StorageTech

Remote Backup as Part of a Disaster Recovery Strategy

2006-11-22T19:01:00.000+07:00

New technologies and recent storm reports have forced many companies to review disaster recovery plans and data protection policies.

Hurricanes striking the Gulf Coast and Eastern seashore have a significant impact on the businesses operating in their path. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have IT managers and company owners all over the United States evaluating or creating disaster recovery plans. They recognize the need to be prepared for what would otherwise be a devastating scenario.

Many companies that were very diligent in protecting their data to tape or disk onsite found their offsite protection was inadequate. Some had a total data loss as a direct consequence of a natural disaster. An example of this occurred in Houston, when Tropical Storm Allison hit in June 2001. The threat this storm posed was widely dismissed. No one foresaw the disastrous impact it would have on Houston businesses. During the height of the storm, the basements of many corporate, governmental and medical buildings flooded. The basements of these buildings housed power equipment, computer mainframes, and data storage for medical research. Many of these basements were connected by tunnels and walkways, so when one basement flooded, the adjacent buildings flooded as well. This created a disastrous domino effect that either damaged or completely destroyed computer rooms. Years of tape and data storage of medical research were lost.

In this instance, inadequate preparation caused data recovery to be expensive or impossible. Many of the organizations affected by this disaster have made changes to their infrastructure and disaster recovery plans. Moving centralized computer systems and emergency power backup equipment out of the basements was a starting point. Most of these organizations have also incorporated remote data backup into their disaster recovery plan. Several of these high profile stories were from large Fortune 500 companies that have money and resources to recover from a disaster. Small and medium businesses must plan ahead if they are to survive a site disaster.

Here are some things to think about when putting together a disaster recovery plan. It is by no means a comprehensive list; each business has its unique requirements:

Prioritize your business needs and identify each class of data. Determine which services need to be restored immediately and which ones are less critical.
Mission Critical
Business Critical
Operationally important
Once you've established the relative priority of your business applications you need to determine your recovery objectives for each category of data.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) - The time objective to bring the system back on line following a failure
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) - The acceptable amount of data loss from the last good backup prior to the point of failure
Identify potential data loss events that can happen to your business. Develop a plan to minimize the impact of these events.
File loss (83%) - Due to human error, overwrite, etc.
File loss (10%) - Due to corruption from viruses, application error, etc.
Storage loss (5%) - Failure of primary storage, corrupt raid, bad hard drive, etc.
Site loss (2%) - Site disaster, fire, flooding, etc.
Server loss (1%) - CPU failure, theft, various catastrophes, etc.
Create a chart or correlation that identifies the recovery objectives (RTO and RPO) for each class of application relative to the scope of the data loss event. For instance, a lost file may have a RTO of 15 minutes. If the file is lost due to a site disaster, the first 4 hours may be dedicated to the safety of your employees and your data RTO may be hours or days instead of minutes.
Define your backup system in accordance with your data recovery goals and budget.
Determine what data needs to be backed up and how many generations you need to store.
Establish a backup schedule to meet your recovery objectives.
Maintain a copy of your back up data offsite that will meet your data recovery goals. For example, if you can only afford to lose 24 hours worth of data then taking a tape offsite every Friday does not meet that goal.
Designate an emergency response team and educate them on their role in bringing the company back online after a disaster.
Make a list of emergency contact information for all employees. Make sure you know how to contact them and they know how to contact you.
Make a list of critical vendors and their emergency contact information.
Make a list of vendors for replacement computer and operating equipment that is necessary to resume business.
Make a list of possible replacement sites.
Disaster recovery planning and advanced data protection is not just for large companies. Businesses of all sizes have become increasingly dependent on data for their very existence. A large number of the companies affected by the recent hurricanes were small to medium businesses. Only the ones that were prepared for a disaster will reopen their doors. Some of the less fortunate businesses did not have their data (backup tape) in an off-site location or had it in a nearby location that was also devastated by the same disaster. Even with a disaster recovery plan in place, companies are still faced with the possibility that their data cannot be restored due to corrupted data on disks or tapes. The following passage, retrieved from the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., is an eye-opening statistic regarding business continuity. 93% of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. 50% of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately. Companies that backup their data to a secure off-site location can move their operations to a new location and continue their business as usual. The companies who are prepared with a comprehensive disaster recovery plan, including an offsite backup of there data, are much better prepared to deal with a catastrophe. Those companies will be the ones that endure this type of extreme event.

When choosing or evaluating your backup solution, pay particular attention to the type of media you are using.

A nationwide study has shown that:

Over 34% of companies do not test their backups and of those that tested 77% found their tape backups fail to recover. (Storage Magazine) Nearly 50% of tape-based backup fail to restore correctly. (Gartner Group) Tape-based backup systems are difficult to administer, and as you can see from the above statistics, often fail to restore your data. Tapes appear to be a sturdy media on the surface; however, according to an industry leading tape manufacturer's specifications, tapes must be stored between 41 and 89 degrees and 20-60 percent relative humidity. Tape rotations require human intervention, and with that you get inherent errors and a flawed process.

If you choose to use tape to store your data, make sure your tapes are safe and working with the following procedures:

Clean your tape drives once a month.
Replace tape media regularly.
Rotate your backup tapes off-site every night via a bonded vaulting provider, while keeping them close enough that they are easily accessible.
Test and restore once a month.
Keep at least a 20 quantity backup rotation.
Have easy access to your backup software if you have to re-install it.
Make sure your data is fully encrypted before being written to tape.
The main risk of using tape systems is that they can malfunction, but appear to be working. All indications are that backups were successful until you try to restore. If you want to continue to use tapes as your primary backup, consider using an off-site backup service as a secondary backup solution, just in case your primary backup system fails. Remember, redundancy is the key to data protection. Most of our clients were not aware a cost effective automated off-site data protection solution existed. Some were not convinced they needed to store their data off-site in a safe and secure location. A fireproof safe seems like a good location to store your tapes, but two problems exist with that solution. First, in the event of a fire, your office will be inaccessible for several days while the fire marshal determines the cause. Secondly, fireproof safes are not necessarily water proof and tapes that are exposed to damp or wet conditions may not be readable.

Off-site data vaulting is not just for large companies with multiple data centers. It is a data protection strategy that should be employed by all organizations regardless of their size. Secure Backup's off-site data vaulting service can scale to meet all of the data protection needs in your customer's environment, whether it is preserving and protecting an individual PC or the corporate server farm. This scalability combined with the automated remote vaulting of data creates a powerful data protection solution that plays a key role in your customer's disaster recovery planning.

In conclusion, data storage and disaster recovery are two important factors in managing business continuity. Today companies cannot operate without their business applications and data. Owners and managers of businesses, who do not place a high value on the importance of their company's data, risk the financial future and viability of the organization. The company's historical and current data is its life blood. Without data protection and disaster recovery policies in place, a company risks the possibility of not being able to recover from a data loss event. Whether it is caused by human error, a disgruntled employee, hardware or software failures, or even worse, a fire or natural disaster, you need to be prepared.

by : Mike Colesante

Disaster Recovery

Holographic Data Storage – The Next Generation

2006-11-16T17:25:00.000+07:00

All data storage in modern times are done on disc, be it a computer hard drive or a CD-R disc. Blu-ray and HD-DVD have upped the ante when it comes to the amount of data that you can hold on a disc, but at some time they will eventually become obsolete. Right now our data storage needs are currently met, but as the amount of data available continues to rise, storage technology must evolve with it. The next generation of storage technology is going to be holographic data storage. It sounds pretty futuristic, what is holographic storage?

With CD-R and DVD-R technology, data is stored on the surface of the disc as distinct magnetic or optical changes. With holographic data storage, an entire page of information is stored at once as an optical interference pattern within a thick, photosensitive optical material.

How do they do this? This is done by intersecting two coherent laser beams, the object and reference beams, within the storage material. The object beam contains all the information needing to be stored, while the reference beam is designed to be simple to produce. The resulting interference between the beams causes chemical and/or physical changes in the photosensitive medium that the data is being stored on. Basically “burning” the information to the storage medium, this mark is called the grating. When the grating is illuminated by one of the two waves that were used to record the information, the light is refracted in a way that the other wave is reconstructed. These gratings can be stacked or superimposed in the same thick piece of media, as long as there is a distinguishing spacing or direction, allowing the stacked bits of data to be accessed independently. In addition to larger storage capabilities, holographic storage also boasts to accelerate data transfer rates to about one billion bits per second and reduce access times to just tens of microseconds.

The benefits

1. Larger storage capacity – Some companies are developing a technology that enables the storage of between 100GB and 1TB of data. Compare this to Blu-ray and HD-DVD, which max out at 50GB. Amazing leap in the amount of data you can store on one piece of media.

2. Accelerated data transfer – The holographic data storage medium in the works boasts data transmission speeds of 100Mbps to 1Gbps. The new HD-DVD and Blu-ray discs clock in at 36.55Mbps, which is only a fraction of the holographic data storage transfer rate.

