instal, easy to manage and easy to expand
to your small, medium or workgroup IT environment.
Network
printer
Public LAN
NAS device
NAS in brief
What it is Dedicated storage server attached to local area
network, running OS tuned specifically for file
serving
I/O File I/O
Advantages • Simple and economical; low TCO
• Options for small business through enterprise
• Works well in multi-OS environments
(Windows, Linux, Macintosh…)
• On-demand assignment of file shares to clients
and servers
Disadvantages • Uses public LAN; can still have bottlenecks
• Server device can be single point of failure
Use NAS if . . . • You need economical, easy-to-administer file
serving over the existing network infrastructure
Do not use it if . . . • You are trying to add capacity for an application
server such as a database or e-mail system
Unified Storage
Unified Storage is the fast and easy way to add
Windows-powered shared storage to your small or
medium IT environment. With the versatile unified
storage, you get more for your money since it can
be a file server, an iSCSI target for application/
virtual environment storage or both. You will
spend less time and effort on maintenance and
management once you consolidate to a centralised
shared storage system and industry-standards will
protect your investment by providing compatibility
with your network and applications.
7

Configuration software: In a
SAN, once the servers are
physically connected to a disc
array, you need configuration
software to provision that storage
capacity to specific applications
running on the server. The
configuration software could be
in a form of an application that
runs on one of the connected
servers or software that runs
directly from the storage device.
Physical disc configuration:
The first step of configuration
involves grouping physical discs
together into a RAID group based
on performance, redundancy
and capacity requirements.
RAID technology protects the
discs in the SAN from physical
drive failures and can improve
application performance by
spreading data reads/writes
throughout multiple discs.
Logical disc configuration:
Once RAID groups have been
created, portions of them
can be assigned to one or
more servers. The software
carves out portions of the
disc capacity and allots that
capacity to the corresponding
server. For example, there
may be 2.5 terabytes of
storage protected in a RAID
5 configuration, with three
servers attached to the SAN.
The appropriate capacities
are selected and assigned to
each server.
8
Storage area network (SAN)
Clients
Application servers
Block I/O traffic
Storage area network (SAN)
A storage area network (SAN) is just that – a
network that is dedicated to storage. The SAN is
separate from the LAN and provides servers with
access to storage. The network is designed to
handle storage communications.
In its simplest form, a SAN consists of:
• Shared storage (typically a disc array)
• The dedicated network that lets servers and
storage ‘talk’ to each other
• Software that configures the shared environment
• Components to protect data in the SAN
To promote optimal performance, the network
between storage and servers is typically Fibre
Channel, iSCSI, SAS or another high-speed link.
Do high availability and disaster recovery seem out
of your reach? HP LeftHand P4000 SAN solutions
eliminate single points of failure throughout the SAN
with an innovative approach to data availability,
reducing risk without driving up costs. Unsure that
current storage can meet your future needs? Built
on a storage clustering architecture, the HP P4000
SAN allows you to scale capacity and performance
linearly without incurring downtime or performance
bottlenecks or forcing expensive upgrades.
Need creative ways to stretch your IT budget?
Reservationless thin provisioning substantially
increases your storage efficiency.
A SAN is a high-speed network – only for storage –
that is separate from the public LAN.
Public LAN
Storage area network
(Fibre Channel or iSC SI)
Storage array
Example of a real-world SAN solution
The HP StorageWorks 2000i G2 Modular Smart
Array (MSA2000i G2) enables up to 32 servers to
share a common pool of discs throughout an Ethernet
network. The MSA2000i G2 supports data protection
features such as snapshots and cloning and can be
expanded with four additional drive shelves.
SAN storage in brief
What it is Separate network dedicated to storage
connecting servers to external disc subsystems
I/O Block I/O
Advantages • Multiple servers can share common pool of
storage
• More efficient and flexible capacity utilisation
for lower TCO
• Improved scalability, reliability and resource
management
Disadvantages • More complex to set up than a basic LAN
• Often requires knowledge of storage
configuration and management
• Does not support file sharing directly; instead
uses a file server or NAS connected to the SAN
Use a SAN if . . . • You need the fastest data access speeds
through a network such as Fibre Channel
• You want a backup solution that reduces server
and LAN utilisation
Do not use it if . . . • You have only a single server and a few
workstations
• Cost is the primary decision factor
NAS gateway with storage area network (SAN)

