Mid-end Storage array purchase several major considerations

In general, small companies have lower overall storage requirements and fewer users, so the capacity and performance requirements are less stringent. and medium-sized storage companies pay more attention to whether the price is reasonable, the use is convenient. The midrange disk array has a limited number of disks, and prices are much cheaper than those of large companies, but large company products provide module footprints that can be expanded within the brackets as storage requirements grow. Currently, many storage companies use midrange arrays. For example, the midrange disk array can be 20 drives, terabytes of capacity, and can grow to 500 drives, more than TB of capacity. However, midrange storage systems are not just about capacity and number of disks. Systems must be easily deployed, configured, and managed without the involvement of professional managers. For example, iSCSI Connectivity and wizard-driven management interfaces are common in midrange storage arrays.

Midsize companies can easily deploy midrange storage platforms, but cost, performance, and management considerations should be carefully considered when selecting a disk array product. The following are some of the major factors to consider for purchasing midrange disk arrays:

Consider connectivity performance and disk support capabilities. Medium storage Companies can choose a number of storage architectures, which are important to match existing architectures and choose storage arrays. For example, an optional array might require 4 GB Fibre Channel to fully support the SAN, and an IP connection is required to support iSCSI sans or network satellite storage (NAS). At the same time, the type of disk provided by the midrange storage array should meet service level requirements. Fibre Channel disks, for example, can meet top-level storage performance, but are often small in size. SATA disks have the largest capacity, but have the lowest performance. SAS disks reside between the two--large capacity, good near-line storage performance.

Evaluate raid. Typically, the midrange storage array you purchase should support RAID functionality, but determine whether the raid level is appropriate for the type of disk you are about to deploy. For Fibre Channel disks and SAS disks, Tanchi parity raid (such as RAID-5) is sufficient. While SATA disks are more concerned with the reliability of the storage array, dual parity raid (such as RAID06 or RAID-DP Special Edition) can protect data against corruption in the event of multiple disk failures, or ensure that another disk is not damaged while rebuilding a failed disk.

Consideration of extensibility. You are most likely to upgrade the array during the service cycle of the midrange storage array. It is important to consider the following factors: The cost of an array upgrade, how easy it is to upgrade, and which storage service levels may be compromised during the upgrade process. For example, select a midrange array to upgrade without shutting down, or to configure and migrate data without disturbing existing users and programs. In addition to considering scalability of capacity, you should also consider scalability of performance. Study how capacity upgrades affect performance and which policies can overcome performance bottlenecks.

Consider whether the array supports management and disaster recovery. Existing IT staff and storage administrators should be able to configure and manage midrange storage arrays. Minimize training-although it is often necessary to train employees to purchase storage arrays, new storage arrays do not add a lot of storage management costs. The company's disaster recovery plan should include midrange arrays, so you need to seriously consider disaster recovery tools, including remote replication, remote snapshots, and more. If you already have the appropriate disaster recovery tools, you should ensure that these tools support the newly acquired midrange array. Otherwise, the new array will increase the cost of the disaster recovery process.

Consider the data migration process and impact. It is not enough to acquire, install, and configure the storage array, because the data in the existing storage system needs to be migrated to the new storage array. The data migration process is often cumbersome and can cause unexpected problems that affect users and critical applications. This is especially true for small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer IT staff. When buying midrange arrays, spend some time with vendors to discuss migration strategies. Understand the migration process and the problems that you may encounter. Develop the migration plan and enlist the support of the supplier.

Consider backup plans. Not all system upgrades or deployments can proceed smoothly. In considering the midrange storage array, in addition to the migration plan should also establish a recovery plan, this is critical. If there is an error in the deployment process, learn how to "exit" the installation or undo the migration in a timely manner so that you can quickly resume normal operation. In many cases, suppliers can assist in developing a reasonable back-up plan.