Well, if you’re like me, you learned quite a bit about a new technology from this short article. This new technology is quite a ways off from being accessible to the common consumer, but some companies are in the process of developing holographic data storage for the corporate sector. Technology is a strange beast, always changing, always mutating. The sky is the limit, and only time will tell where we’ll be headed after the rise and fall of this yet-to-be-seen data technology.

by : Jason Cole

holographic

A Comparative Analysis of HD DVD Players

2006-11-15T16:34:00.000+07:00

VHS

The arrival of the VHS (Video Home System) in 1976 marked the emergence of this field in the world. The video cassette became a house-hold name and was the preferred medium for home entertainment in the 70s, 80s, and in the early 90s. The VHS was capable of storing both audio and video formats of data. It provides a 240 line resolution quality. The VHS tape was capable of playing all the analog TV signals of its time. The signals in use at the time were NTSC, PAL, PAL-M, SECAM, and MESECAM. The VCRs were able to handle only signals specific to the country they were sold in. Based on the tape speeds, the maximum play time for a 430m tape is about 3.5 hours for NTSC and five hours for PAL at SP (standard) quality. This is one of the poorest quality video formats. Due to the size of the video cassette, correspondingly the VHS recording camera was also big and cumbersome. There was a limitation on the size of the data that could be stored.

The VHS-C or VHS-Compact was designed with a 8mm tape size. Although it had the same half inch magnetic tape and 240 line resolution, it allowed for the video camera to be lighter, smaller and more convenient. This 8mm tape is however not compatible with the standard VCRs and cannot be played directly on them.

To improve on the VHS system, the S-VHS was designed as an improved analog standard, followed by the D-VHS that records digital quality video onto a VHS cassette. The W-VHS was designed to produce a high definition video. Even with all these advances, the quality of video and audio had much to ask for.

VCD

In keeping with the consumers’ demand of higher quality home entertainment systems, the Compact Disc (CD) was formulated in 1988 by Sony and Philips. The VCD (Video Compact Disc) format was launched in 1993 by Masushita, Sony, Philips, and JVC. Using the MPEG-1 compression technology, it was capable of holding a 74 minute video of VHS quality and a CD-quality sound. Then the better quality SVCD (Super Video Compact Disc) was introduced, that used the MPEG-2 compression format, but its playing time was diminished to 35 minutes. The VCDs were not a great success in the U.S. and European countries due to their susceptibility to easy copying and illegal distribution. This format did not have the support of the Hollywood entertainment industry for the same reason. These VCDs were also limited in their compatibility with the type of players they could be played back on. Also, the lengthy movies needed to be recorded using two or three VCDs for a single movie.

DVD and HD DVD

All the previous technologies were able to bring about some progress in home entertainment, but the quality of audio and video achievable were far from the real movie experience. Also, the data storage capacity was far from adequate. This void was filled by the arrival of DVD (Digital Video Disc) in the year 1997. This technology was an instant success as it was capable of providing a much higher quality picture and audio quality than a VHS and could process information much faster than a VCD. The distribution of DVDs at varied intervals in various countries could be achieved using region coding on DVDs and DVD players. The later versions of DVD players were multi region enabled to allow playing of all region DVDs. The DVD players have been designed to playback any TV standard like NTSC, PAL, or SECAM. The recent models of DVD players are compatible with a variety of playing media such as CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RW, MP3, DivX, and WMA, among others.

The HD DVD (High Definition DVD) was formulated in 2003 as a high capacity and enhanced functionality optical disc. Although the DVD and HD DVD are similar in structure, size, and shape, there are many technical differences between the two. The DVD has a data capacity for 4.6GB and can store two hours of 525-line resolution standard definition video. In comparison, the HD DVD has a data storage capacity for 15GB in a single layer disc, which is capable of storing a two hour movie in superior HD format with space for bonus information and also some space to spare. The 30 GB dual layer HD DVD is capable to storing an eight hour, 1,125 lines HD image, or 48 hours of SD image. The proposed triple layer HD DVD would have a 45 GB storage capacity.

The DVD is read using a 650nm red laser, whereas the HD DVD is read using a 405nm blue laser. The smaller wavelength allows for data to be read from a higher density of disc surface and creates lesser diffraction. This ability to store data at a higher density gives the HD DVD its higher storage capacity. The optical pick-up head has a numerical aperture of 0.65 in case of HD DVD as compared with the 0.6 of DVD. This similarity allows for backward compatibility for both the technologies. The compression techniques are similar for the two; MPEG-2, Video Codec1 for DVDs and MPEG-4 AVC and VC 1 for HD DVDs. However, the MPEG-2 can only provide a third of the compression possible with MPEG-4. The quality of playback is also more superior with the MPEG-4 compression technique.

A unique feature in HD DVDS is its built-in copy restriction or content protection technology, which was developed by AACS LA (Advanced Access Content System License Administrator). It incorporates a “Audio Water-mark Protection” system that has a waveform altered in such a manner that it acts as a code which is recognizable by a DVD player. This helps the player to differentiate between an original disc and a copy. The copy will be discarded by the player upon detection. None of the previously available media had any such content protection features.

The HD DVD players are priced slightly higher than the DVD players, with the Toshiba HD DVD players ranging form $500 to $800. While the Samsung HD DVD players are priced around $140 to $250 varying with the features provided. As the technology becomes widespread and more readily available, the prices will automatically drop with the increase in consumer demand.

In a nut shell, the HD DVD discs and players are the most successful audio-visual technology ever to be produced. With its compatibility with the current DVD technology and affordability and unsurpassed quality, it will certainly be the market leader in the home entertainment sector.

by:John Dulaney

DVD+Player

When Size Matters

2006-11-13T10:16:00.000+07:00

Next to price, capacity has been among the top issues that level out solid-state flash disk with magnetic hard drives. If not for those two factors, solid-state disks would be the runaway winner offering ruggedness, speed and small footprints. However, recent developments are starting to change the conditions. According to the “New Data Center” benchmark published by Nemertes Research, “Storage is growing at a rate of 22% year-on-year through 2005 and 2006 (predicted to continue through 2007), and many companies top even that growth, reporting growth rates of 100%, 150%, and in some cases 300% or more.” This only proves the point that storage capacity has gone into the level of a commodity.

Way back in the pre-PC era, storage would only refer to an attic, storeroom, or any space where you dump infrequently used items that you plan to access in the near future. People are only limited to any amount of space available for that purpose. You’ll have to literally fit them all in, otherwise, it goes to thrash. The same principle applies to data storage prior to its commoditization. Previously, unless you’re working for the military or handle other highly confidential data, you wouldn’t need that much storage space.

But that ain’t true now.

What’s Driving Capacity to get Bigger

According to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Disk Storage Tracker, worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenues grew 8.5% in the second quarter to $4.2 billion for the 13th consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth. The total disk storage systems market grew to $5.9 billion for the quarter, up 6.0% from the prior year’s quarter. For the first time, total disk storage systems capacity shipped 704 petabytes, growing 51.5% from the same quarter one year ago.

A huge part of this increasing demand comes from the enterprise. Online transactions and networked storage require high capacity and speed for a good backend systems support. Blade storage has come into the picture offering advantages in size, functionality and cost of ownership. It offers bigger capacity at smaller footprints, eliminating complex set-ups for cooling facilities and cables. Given this scenario, upgrades in storage capacities come as frequently as the demand for more space peaks.

Military and industrial applications take another chunk of the demand. As of late, high capacity takes center stage in defining the results of experiments, research or data gathering projects. Such has happened in the NASA CREAM Project where a total of 36GB of heavy-nuclei data was recorded onto a 43GB E-Disk flash drive over a period of 41 days and 22 hours on-flight. The project’s objective was to investigate the composition of ultra-high energy cosmic rays on board a Long Duration Balloon (LDB) vehicle developed by NASA. In cases like this, data storage capacity is as crucial as any other component of the project. It becomes the by-product of initial investigations, giving scientists critical information for accurate conclusions and discoveries.

The consumer industry is not so far behind when it comes to demand for bigger storage capacities. The introduction of Windows Vista to the market marks the need for more storage if only to improve performance by speeding up basic operations such as start-up, shut down and resume functions.

The widespread digitization of data and its convenient access via the web is another issue. From high-resolution videos to satellite maps ready for downloading as needed, consumers have become trigger-happy mammals in hoarding all kinds of information within the bounds of their interest. Knowing you have them on your PC ready for access anytime is a surefire cause to long for more storage capacities. This demand is coming not from one entity but from the widest range of industries including government, enterprise, military, healthcare, banking, education and of course consumer. All of these industries have somehow expanded their applications producing more files that will eventually need bigger storage. Desktop publishing, animation and digital video editing have increased the demand for storage in offices. 3G and multimedia cellphones on the other hand, triggered the increase in capacity for mobile storage.

The last but biggest influence for the growth in solid-state storage capacity is the substantial decrease in the prices of raw materials. Since the solid-state disk’s inception about fifteen years ago, the decline in prices have been dramatic year on year. Just last year, the cost of flash memory was $55 per GB; now it is pegged at $30. Factors like cheaper raw materials, simpler processes, competition and higher demand continually push the price of storage downward, thinning the difference when compared to magnetic hard drives.

In the end, capacity and price are interlocking factors causing the growth of storage capacities. The huge capacity that was once only offered by magnetic hard drives is now possible for solid-state disks at a price point that can fight head-on in the market.

by: Joanne De Peralta

storage

What Is Optical Disk?

2006-11-11T12:42:00.000+07:00

OPTICAL DISK
Optical disk is an electronic data storage medium from which data is read and written to by using a low-powered laser beam. It is flat, circular, plastic or glass disk on which data is stored in the form of light and dark pits. The laser beam reads the pits and the data can be accessed. There are three basic types of optical disks:

• Read-only optical disks: The optical disks, which are recorded at the time of manufacture and cannot be erased. CD, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, and DVD-Video are the read-only disks.