Clients

File I/O traffic

Public LAN

NAS/iSCSI gateway

Storage area network

(Fibre Channel or iSC SI)

Storage array

NAS/iSCSI gateway with a SAN NAS/SAN hybrid storage in brief

Unified NAS/iSCSI gateways provide shared storage What it is Network attached gateway into a storage area
for your medium business, workgroup or data center network
environment. The gateway connects through Ethernet
I/O • File I/O (NAS)
and adds file, iSCSI, print and management services
• Block I/O (SAN)
to an array or SAN or they can be used in conjunction
with clustering capability to build an affordable and Advantages • Large administrative cost savings

highly available unified storage solution.
Using a NAS gateway to a SAN combines the
Disadvantages
advantages of both technologies, providing both file
and block I/O.
• Combines the superior performance and
reliability of SAN with the simplicity of NAS
• Purchasing a complete solution is more costly
than purchasing just individual components
• Requires management of both devices

Example of a real-world NAS/SAN solution
The HP StorageWorks X3800 or X3800sb Network
Storage Systems connected to the MSA2000 G2 or
EVA4400 provides easy access to data for clients and
servers in whatever method required – file or block.
Use a NAS/SAN • You want to consolidate many independent file
hybrid if . . . servers into a single, IT managed environment
• You want equal access to file- and block-based
data
Do not use it if . . . • A small, simple storage solution is required

9
 HP StorageWorks continuum for business continuity and availability

Mission Critical Support Services

Servers clusters, Cost

Increased Storage clusters High
availability

Data loss (recovery point objective)

Last Remote mirrors
transaction Remote snaps clones

Snaps/Clones/Mirrors
Minutes Continuous data protection

Hours
Disk-to-disk
and virtual tape
Tape
Days
Low
Days Hours Minutes Seconds ‘Instant’

Recall (recovery time objective)

Choosing the Archival or long-term storage is used to keep

information accessible, even when the data no
longer has to be on line.
appropriate data
Traditional tape-based data protection
protection strategy One popular way to back up or archive data is to
copy it to magnetic tape. Tape has been used for
Reliable data protection is one of the most important
data protection for over 50 years and it is still the
challenges facing business today. In the event of any
most cost-effective technology for high-capacity
threat to data – including a ‘worst-case scenario’
and long-term data protection. Tape offers a
with multiple system failures occurring at the same
number of advantages that have yet to be eclipsed
time – it is essential to have the appropriate data
by other technologies:
protection and recovery strategy in place. Large
businesses are no longer the only organisations • Tape media are small and removable and can
to require sophisticated data protection strategies. thus be easily stored off site, which helps easily
Indeed, research suggests that backup and recovery increase capacity.
are the top IT priorities among small and midsized • Shelf life of up to 30 years makes tape a
businesses. Accordingly, smaller companies are also dependable medium for archival.
looking for advanced data protection features with • Tape is very low-cost on a per gigabyte
high levels of availability and recovery. basis – as well as low-cost in comparison
The types of data storage required will depend on with other technologies.
how that storage is used: • Automated library solutions can easily be integrated
Backup storage is used to restore data and systems into many environments to provide high-capacity
in the event of a disc or hardware failure in an multiple-cartridge backup and they can automate
on line system. Disaster recovery is a higher-level data protection for multiple devices on the network.
function of backup storage, often implemented
throughout physical sites and geographies. As a
rule, in backup access you want easy access and
fast retrieval; speed is important.

10
Disc-to-disc-to-tape (D2D2T) backup

Stage 2
Disk backup appliance
(virtual tape)

Clients Tape drive (LTO4)

Public LAN
Stage 1

Stage 1: Disk-to-disk backup (D2D)

2 stage multi-tier backup (D2D2T)
Stage 2: Data moved from disk-to-tape for archive (D2T)