• WORM: WORM stands for write-once, read many. The optical disks that can be recorded by the user only once but cannot be erased. After they have been recorded once, they behave like a read-only optical disk CD-R, DVD-R, and WORM disks are write-once.

• Rewritable/Magneto-optic disks: The optical disks that can be erased and written to with the new information. CR-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and magneto-optic disks and Data play are rewritable. Rewritable disks use magneto-optic or phase change technology.

An optical disk offers many advantages over magnetic storage media.

• Highest storage capacity
• Low cost per Megabyte of storage
• Environmental condition tolerance
• High data stability
• Long media life

An optical disk has much more storage capacity on the order of gigabytes, than a magnetic disk. It can hold up to 6GB of data in comparison to 1.44 MB of a diskette. Optical disks are inexpensive to manufacture. Data stored on optical disks is resistant to power surges or magnetic disturbances, such as head crashes or corruption form stray magnetic fields. Hence, they provide high data stability. Optical disks are less vulnerable to extremes of hot and cold as compared to the magnetic disks. Optical disks have long media life than magnetic disks.

OPTICAL STORAGE DEVICES

CD-ROM

CD-ROM: is an abbreviation of Compact Disc Read-Only Memory. A CD-ROM is a CD that contains computer data, which cannot be read or rewritten. In computers, CDROM is the most commonly used optical storage technology. CD-ROM is a compact disc that contains information, which is accessible by a computer. It is composed of polycarbonate plastic, thin reflective metal layers, made of aluminium and a lacquer coating. Data is stored on the disc as a series of light and dark pits; the light portion refers to the spaces between the pits. A laser beam reads the pits and the data can be accessed.

CD-ROM is an adaptation/EXTENSION of the compact disc that is designed for music storage and playback. The format of CD-ROM is very similar to an audio CD; the only difference being the standards used to store data. A standard 120 mm CD-ROM holds up to 700 MB of data, or about 70 minutes of audio. This may mean that One CD can contain over one thousand novels; an average novel being composed of 60, 000 words. Once the data is written to a standard CD-ROM disc, it cannot be altered or rewritten.

A CD-ROM can be read using a CD-ROM drive, which is almost common on the personal computers. A CD-ROM drive may be connected to the computer in several different ways depending on the type of interface, such as:

• IDE (ATA)
• SCSI
• SATA
• Firewire
• USB

Almost all modern CD-ROM drives can play audio as well as video CDs.

CD-ROM STANDARDS

CD-ROM format provides an outstanding solution to the problem of storing large digital files. Several formats are used for data stored on CD-ROMs. These include Red book standards for audio-CD, White Book and Yellow Book for CD-ROM. An ISO 9960, which defines the standard file system of a CD-ROM is due to be replaced by ISO 13490.

CD-ROM FORMAT

One CD-ROM sector contains 2352 bytes, which is further divided into 98 24-byte frames. A CD-ROM contains a third layer of Reed-Solomon error correction in order to achieve improved error correction and detection.

Mode-1 CD-ROM: It has full three layers of error correction data, which contains 2048 bytes of the available 2352 per sector. Mode-2 CD-ROM: It is mostly used for video files, which contains 2336 user-available bytes per sector.

CD-ROM SPEEDS AND USES

+ Early CD-ROM drives were known as single-speed and could read the data at the speed of 150 KBps.

+ CD-ROM drives can transfer data up to the speed of 7800 KBps

+ CD-ROM can store audio, video, text and program instructions. It is used to store software programs.

DVD-ROM

DVD-ROM: is an abbreviation of Digital Versatile Disc- read only memory. DVD-ROM is an optical disc storage media format that can be used for data storage, which includes movies with high video and sound quality. DVD-ROM is a non-volatile optical storage medium similar to CD-ROM, which contains computer data that cannot be erased or rewritten. These DVDs are read-only disks that have storage capacity for 133 minutes of high quality video, in format, and audio full- length feature film. The discs are pressed in a similar fashion as the CDs. The reflective surface is gold or silver colored.

DVD-ROM can be accessed using a DVD-ROM drive attached to the personal computer. DVD-ROM drives are backward compatible, i.e. they are also capable of reading CD-ROMs and audio CDs as well. The DVD-ROM supports disks with capacities of 4.7 GB to 17 GB and access rates of 600 KBps to 1.3 MBps. A standard DVD disc store up to 9.4 GB of data. DVD-ROMs are of same size as a compact disc, but holds data about 7 times more. DVD can store that much of data because both the sides of a disc are used, with sophisticated data compression technologies.

DVD-ROM is a variation of CD-ROM that is being used in place of CD-ROMs in many personal computers. All DVD-ROMs contain a file system, UDF, which is an extension of the ISO 9660 Standard used for data CDs.

CD-RW

CD-RW is an abbreviation of compact disc-rewritable. It is a recordable CD format that can be erased and rerecorded multiple times, just like a floppy disk or a hard disk. It is a rewritable version of CD-ROM. CD-RW disc is round plastic, about 5 inches in diameter. CD-RW disks can be played or recorded in the CD-RW drive only. These disks behave unusable when put in a regular CD-drive or a CD-R drive cannot be played. A CD-RW drive can read everything except a DVD.

A CD-RW can hold 650 Megabytes of data (unlimited number of times) written by a CD-RW drive. CD-RW cannot be selectively overwritten but can be extended. CD-RWs must be closed before they can be read in a normal CD-ROM drive. CD-RW disks cannot be read using a CD-ROM drive built before 1997. CD-RWs can be randomly read and written because of the variation of UDF format. CD-RW disks and drives are more expensive than a regular CD-ROM drive or media. A CD-RW disc can be read optically by laser light.

DVD-RW

DVD-RW: stands for Digital Versatile Disk-Rewritable. It is a re-recordable optical disc, which can record up to 4.7 GB per side in a similar fashion to a CD-RW. DVD-RW supports sequential read/write access i.e. the device may need to wait for the correct location in a constantly revolving medium. The information stored on DVD-RW can be erased and rerecorded over multiple times without damaging the medium.

DVD-RW is a phase-change erasable format based on DVD-R, using similar mark length, track pitch and rotation control. The format is supported by the DVD Forum. DVD-RW is also called “DVD Dash RW" and "DVD Minus RW”.

DVD-RW can be played in many DVD drives and players. Depending on quality, recording time varies from 1 hour to 6 hours.

If these optical disk gets damaged then the stored data becomes in accessible, these lost or damaged data can be recovered by usinig Stellar Phoenix CD Data Recovery Software

by : Park Oskar

Optical Disk

Hard Drive Backup vs. Data Recovery Services

2006-11-10T17:46:00.000+07:00

Do you have a plan in case of an unexpected loss of data? All computers no matter how secure or well maintained can at some point, lose data, either by human error, power outage, or hardware malfunction. Are you prepared for such a circumstance? If not, and your only recourse is to take your hard drive to a data recovery service, you may find your business down for days or weeks, having to pay for a costly repair and data recovery, and some of your data may be gone forever. Data recovery is a highly technical and highly skilled craft and therefore, expensive.

Obviously, no one can plan for unexpected data loss, but what you can plan for is restoring lost data economically and promptly. Hard drive backup is a way to insure your business against unexpected data loss. Backing up your data gives you a way to restore lost data in-house which means less costly than a data recovery service, probably quicker and lesser chance of permanently lost data.

There are basically two types of backups. A 'real' incremental backup is usually a single, encrypted file or image of the hard drive. The file is created, encrypted and if need be unencrypted by a proprietary software. By making incremental images of your hard drive using such software, you have the ability to restore your drive or individual files to a state at a previous point in time. One disadvantage of this kind of backup is that you must use the same software to unencrypt the image files as you used to encrypt them. If you lose that software for whatever reason, you may not be able to restore your data.

The other type of backup is what most people think when they think of a backup and that is simply a copy of everything on your hard drive or specific files on it. Cloning files on a hard drive requires no special software, and therefore it's simpler and cheaper. What's not as simple is being able to restore you data to a previous point in time. It's not impossible, just not as convenient as making image files as described above.

When making a backup, what should you backup? Well, most modern operating systems have simplified things a bit by separating user created files, user settings, operating system files, and applications. You can of course backup everything, but it might be simpler to make incremental and frequent backups of the user data and settings only. That way you can save time making backups and save space on your backup media. You can always reinstall the operating system and applications, and then use your backup to restore the lost data. That is of course if your operating system and all your applications have the capability to save user settings and customizations that you can backup and consequently restore. If not, you might waste a lot of time resetting everything after a fresh install, in which case it might be better to backup everything on your hard drive. These are things you'll have to consider for your particular situation.

Now that you've decided what kind of backup to make and what you want to backup, you have to decide on what type of media to record your backups. Here are a few options to consider, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Tape has been around a long, long time and is used by businesses large and small with complex multi-user systems and vast databases of information. Tape is relatively inexpensive and easy to remove to a remote location if need be. Although it can be slow to record to tape.

DVDs or other optical data storage usually cost more per unit of memory than tape, and they have less storage capacity per unit and are even slower to record. But, they are faster to read from and also very easy to remove to a remote location.

Another option is getting extra hard drives. Although the most expensive option for backup media, they are the fastest to read and write. But, depending on the type, it may or may not be removable. Being able to remove your backups becomes a serious consideration when the security of your data is a concern.

Now that you have a backup, what should you do with it? Keeping your backup locally, either as part of your system or in the same building is convenient. It also makes the job of getting your backup in time of need much quicker. But what if your system is completely destroyed by fire or some other natural disaster? You might lose your data and your backup. This illustrates the advantage of keeping your backups in a remote location. Although your backups might be safer in a remote location, you lose the convenience of being able to quickly restore lost data since you would then have to retrieve the backup from another location before you can use it.

One final consideration about backing up your data is the security of your data. If you protect sensitive data on your system with encryption or other means, wouldn't you want the backup of that data to be protected as well? Encrypting data doesn't necessarily provide bullet proof protection and making backups or copies of sensitive data just means more opportunities for potential thieves to get their hands on it, especially if you spread those copies out in remote locations for safety. That's just more places in which you'll have to provide security of those backups.

Hope this article gives you some idea on what your options are and the disadvantages and advantages of each.

by : Luke Garfield

Backup

Hard Drive Data Recovery

2006-11-09T17:56:00.000+07:00

Hard Drive Data Recovery can be the point where you want to throw out out your complete system and start anew. But with the data loss you might as well shut down the whole business, right?

There are very few things that can totally disrupt an entire operation like hard drive crashes. So, how you recover lost data in a hard drive crash? The Hard Drive Data Recovery and Safety software offered by Stellar ensures Hard Drive Recovery and Safety against numerous threats like accidental formats, virus problems, software malfunction, file/directory deletion or sabotage.

Whether you are running Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, 2003, XP), Apple, Novell, Linux, or Unix operating systems, Stellar can recover your hard drive crash.

Companies can spend in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in hard drive data losses and the recovery from such disastrous events. Stellar provides data recovery services from hard disk drives, tapes, zip disks, CD-Rom, flash cards and other storage media.

Stellar has the awards from such names as PC World and PCQ Labs to their credit for outstanding service and recovery of some top names in our business world. When it comes to recovering from your lost data, it pays to know who can bail you out, in your time of need.

Stellar offers a post-crash data recovery software that helps you in recovering your all-important data, lost after an accidental format, virus crash, partition loss, or software malfunction. It would pay you to seriously consider having this software on hand today and avoid the stress and the added expense of system recovery in the event of a real time crash. The old adage of ; " . . .an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" definitely applies when we're talking hard drive data recovery.

It's really a no-brainer if you'll consider this thought, if your system has been running for more than 3 years, you are vulnerable to a system crash whereby you stand to loose more data and downtime than your profit margins are designed to handle.

Choosing your medicine prior to the illness, in the case of hard disk drive data loss,your recovery can be as simple as a power surge glitch and resume. The choice is yours, best wishes.

by : Jim Wilson

Hard Drive Data Recovery

How to Prevent External Hard Drive Failure

2006-11-04T12:06:00.000+07:00

A method of data storage that has become increasingly popular is the use of external hard drives. Home computer users today have more data than ever, and many find that the storage capacity of their computer's hard drive is not sufficient. As the usage of external hard drives increases, there is also a rise in the number of external hard drive failures. Listed below are various physical problems that cause external hard drive failure:

Accidentally Dropped the External Hard Drive

There have been many cases where the external drive has been accidentally dropped by the user. Many of these hard drives are designed to sit upright on a flat surface. This can cause the drive to be susceptible to tipping over. The easiest way to prevent this from happening is to allow the external hard drive to lay flat instead of upright. This can prevent tipping. Otherwise, you should place the drive in a safe location away from the edges of a surface.

Twisted Electrical Cords and Cables

Many times, twisted cords and cables can cause an external hard drive to be pulled off a surface onto the floor. It is always important to make sure cords and cables are not twisted and are a sufficient length to reach from the computer to an electrical outlet.

Using the Wrong Power Cord

If you have several different power cords in the vicinity of your external hard drive, it is important to make sure you are using the correct power cord with your hard drive. There have been many instances where a user has plugged a different power cord into their external hard drive causing a power surge which will overheat the hard drive.

Power Surges from Lightning Strikes

It is important to always power down and unplug your external hard drive during a lightning storm. A power surge from lightning strikes can cause external hard drive failure by overheating the hard drive.

Contact a Data Recovery Company If You Have Experienced External Hard Drive Failure

If the data on the hard drive is worth preserving, you can contact a data recovery company to recover the data. A data recovery lab can repair or replace the damaged internal parts of the hard disk and retrieve any existing data.

External hard drives are a popular method of data storage. By following the tips above, you can protect your external hard drive and ensure that your data remains safe.

by : Andrea Stone

External Hard Drive

Data Storage

2006-10-16T18:36:00.000+07:00

In this day and age of corporate espionage, you need to store your data not only efficiently, but also securely. You need to be able to effectively store and backup your data in order to keep your business alive.

Many data storage firms now offer the necessary infrastructure, comprehensive security, working scalability and far-reaching management services to give you the highest level of data protection. But how do you know which of them can answer your specific needs? Read on to find out.

What to look for in a date storage firm

Not all data storage firms are created equal. More often than not, some give you more value-added services and more effective, data storage implementation. Here are some characteristics of good data storage providers.

Good reputation and history. Look for a data storage company that has done a lot of work for a wide array of data storage areas, such as business record keeping, providing back up and security for healthcare records, archiving of film and sound files, backup vaulting, disaster recovery services and continuity consulting. Older companies are not necessarily better than new ones. Don’t make the mistake of deciding just based on numbers. Do your research and find out from other clients which firms implement the best practices.

Extensive networks. The best data storage companies have an international network of offsite data storage vaults in highly-secure environments. This way, your data is backed up in several sites. The sign of a true, full-service data storage provider is linking. They should have a very sound and structured network of databases that are secure and accessible.

Quick recovery. The essence of effective data storage is not so much record ‘keeping,’ but record ‘recovery.’ The firm must give you back your data quickly and accurately the moment you need it. Look for a data storage firm that can perform rapid recovery when urgent situations and disasters strike.

Security and peripheral services. A data storage company should not stop at filing your records away. They should be able to perform routine and preventive data security measures such as vaulting your backup data for remote offices, defending your backup data from error or sabotage and analyzing and executing disaster recovery plans to keep your business alive.
by : Josh Riverside

Data Storage

Master Archival Data Storage

2006-10-13T16:46:00.000+07:00

You’ve seen it. Management operating on data overloads; stacks of printed data falling off the desk, overflowing the file cabinets, and running down the stairs of the office data storage rooms. What to do with the data? Critical information is lost. Knowledge that could be of great help to the general population is unavailable, growing moldy and dusty on some executive’s desk waiting for approval. Or worse, created in mega bundles of bits and lost in compound directories with the wrong label, stored for infinity in a malfunctioning system of neglect.

Retrieval of hard copy data is simple; have a file with each client’s name, and their data goes in that hard copy file. Although, it’s been known to loose a file now and then. The files kept online are occasionally misplaced in the system, and dysfunctionally deleted with defunct data, on rare occasions.

Data stored in Email is lost. While you may think your detailed data storage system there is working, how often do you actually go back and find real information? Those millions of data megabits are often forgotten.

But, there is a solution. (If all these systems fail you – hire a professional.)

1. Hard Copy File Organizers. Systematic filing of hardcopy data required storage filed on completion of printing, in the appropriate filing containers and organized according to protocol with a planned retrieval system works. Professional filing clerks have been doing this for literally decades. Create a system and refuse to vary from that system.

2. Document File Organization on the Computer. By breaking down your files to purposes, you can organize your filing system on the computer with simple directory labels based on use of information. Using logical sequencing for your data storage by purpose will result in easy retrieval of data once it has been stored. Computers with multiple users should have separate log in codes to simplify the storage process.

3. Email Receipt Processing. Take a few moments to set up your email filing system, and presort your incoming email for best use of your time. Business emails should be sorted to a business-incoming box. Personal email sorted to personal-incoming box. And Bulk or Junk mail to a junk mail box – to read if you have time, or want to check that email at some time in the future.

4. Binder Storage Selection. There are a variety of ways to store printed data in your office. I’ll list a few of them here. I take notes on 3X5 cards and store them in file boxes located on my desk – or in my storeroom, once they become archived. Characters of a book are found on those cards, labeled in a file box with the book title, along with plots, ideas, and thoughts. Manuscripts are printed, punched and bound in a binder standing on shelves above my card file boxes. Other informational data is often printed, hole punched and stored in binders with clear labels on another set of shelves.

5. Circular Filing Systems Irreplaceable. I’ve found the use of a circular filing system to be irreplaceable. On occasion, regularly, I find a need to sort, shred, and dispose of unused and unnecessary documents. I know the recycle guy in our community well; I visit him regularly. Bags of shredded documents are dumped in his bins to be recycled into paper for me, or some other delightful content creator to reprint and recycle at some later date. Regular use of this system helps retain quality usage of all other systems.