Comparing tape drive technologies Disc-based data protection

With many different backup solutions available
today, determining the right tape technology for
your business can be a confusing process. The great
majority of tape drives sold today are either DAT
or LTO:
DAT/DDS – The most successful tape backup
technology of all time, with more than 17 million DAT
drives shipped since its introduction, DAT continues
to flourish. Its success is due to its ability to meet the • Features such as deduplication to reduce capacity
needs of the small and medium business market with
its proven track record of dependability – and to its
low media prices, which contribute to a remarkably
low-cost of ownership. It is the ideal choice for
customers looking to back up entry-level servers and
workstations with capacities less than 200 GB.
LTO/Ultrium – For backup environments where
greater storage capacities and faster performance
are required to meet backup window requirements,
LTO drives are the tape technology of choice
for entry and midrange servers. LTO provides
capacities up to 1.6 TB of compressed data per data
cartridge with exceptional reliability and maximum
performance, as well as features such as hardware
data encryption to prevent unauthorised access to
tape cartridges.
If more speed and performance are required,
disc-based data protection is the answer.
• Smaller backup windows and less impact
to applications
• Faster recovery of single files
• High-availability features such as RAID, replication
and hardware redundancy
requirements and lower costs
Two-stage backup and recovery:
disc-to-disc-to-tape (D2D2T)
While disc-based data protection can remove
some of the human error and hardware problems
impeding a tape-based backup process, most
environments require the additional protection of
tape to protect against all types of risk. Two-stage
backup, often called disc-to-disc-to-tape (D2D2T),
combines the benefits of both disc and tape.
Example of a real-world D2D2T solution
The HP StorageWorks D2D2500 Backup System is a
1U disc-based backup system that can store terabytes
of backup data on line for instant recovery – and
can easily offload it to an HP StorageWorks Ultrium
1760 Tape Drive with hardware data encryption for
archival and critical off site protection.

11
 Remote replication
WAN
Snapshots, clones and mirrors
A snapshot takes a ‘picture’ of data at the time of
the snapshot and stores that information on disc. The
snapshots are maintained even as data continues
to change. In the event of data corruption or error,
data can be recovered to any previous snapshot.
Snapshots are a complement to disc and tape
backup but do not provide for disaster recovery.
Clones or volume copies, are similar to snapshots
but physically copy the data (as opposed to taking a
‘picture’ of the data) to another set of discs within the
same array. One of the additional benefits of volume
copy is the ability to send a copy to another server
for backup, application testing or data mining.
Remote data replication
Remote replication is a data protection technology
for disaster recovery in which two identical sets of
data are stored on distributed systems throughout
multiple physical sites. When data is changed at
a primary location, those changes are moved or
12
replicated, to the alternate site. In the event of a
disaster, the remote copy can be used to get business
operations back up and running quickly – or in some
cases, for automatic failover.
Real-world replication example
HP StorageWorks Storage Mirroring is host-based
replication software for local or remote block-level
replication of data between servers.
Clustering: server and storage clusters
A server cluster is a way to provide protection
against physical hardware failure in a server
environment. Multiple physical servers will share a
common pool of storage in a SAN disc system. The
disc system is designed to be highly redundant, with
multiple connections to the storage network. In the
event of a server failure, the workload associated
with that server is automatically moved to another
server or ‘node,’ in the cluster. Some high-end
storage systems can also be clustered, providing an
additional layer of redundancy.
Added value from HP
Unlike large corporations, which often have
extensive resources such as specialists dedicated
exclusively to storage, you may not have the time,
resources or available expertise to develop effective
long-term storage strategies. HP understands that
you need comprehensive yet easy-to-implement
solutions that work seamlessly with servers and
business applications, bridging the gap between
explosive data growth and the capabilities of the
IT infrastructure.
When it comes to storage, HP has the broadest
and most comprehensive storage range in the
industry. You will find simple, affordable, reliable
disc storage systems that can be scaled up as your
business grows; a comprehensive range of reliable,
cost-effective tape storage devices; and dedicated
storage software to manage it all. There are scalable,
easy-to-use, Windows-based Unified Storage solutions
for small and medium businesses, as well as complete
SAN solutions that deliver the scalability, performance
and broad interoperability required for critical data
and applications. Award‑winning HP StorageWorks
Unified Storage Systems offer seamless blending of
performance‑optimised file serving, shared storage
array and data protection functions under a radically
simple management umbrella.
What to do now
Now that you’ve learned the jargon and seen the
various choices available to meet your data storage
requirements, you are better equipped to make
informed judgments about what you need. To learn
more about how choosing HP as your trusted storage
partner can improve operational efficiency and
lower storage costs:
• For information on HP shared storage solutions
such as NAS and SAN, see the HP Simply Storage
Consolidation solution guide.
• For information on HP multi-tier backup and
recovery solutions, see the HP Simply Business
Protection solution guide.
• To see HP solutions aligned with specific
deployments and application environments, see the
HP Simply Business Solution briefs for applications
such as VMware and Microsoft ® Exchange.
To access the above-mentioned material and view the
full range of HP Simply StorageWorks solutions, visit:
www.hp.com/storage/simply
(United States, Canada and Latin America)
www.hp.com/apac/simply
(Asia, Australia and New Zealand)
13
Once you understand the storage
choices, you need to find the
right partner to implement the
ideal solution.

HP Services Financial Services

HP Services for storage – services and support that
make sense for growing businesses
HP Services can help you build and manage a
storage infrastructure that integrates well with your
servers and software and is simple, affordable and
reliable. We understand the needs of a dynamic
business. Therefore, we provide a comprehensive
range of scalable, affordable services to support
disc storage systems, tape storage and media,
storage networks and archiving solutions.
HP Financial Services provides innovative financing
and financial asset management programmes to
help customers cost-effectively acquire, manage,
and ultimately retire their HP solutions. For more
information on these services, please contact your
HP representative or visit:
www.hp.com/go/hpfinancialservices.

For more information about services and support

from HP, contact your HP sales representative or
HP-authorised Channel Partner or visit:
www.hp.com/hps/storage.

14
Jargon buster – glossary
The following is an abbreviated look at storage
concepts. If you are already familiar with these
terms, you may simply want to use this list as a quick
reference. If you are new to storage, you can refer to
these definitions as you read through the brochure.

Block I/O – I/O requests to disc storage on a DAS
or SAN
Block storage – disc storage that is divided into a
sequence of fixed-size data blocks to which access
is through read or write actions, one block at a time,
on the storage media
Common Internet File System (CIFS) – a file-sharing
protocol used in Windows to map client PCs to file
shares on servers or NAS devices; also known as a
server message block (SMB)
Mirroring – the act of copying data from one
location to a storage device in real time, ensuring an
exact copy of the original information
Network attached storage (NAS) – dedicated file
server (also called a ‘NAS device’) optimised for
file-serving performance and accessible using
specialised access/sharing protocols
Network File System (NFS) – a file-level protocol,
usually associated with UNIX and Linux, to access
and potentially share data

Deduplication – advanced method of eliminating
redundant data by referencing existing blocks of
data that have previously been stored, storing only
data that is both new and unique, thus greatly
reducing storage requirements
Direct attached storage (DAS) – storage either inside
or attached directly to a server, through external hard
drives or tape drives and shared with the workstations
Failover – a backup operation that automatically
and transparently switches to a standby database,
server or network if the primary system fails
Fibre Channel (FC) – fast, low-latency topology and
transport protocol designed to send block-level data way to connect a small, fixed number of servers
information, specifically for storage networks
NetWare Core Protocol (NCP) – a file-level protocol
associated with Novell NetWare
Redundant array of independent discs (RAID) – a
method of simultaneously writing data over multiple
disc drives; used in disc arrays to enhance data
protection and performance
Storage area network (SAN) – a high-speed network
that connects different data storage devices to
servers; may extend to multiple or remote locations
for backup and archival storage
Serial-attached SCSI (SAS) – also known as SAN
fabric; an evolution of parallel SCSI, a cost-effective
directly to a storage device

File I/O – input/output requests to disc storage on a Serial ATA (SATA) – a serial link, single cable
NAS device or file system on a general-purpose server creating a point-to-point connection between devices

File storage – disc storage in the form of data as it is
used by applications and end users
I/O – short for input/output; any program, operation
or device that transfers data to or from a computer
or peripheral device
iSCSI – short for Internet SCSI; a simple and
industry-standard method of connecting servers
and storage over an Ethernet network
Snapshot – a virtual copy (not an actual copy) of
data that imitates the way it looked at the precise
time the snapshot was taken
Unified Network Storage – a combination of NAS
and SAN (generally IP iSCSI-based) that provides
both file and application storage capabilities

15
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© Copyright 2008–2009 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject
to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty
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of The Open Group.
4AA2-2869EEW Rev. 1, October 2009