When you master the archival data storage system in your office, in your home, in your life, there is a level of personal accomplishment that you achieve which is more precious than any other. Stress free living with Content Overload is only possible when you figure out how much is Too Much. The informational highway has provided a means of obtaining information, and we’ve taken advantage of that. Now our goal is to figure out how to store and use the data we’ve obtained.
Webpreneur and Content Provider, Jan Verhoeff, has learned to focus her business on meeting the needs of others. By creating an atmosphere where many can achieve their desired goals, Jan moves steadily toward her own goals. What is your dream business? Are you there yet? Let Jan help you achieve your business goals with information, resources, and consulting that works. Visit her at http://www.janverhoeff.com

by :Jan Verhoeff

Archival Data Storage

Data Storage - Managing Massive Amounts of Data

2006-10-04T16:44:00.000+07:00

Perhaps it is karma, but the more successful you become, the more data you will have to deal with. Effectively managing massive amounts of data often comes down to the issue of data storage.

Data Overload

Mass data means large volumes of data or bulk data. Both in a standalone PC as well as in a network environment, we generally face the problem of managing data. The data grows day-by-day thereby creating problems of data handling. No doubt there are various techniques and devices that are capable of storing large amount of data like hard drives, optical disks, tapes etc. Hard drives are now available in almost all new computers. Data on a hard drive is stored on it through magnetic material. CD-ROM stores data on compact disks and it can store data up to about 600MB. Another relatively new device in competition to CD-ROM is DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) that has a capacity of 4.7 GB to 17GB and rate of data access from 600 Kbps to 1.3 Mbps. All of these devices manage and store in different ways. If you are working in network environment then these techniques are not going to help you as much as others.

Most businesses need to store data in order to make it accessible whenever required. NAS (network attached storage) is a fairly new mechanism of managing data, which use special devices that are connected directly to network equipments. These devices are accessible to clients through a server; each client has its own IP address. NAS is centralized storage technology. If you want to store more data or want to expand the storage then just add another device. Another technology that is quite popular nowadays is SAN (Storage Area Network), which is a network of storage devices. These storage devices are connected to each other and to a server with the help of some special switches. SAN takes the backup of data from your network without affecting the standard network infrastructure.

For connecting SAN storage devices, you can use fiber channel, a latest and most significant technology that interconnects storage devices and allows them to communicate at very high speeds and at greater distances than previously possible. It can cover up to 6 miles.

Two techniques that are quite popular these days for data storage are RAID and SCSI. Both are high speed and reliable techniques in data storage. These techniques can be implemented in most storage mechanisms like DAS, NAS and SAN. RAID is a series of standards that improves performance and fault tolerance by using a redundant array of inexpensive disks (hence the acronym). This type of protection is required in all data storages.

Three major factors that need consideration in any data management technique or data storage device are capacity, speed and security. Capacity means amount of data that can be stored. Speed means rate at which data can be retrieved. Some common interfaces for data storage are fiber channel, IEEE 1394, IDE, SCSI controllers and USB.

Some advanced techniques for managing data on your computer are DFS (Distributed File System) and EFS (Encrypting File System). DFS helps in locating and managing data on network. DFS bonds files on different computers and make them appear as single “namespace”. EFS are used to store encrypted files on NTFS volumes. EFS prevent unauthorized user access.

According to your needs you can choose any of the techniques for data management and data storage.

Managing Massive Amount of Data

Computers and Data Storage: How Much Disk Storage Do You Really Need?

2006-09-25T17:31:00.000+07:00

Even an “entry level” computer today usually includes an 80GB hard disk for data storage. But if this is an “entry level” computer, does this suggest that you, as an “experienced” computer user, really need more than 80GB on your hard drive?

Let's consider what 80GB really translates into. To do this, we will need to make some assumptions. First, let's suppose your operating system is XP Home Edition, which takes about 2.91 GB of your hard drive. Let's further suppose you really love to take pictures and use the program, Adobe PhotoShop Elements TM to fix and store them.

This means you should have at least 75 GB left over to store your photos. If you store your photos in the JPEG (.jpg) format, they will probably average about 800 KB each – meaning you should be able to store at least 90,000 photos on that 80GB hard drive.

Here's another for example. Let's assume that instead of being nuts about photography, you're a serious writer and use, as I do, the great, free program OpenOffice.org Writer. In this case, you will need about 3GB for XP and OpenOffice.org, leaving roughly 77GB for your documents. I calculate that a page in OpenOffice.org writer is normally requires about 34 KB or 34,000 bytes. Assuming this is true, you should be able to store more than 2 million, that's right, 2 million pages and still have room left over.

When I purchased the computer I'm using now –about 18 months ago – I figured that I really needed disk space. So, I paid extra for a computer with a 160GB drive. Now, I use XP, OpenOffice.org, PhotoShop Elements and something like 60 other programs on my computer – as well as hundreds of graphic files -- and have used only 29GBof storage space. I have nearly 124GB left over and, at this point, can't even imagine ever using more than 4GB to 5GB more.

At this point, a fair question might be, so what? Hard drives are so cheap, why not buy a really big one? I suggest there are two answers to this. First, if you don't need the capacity, why pay for it – even if it is cheap. Second, suppose you do buy a 160GB drive. How will you back it up? After all, hard disks can crash.

A better investment might be to buy two 80BG drives – and use the second one for backup.
There's something else that's great but costs nothing. It's a new form of broadcast radio called HD Radio that enables AM and FM radio stations to broadcast their programs digitally. These digital broadcasts provide listeners with radically improved audio quality, more radio channels through multicasting, and new data services. To learn more about this amazing new technology, just go my Web site, http://www.hd-radio-home.com, to get all the buzz.
by : Douglas Hanna

Disk Storage

Online Data Storage

2006-09-21T17:31:00.000+07:00

Most people do not realize it, but online data storage is indispensable to any computer user, serious or not. Online data storage serves as an extension of your computer’s hard drive and acts as an additional source of data storage, as a backup mechanism, and as a ‘scaring’ agent.

Benefits of using online data storage

Back up security. Your internal hard drives are simply not enough. If your computer crashes and all your files are corrupted, you will never be able to get them back. Sure you can purchase an external drive for back-up, but what if you lose it? This is why online data storage is becoming more and more popular. With it, you can be sure that whatever happens to your physical drives, you can still retrieve your important files.

Accessibility. With an online data storage backup, you can access you data wherever you are in the world. You don’t always need to lug your laptop around just to get your files. Simply log on to the online data storage site, access your account, and you can retrieve your data.

Easy sharing. Online data storage sites also let you easily share files, photos and videos with your business associates, friends and family wherever they are. Simply choose the files you want to open for sharing, and the users you authorize can access the data.

Remember to choose a secure online data backup site. The site should provide secure and password protection functionality at the very least. Also, be sure to avail of the online data storage service that is right for the kind of data you are keeping. Basic storage and access is adequate for nonsensitive data, but you may need additional security functions such as encryption and two-factor authentication for more sensitive data. Encryption is especially essential when the data is transmitted over the Internet, because it makes sure that private data stays private.

Bigger business with bulk data storage needs may require offsite data storage with real-time backup aside from regular online data storage.
by : Josh Riverside

Online Data Storage

What To Look For In A Computer Hard Drive

2006-09-15T09:12:00.000+07:00

There is no doubt that the computer hard drive is the lifeblood of any computer, from the tiniest laptop to the largest computer server. Without a hard drive on which to store data, even the most technologically advanced computer is worthless, so it is important to choose that drive carefully.

These days, of course, there are computer hard drives in far more than computers. In fact, those hot new iPods actually sport hard drives with a higher storage capacity than all but the most powerful computers on the market a mere decade ago. It is hard to believe that the technology behind computer storage has come so far so fast, but in fact prices have dropped nearly as fast as storage capacities have increased.

This is of course good news for the computer shopper, and this means that shoppers are able to get much more bang for their buck than would have been possible only a few years ago. These days the storage capacity of a computer hard drive is likely lo be measured in hundreds of gigabytes, providing plenty of storage for music, movies, photographs and other valuable documents.

The type of hard drive you need will of course depend on the type of computer equipment you are shopping for. If you need hard drives for a computer server, you will likely be looking for a hot swappable SCSI (small computer serial interface) hard drive with a fast seek time and a high degree of reliability. The beauty of these drives is that they can be replaced even while the server is running, and in most cases the end users will never know that anything has happened. This makes it easy to quickly replace and rebuild a failed drive, and SCSI drives are the industry standard for web servers and other high value servers.

Of course most of us will not be shopping for these more expensive server hard drives. In most cases, home users will be purchasing internal hard drives which use a simple IDE interface and are quite easy to install. The storage capacities of these internal hard drives varies quite widely, from a low of about 60 or 80 gigabytes to hard drives capable of holding 200, 300, 400 or even 500 gigabytes or more.

If you can afford a higher capacity hard drive it is best to buy it. No one has ever regretted buying a hard drive with too high a storage capacity, but if you buy a hard drive that is too small you will quickly regret it. If you fill up the computer hard drive that came with your computer you will have to either replace it with a larger capacity drive, buy a second internal hard drive or purchase an external hard drive that connects to the computer with a USB cable. It is better to shop for as large a hard drive as you can find, and this will be the most cost effective solution in the long run.
Cedric has been a technical writer of a computer magazine for over 6 years. He also has a website that helps people with their technical computer problems as well external hard drive reviews. Visit http://www.altsyssoft.com for a technical priority list on what items to look for when choosing a hard drive for your new computer.
By Cedric H. Dirose
Look For in Hard Drive

Reviewing Your Storage Options - Which one Suits the most?

2006-08-30T13:14:00.000+07:00

The acronyms are mirrored, and each shares two words - network and storage. However, NAS and SAN differ greatly in design and implementation, and therefore represent distinct solutions in terms of what Intel® data storage system is right for certain business applications.

Safe and efficient data handling is a necessary measure for a business that wants to implement a successful storage and backup plan. Intel® has developed several storage solutions with that in mind. One is not necessarily better than the other; the preferred storage method simply depends on a company's needs and existing infrastructure. Today the functionality of a NAS and SAN are very similar; however, there are specific technical differences. The primary technical differences between a NAS and a SAN are:

A NAS identifies data by file name and byte offsets, transfers file data or file meta-data (file's owner, permissions, creation data, etc.), and handles security, user authentication, file locking.

A SAN addressesidentifies data by disk block number and transfers raw disk blocks typically via SCSI calls.

When looking at the two Intel® storage networking solutions, the benefits of both NAS and SAN show marked distinctions.

First, a NAS consists of a storage device or combination of multiple storage devices connected to the existing local-area network (LAN). A NAS serves to offload the company's valuable data to a dedicated storage location that is still readily accessible by file and application servers via the corporate LAN. A typical NAS solution consists of a server dedicated to file sharing over the network with a TCP/IP connection. Intel's SSR212MA NAS Storage Solution device allows for more hard disk storage space to be added to a network that already utilizes main servers for other applications. The Intel® device delivers the data to the user over the existing LAN. It is not necessary for the Intel® device to be located within a particular server. It can exist anywhere on a LAN along with multiple NAS devices.

In contrast, a SAN consists of storage devices which are networked together (historically via a high-speed fiber backbone) separately from the existing corporate LAN. Intel's SSR212MA SAN Storage Server's primary method to attach to the storage is iSCSI. This is a more interoperable and cost-effective solution. In short, a SAN is a high-speed sub-network of shared storage devices (machines that contain nothing but disks for storing data) that can still be accessed by users through file and application servers. The SSR212MA can make all storage devices available to all servers on an LAN or wide-area network (WAN). When storage devices are added to the Intel® SAN server, they can be accessed from any server on the network. In addition, storage capacity can be added to the SAN storage system as needed without intrusion on the corporate network. The Intel® server is a bridge between the stored data and the end user.

Therefore, the differences between a NAS and a SAN can be highlighted in their main benefits.

A primary benefit of Intel's SSR212MA SAN Storage Server is that it provides an effective disaster recovery plan. A SAN can replicate data belonging to many servers to a secondary storage array, which can be accessed locally or remotely. Although more expensive NAS devices have data replication functionality the SS4000-E NAS does not. Sharing storage adds flexibility because cables and storage devices do not have to be physically moved for data storage to go from one server to another. Furthermore, the Intel® SAN Storage Server features industry-standard hardware architectures and management tools to further lower the cost of SAN systems. Because of this, IP (Internet Protocol) SANs such as this Intel® server are now within reach of most companies.

The benefits of Intel's SS4000-E NAS Storage Solution include methods to protect, manage, and share information. The device allows end users to access the same set of files over the common corporate network. Data sharing is done quickly and easily while maintaining the security of having a separate storage device. The cost of NAS devices, such as the SS4000-E, has dropped recently and their growing storage sizes are appealing to small business as a part of their data backup plans. As an added benefit, because the SS4000-E NAS Storage Solution is always available online, backed up data is available for restores at LAN speeds without the need to locate the correct tape. Complete and advanced data protection is provided through support for RAID Levels 10, 5 and 1.

In summary, for a business to implement an operable storage and backup design, it must concentrate on safely and efficiently handling its data. Although one Intel® storage networking solution is not necessarily better than the other, each possesses obvious distinctions. How the SS4000-E NAS Storage Solution or the SSR212MA SAN Storage Server can be utilized depends on the needs of the company and its network design.
from : Mike Colesante
Storage+Options

Smart Drive provides portable storage

2006-08-28T18:33:00.000+07:00

Kingston Technology Company introduces the Kingston U3 DataTraveler, a U3(TM) powered smart drive that helps streamline and support the "digital life" experience.

Available in capacities up to 2 GB and smaller than a pack of gum, the latest Kingston(R) U3 DataTraveler(R) features software to help file, organize and share photos; automatically populate forms; generate, manage and secure passwords; and read and interact with digital publications.

Representing a new paradigm in computing, the U3 smart drive computing platform transforms a USB flash drive from simple storage device into a new consumer product that people can use to carry, store and launch their own applications from any PC, wherever they go. One of the goals of the U3 platform is to make software programs, personal preferences, passwords, settings, and files more portable, personal, and protected. U3 smart drives feature a "U3 Launchpad" from which applications can be opened on Windows 2000/XP.

"There's a huge segment of our population that has become accustomed to doing things digitally," said Mark Leathem, director, digital media business development, Kingston. "Kingston's U3 DataTraveler smart drive aims to remove barriers to the digital experience, and make it more user-friendly, streamlined and secure."

The Kingston U3 DataTraveler smart drive comes preloaded with Pass2Go(R), ACDSee(R) and Zinio(R) software packages. The Pass2Go portable automated password manager, form filler, and password generator offers users secure, automated logins to online accounts and completes online registration forms with one click. No trace of Pass2Go is left on any computer, and it encrypts passwords (and generates random passwords) for complete data security. Pass2Go is the portable version of RoboForm(R), named PC Magazine's Editors' Choice and CNET's Downloads.com Software of the Year.

The ACDSee award-winning image viewer, graphics converter, and digital imaging software solution lets users acquire, find, organize, edit, manage and share photos and slideshows from any PC in the world without compromising data privacy or mobility. ACDSee supports JPEG, BMP, TIFF, GIF and PNG file formats.

The Zinio reader transforms print magazines into digital format, for the look and feel of print with the convenience of digital. Publications are instantly available and accessible online and offline, fully interactive with links to flash, video and audio clips -- and users have the ability to search, highlight, paperclip, annotate, print and more. Users receive four free issues of six popular titles of digital publications, and can then subscribe to additional titles at substantial discounts over newsstand prices.

The Zinio reader comes with four free issues of six popular titles of digital publications, and users can then subscribe to additional titles at substantial discounts over newsstand prices. Likewise, Kingston U3 users can upgrade to enhanced versions of the Pass2Go and ACDSee software packages at 50-60 percent off the retail price.

"U3 smart drives let users dramatically improve their computing experience by accessing and interacting with their personal digital universe securely and in the same way, everywhere," said Kate Purmal, chief executive officer of U3. "The new U3 DataTraveler drives from Kingston along with U3 smart software applications from key developers like ACDSee, Pass2Go and Zinio give users even more ways to enjoy the portability, flexibility and convenience of their smart drives."

Portable Storage

Maxtor OneTouch III external storage : A Wothwhile Storage Device

2006-08-12T11:06:00.000+07:00

External Storage Solution's New Robust Design, Intuitive User Interface and Innovative Software Features Garner a CES Innovation 2006 Design and Engineering Award

Consumer Electronics Show (CES) LAS VEGAS (Suite # N227-N228) Jan. 5 /-- With the goal of making data backup and protection effortless, Maxtor Corporation (NYSE:MXO) announced today a new family of Maxtor OneTouch(TM) III external storage and backup solutions that offer a range of features, capacities and performance for home users, creative professionals and business executives. Available on retail shelves starting this month, the line of Maxtor OneTouch III storage solutions, with capacities from 100GB to one terabyte (1,000 GB), provide easy-to-use, automated backup and restore capabilities for PC and Mac users. New software tools, including the ability to synchronize data between two or more computers and a System Rollback feature that helps return PC systems to a healthier state after a damaging spyware attack, are now integrated into the entire Maxtor OneTouch III family of products.

The Maxtor OneTouch III solution, with a triple FireWire 800/FireWire 400/USB 2.0 interface, was selected as a CES 2006 Innovations Design and Engineering Honoree in the Computer Accessories category. It was chosen for its engineering qualities, the product's intended use/function, unique features, and aesthetic and design qualities, among other reasons. To meet the needs of mainstream creative and business professionals, Maxtor is offering the Maxtor OneTouch III with dual interfaces, FireWire 400 and USB 2.0, for quickly and easily backing up photos, music and data. For the home PC market, the company is offering a USB 2.0-only interface model that provides basic file-level backup capabilities.

Like the 1TB Maxtor OneTouch III, Turbo Edition launched in October 2005, the expanded Maxtor OneTouch III family sports an innovative new industrial design, an improved consumer friendly user interface and a redesigned retail package from award-winning consulting firm frog design inc. Built to last, the Maxtor OneTouch III family features improved acoustics, an inner disk drive casing and shock mounts for additional durability and drive protection. The entirely new user interface is simple to navigate for both Mac and PC users, making it easier to set up and manage data backup, file archiving and system settings. All Maxtor OneTouch external storage and backup systems come with an added data security feature called Maxtor DriveLock(TM), which provides a password protection option to safeguard contents if the drive is ever lost or stolen.

"Digital entertainment and data have become absolutely integral to our everyday lives, for people and businesses, but the vast majority of us still don't protect valuable files by backing them up," said Stacey Lund, vice president of marketing, Maxtor Branded Products Group. "At Maxtor, we strive to bring innovative solutions to market that make it simple to expand, share, and protect your digital life. Our new Maxtor OneTouch III family is designed from the inside out to be the easiest, most trustworthy way to back up and store photos, videos, games, music, business data and personal information."

Based on customer feedback and innovative technologies, Maxtor has added Sync, the ability to automatically synchronize files between two or more systems on the same operating platform, across its new family of Maxtor OneTouch III storage solutions. Increasingly, customers want to share data easily and automatically between home and office, synching files and folders in both computers. Also, to combat spyware, adware and computer registry issues that can slow a system to a crawl or even a screeching halt, the new Maxtor OneTouch III product family includes a System Rollback feature that reverts the system to a healthier point in time while preserving the most current user data in Word and Excel documents, photos, music and other digital files. System programs that can be rolled back in time include operating system, settings and applications.

Maxtor OneTouch III external storage and backup solutions will be available starting in January at major retailers, distributors and online stores, as well as at www.maxstore.com. Worldwide availability varies by region. The Maxtor OneTouch III with a triple interface will be available late in Q1 2006. Please visit www.maxtor.com for local distribution channels and retail outlets.

The manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) for the Maxtor OneTouch III family ranges from $159.95 for the 100GB USB 2.0 only version to $479.95 for the 500GB triple interface solution. MSRP for the 1TB Maxtor OneTouch III, Turbo Edition is $899.95.

For purposes of measuring disk drive storage capacity, one gigabyte (GB) represents one billion bytes and one terabyte (TB) represents one trillion bytes. The Maxtor OneTouch solution serves as an element of an overall backup strategy.

From : erin_hartin@maxtor.com

III+External+Storage

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 Vs Maxtor DiamondMax 11

2006-07-24T09:33:00.000+07:00

This Artice points out to the features of two of the latest products of Data Storage (in form of Hard disks) from Seagate and Maxtor. These two Companies (although actually seagate has recently purchased Maxtor), for the last few years, have been recognized as important manufacturers in Data Storage product. The variety of their product ranges from small data storage devices to data storage for server machines.
Their Latest invention in Data storage for Personal computing Markets are the Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 and Maxtor DiamondMax11. These two Data Storage devices are design to fulfill the growing needs in a large volume of Data Storage fit to be attached into a Personal Computer. Let us check the Features of these two Data Storage Devices.

• Seagate Barracuda 7200.10

• Maxtor DiamondMax 11

Specifications :
Performance Specifications
Rotational Speed 7200 RPM
Buffer Size 16MB

External Data Transfer Rate(MB/sec)
Serial ATA 300
Parallel ATA 133
Average Seek (ms) <8.5
Average Latency (ms) 4.17

Reliability Specifications
Start/Stop Cycles (min) >50,000
Component Design Life (min) 5 years
Annualized Return Rate (ARR) <1%

Acoustics
Idle (avg, max) 3.1 / 3.2 bels
Performance Seek (avg, max) 3.5 / 3.6 bels

Capacity 400GB 500GB

Environmental Limits
Temperature
Operating (°C) 0 to 60
Non-operating (°C) -40 to 71

Shock
Operating Mechanical Shock 2ms (G) 63
Non-operating Mechanical Shock 2ms (G) 300

Source : DiamondMax Data Sheet (www.maxtor.com)

Based on each Data Storage Device specifications described above, we can infer that :

1. Seagate provides more choice in data storage capacity for it’s product than Maxtor (Seagate provides capacity raging from 200 GB to 750 BG while Maxtor only provides 400 Gb and 500 GB).
2. Maximum data storage Capacity provided by seagate is higher than that provided by Maxtor.
3. Both Product Support SATA and ATA (Paralel ATA) Interface.
4. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 provides two choices of Data Storage Device Cache ( 8MB and 16MB) while Maxtor DiamondMax 11 provides only 16MB of Cache (This is due to the narrower range of capacity provided by Maxtor for it’s DiamondMax Product)
5. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 has Operating Shock of 68 G and Maxtor DiamondMax 11 has Operating Shock of 63 G.
6. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 has Non-Operating Shock of 350 G (for it’s 200, 250, 320GB Data Storage Devices Capacity) and 300 G (for it’s 400, 500, 750GB Data Storage Devices Capacity). Maxtor DiamondMax 11 has Non-Operating Shock of 300 G.
7. Both Products have Operating Temperature of 0 to 60°C
8. Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 has acoustics (sounds caused from the disc spinning activity of the data storage device capacity) of 2.7 bels (for it’s 750GB, 500GB Data Storage Devices) and 2.5 bels (for it’s 400GB Data Storage Devices capacity and below ). Maxtor DiamondMax 11 has acoustics of 3.1 / 3.2 bels when idle and 3.5 / 3.6 bels in it’s maximum performance speed. It can be said that Maxtor DiamondMax 11 produce more sounds than Seagate Barracuda 7200.10.

From the Comparison above, we see that from common data storage devices features, Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 is better than Maxtor DiamondMax 11 since it has wider capacity choice, it is more shock resistant, and more quite than Maxtor DiamondMax 11. However, we need to look the fact that from the numbers provided in the specifications, features where Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 can be said better than Maxtor DiamondMax 11 does not show huge different between these two products. It is, I think, better to say that these two products doesn’t differ too much in specifications and technology. It is ,of course, up to the customer to decide which product is better or more suitable for them.

Paralel SCSI and Serial Attached SCSI : A Comparison Point of view

2006-07-17T15:51:00.000+07:00

The Introducing of Serial attached SCSI interface brought a new era of enhancement in data transfer speed between a storage device with other computer components such as computer processor and RAM (Random Access Memory). Serial attached SCSI is an enhancement of the preivously wide-used technology called Paralel SCSI (or more commonly known with “SCSI”). The enhancement came into many aspect but before we get to the part of comparison between these two technologies, let’s take a trip back to the the brief history of Paralel SCSI.
Paralel SCSI,in it’s role as an interface that stands between a device used to storage datas and devices accessing datas stored in that storage device, play a key part in assuring that datas stored in a storage device (represented by bits and bytes) can travel in and out of the storage device. That is the role. The problem arose when about 20 years a go (when Paralel SCSI was first introduced) it was realized that using serial technology interface ( serially send signals or one bit after another) caused performance bottleneck to the system (data transfer speed between data storage device and processor and RAM). Then came into mind, back then, that by being able to send signals or bits paralelly the problem should be solved. How can multiple signals be send paralelly or concurrently? By adding more signal conductors to enable a byte’s multiple bits to be sent concurrently (or in parallel), each on its own separate data path. That was the idea back then. And who could deny that logic. It is just like saying that a two-lanes of road is less traffic than a single-lane road. Make sense doen’t it?
However Paralel SCSI technology has it’s weaknesses too. For instance, adding more signal condustors is not an easy task to perform and this technology has it’s theoretical limits.
Time changes and as the need for a better and faster Storage device interface emerged in accordance to the development made to the Data Storage Capacity, Processor speed, and RAM Size a new faster type or technology of data storage interface must be met.

A detailed analyses about each technology is provided below:

Parallel SCSI: The Art of Compromise
The very elements that underpinned parallel SCSI’s initial appeal (multiple data paths for greater throughput, a shared bus to enable easy connection of multiple SCSI devices) gradually became stubborn obstacles on the road to improved performance and scalability. Over the years juggling design parameters (for example, increase the clock rate but shorten cable length) to circumvent SCSI’s inherent limitations has wrought hard-won advances, but in recent times the shortcomings of its parallel, shared-bus architecture
have become increasingly apparent.

• Skew
Simply put, skew can be defined as the time lag between the first and last bits’ arrival at the receiver. Parallel SCSI transmits data as a series of parallel bits, thus any skew would disrupt that parallel relationship. As clock speeds have increased in response to market demand for faster throughput, bit cell times (that is, time frame in which bits will retain proper synchronization) have steadily shrunk. Prevention of skewing errors thus becomes increasingly difficult. Seemingly innocuous details such as unequal conductor lengths (even variations in how connectors are attached to those conductors) can adversely affect the ability to maintain the bits’ proper arrival times at the receiver.

• Crosstalk
Crosstalk occurs when the signal traveling down a conductor produces high-frequency electromagnetic interference (EMI) that is radiated into nearby conductors, distorting the signals they carry. The faster the signal is moving, the more EMI it radiates. Parallel\ SCSI cables are particularly susceptible to crosstalk, given the close proximity of so many conductors (each of which both radiates EMI and receives it from its neighbors).
Significant distortion and consequent loss of data integrity can occur if EMI is left untreated. Effective solutions include slowing the speed of the signal and reducing cable length, both obviously undesirable trade-offs. Twisted-pair cable designs have proven effective at reducing crosstalk in external cables, though at the cost of added bulk, loss of flexibility and greater expense. Internal ribbon cables (with their multitude of parallel conductors) are particularly vulnerable to crosstalk—minimizing their length is an effective solution.

• Bus Arbitration and Latency
Parallel SCSI’s shared bus allows no more than two devices (for example, the SCSI controller and a SCSI drive) to access the bus and communicate at any given time. Thus all connected drives must compete for bus access via a relatively complex and timeconsuming bus arbitration procedure that grants access based primarily on a device’s SCSI ID number (fair arbitration modes use additional criteria). Although bus arbitration ensures greater reliability and data integrity, it also degrades performance; the more drives present on the shared bus, the greater the latency for each drive as it waits for the arbitration process to grant it access to the bus. And of course the more arbitration that occurs on the bus, the less the bus is available to actually transmit data, and thus overall performance suffers. Ultra320 SCSI employs packetization and Quick Arbitration and Selection (QAS) to reduce (but not eliminate) the impact of bus arbitration overhead.

• Limited Scalability
In theory, parallel SCSI allows a maximum of 15 devices per 16-bit bus and a maximum of seven devices per 8-bit bus. (In bothcases, the SCSI controller itself occupies the remaining SCSI address on the bus.) In practice, parallel SCSI’s shared bus architecture results in progressively less available bus access per device as more devices are added to the bus. As such, the actual number of devices that can be deployed on a SCSI bus while maintaining adequate performance may fall well below 15.

• Incompatible with Other Interfaces
When the parallel SCSI and parallel ATA standards were written, compatibility was simply not an issue. The roles of the two parallel interfaces were seen in black and white terms, with no expectation they’d ever be called upon to interoperate in common applications. At one end of the spectrum was SCSI, clearly intended for enterprise duty; at the other was ATA, optimized for use in desktop computers. Two decades later, deploying desktop-class drives (first parallel ATA and now Serial ATA) for near-line and other light-duty storage has become common practice in the enterprise. Parallel SCSI’s incompatibility with these popular drive types exacerbates the logistical (and financial) headache of supporting multiple, mutually exclusive interfaces.

• Cable Expense
Early SCSI standards allowed only moderate cable lengths (six meters for SCSI-1, dropping to three meters with several subsequent increases in bus speed). The introduction of LVD signaling raised the maximum cable length to 12 meters. This came at a price, however, as the sheer number of conductors required (and the substantial shielding necessary to protect them from RFI) contributed to the high cost of premium SCSI cables. Less expensive cables may employ marginal materials and/or construction techniques, with deleterious (and often maddeningly intermittent) effects on bus performance and stability. Internal ribbon cables are highly susceptible to crosstalk, and thus should be kept as short as possible.

• Bulky Cables/Connectors
Parallel SCSI’s bulky cabling and connectors clutter enclosures, inhibit airflow/cooling and preclude use with small form factor (such as 2.5-inch) drives in dense computing environments.

• Not Hot Pluggable
No activity can be present on the bus when SCSI devices are added or removed, effectively dictating that the system be powered down. As should be obvious, this can have severely negative effects on system uptime and availability. As a result, SCSI drive changes are often deferred to periods of lowest system activity, thus delaying timely deployment of needed resources.

• Manual Device ID
In order for the SCSI controller to recognize and communicate with the SCSI devices on the bus, a unique SCSI ID address must be manually assigned to each device. SCSI ID numbers range from 0 to 7 on an 8-bit bus and 0 to 15 on a 16-bit bus. The address need not correlate with the device’s physical position on the bus. Adding drives to a bus without ascertaining the ID numbers already in use can lead to SCSI address conflicts (wherein two devices have the same ID number on the same bus). Such conflicts can manifest themselves as instability and erratic performance, up to and including data corruption.

• Termination
The first and last physical devices on the SCSI daisy chain (irrespective of their SCSI ID numbers) must be terminated in order to absorb signals when they reach the ends of the bus, thus minimizing reflections back onto the bus. Passive terminators are typically employed, but can prove problematic, in which case active terminators are indicated. When SCSI drives are added to or moved on the bus, it’s not uncommon for the necessary termination changes to be overlooked. Incorrect/incomplete termination can contribute to significant performance degradation (including data corruption).

Serial Attached SCSI: The Direct Approach
Serial Attached SCSI takes a decidedly straightforward and direct approach to achieving outstanding performance, scalability and flexibility. Its point-to-point, serial architecture is far simpler and more robust than that of its parallel predecessor, yet offers significantly higher throughput (3.0 Gbits/sec, with a clear roadmap to 12.0 Gbits/sec) as well as vastly superior scalability. In response to the growing demand for more cost-effective, rationalized storage solutions, SAS incorporates seamless compatibility with Serial ATA (SATA). IT managers can easily deploy a mix of SAS and SATA drives to most efficiently meet their needs.

• Point-to-Point Architecture
The elegant simplicity of Serial Attached SCSI’s point-to-point architecture pays numerous dividends. Of course, serial data transfer means there are no skew or timing issues to consider. Bits are simply sent one after the other—always sent and received in proper order, always departing and arriving when expected. In addition, point-to-point cabling ensures there is a discrete, dedicated signal path for every SAS device attached. Without a shared bus, SAS arbitration is a straightforward switching process (each attached device is always immediately available on its dedicated bus, minimizing latency), consuming vastly less overhead than parallel SCSI’s bus arbitration and thus ensuring substantially higher throughput. But SAS’s point-to-point architecture offers other, less obvious benefits. For example, Low Voltage Differential (LVD) signaling has established itself as a highly effective means to drive high-speed signals over long cables while minimizing vulnerability to environmental noise (for example, RFI). Utilizing the differential signal between a pair of conductors promotes immunity to common-mode noise, while the low voltages made possible by this approach enable increased signal speeds that would be unattainable at higher voltage levels.
While Ultra320 SCSI requires an imposing 32 signal conductors (two for each of the 16 data paths) to implement LVD signaling, SAS needs only four. Fewer conductors require less power to drive the signals, are far less susceptible to crosstalk, and result in much smaller and less intrusive cabling.

• Full-Duplex, Dual-Port Design
Full-duplex operation doubles effective throughput by enabling simultaneous signal transfers in both directions. To provide for high availability and greater uptime, dual data ports ensure that if one SAS host controller fails, the extra data port can maintain uninterrupted communication with a second controller. In addition, these two ports can be combined into a single wide port for even higher throughput.

• Enhanced Scalability
SAS was specifically designed to maximize the ease with which drives can be added to boost both capacity and throughput. In concert with SAS’s point-to-point architecture (see above), high-speed switches known as expanders enable quick aggregation of many drives, allowing a single SAS domain to contain up to 16,384 devices (128 maximum SAS devices per edge expander x 128 maximum edge expanders per fan-out expander) without performance degradation. And multiple SCSI domains can easily be interconnected to achieve exceptional levels of data availability.

• Compatibility with SATA
By ensuring Serial Attached SCSI cables/connectors, backplanes, expanders and host bus adapters (HBAs) are fully compatible with Serial ATA drives, SAS ensures the freedom to seamlessly adapt as storage needs inevitably change and evolve. SAS disc drives are clearly the best choice for mission-critical enterprise use where transactional/online performance and reliability are crucial, while SATA disc drives are cost-effective for lighter-duty use, such as near-line and backup/restore storage. When storage priorities shift, it’s a simple matter to alter the drive mix by plugging in additional SAS or SATA drives.
Furthermore, SAS/SATA compatibility will significantly reduce the cost and complexity of the data center by minimizing the number of individual components that must be qualified, inventoried and maintained. Such component rationalization also places fewer demands on management resources and support personnel.

• Longer Effective Cable Length
A maximum cable length of eight meters (approximately 25 feet) facilitates connections to both direct-attached storage and discrete storage arrays deployed near the server. SAS’s point-to-point architecture enables this maximum cable length to be used for each dedicated connection between two devices, thus allowing thousands of feet of cabling in a SAS domain. The maximum length allowed is not additive of all connections, as it is on a parallel SCSI bus.

• Compact Cabling/Connectors
SAS connectors and cables are far smaller than comparable parallel SCSI pieces; this simplifies cable routing, saves space and improves airflow/cooling in system cabinets, and ensures SAS connectors easily fit on small form factor devices.

• Hot Pluggable/Hot Swappable
SAS’s hot plug capability enables drive swapping without system shutdown, thus ensuring uninterrupted data availability. Blind mate connectors (designed to positively lock in place, eliminating the need to visually verify a connection is properly seated) ease connection in cramped or inaccessible installations.

• Worldwide Unique Device ID
Every SAS port and expander has a worldwide unique 64-bit SAS address (derived from the same namespace as the Fibre Channel Port Name), burned into the device’s firmware at the time of manufacture. This eliminates the need to manually set SCSI ID numbers via jumpers or switches, as well as any possibility of device ID conflicts when installing/moving SCSI devices or expanders.

• Termination Built In
SAS’s point-to-point architecture provides a discrete signal path between any two devices in a SAS domain, as well as clearly identifying both ends of that dedicated bus. Without the need to accommodate a variable number of devices on a shared bus, all SAS devices are terminated by default—no user intervention required.

• SCSI Commands Retained
While Serial Attached SCSI overcomes many of parallel SCSI’s interface limitations through the use of modern serial-based technologies, it also maintains the core strengths of its parallel predecessor by integrating existing SCSI commands. SCSI’s robust, mature command set employs sophisticated features such as Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) to ensure rock-solid data integrity, even in the most rigorous enterprise environments. Furthermore, the SCSI commands interface with a broad variety of storage management and enterprise application software. By incorporating this command set, SAS also protects the enterprise’s current investment in SCSI software, middleware and drivers. In addition, SAS also preserves the value of the enterprise’s vast SCSI intellectual capital garnered over many years of configuring, deploying and maintaining SCSI storage solutions. IT professionals can continue to tap this wellspring of SCSI knowledge and experience, helping to drive innovative and effective SAS deployments throughout the enterprise.
Source : “SCSI Inflection Point:The New Era of Serial Attached SCSI” (June 2004)

With all the Enhancements describe above, No wonder Serial Attached SCSI is now replacing the position of Paralel SCSI as tehinterface for Data Storage devices. And it’s forward-thinking design perhaps could secure it’s position many years to come.

SATA and ATA. A Comparison Point of view

2006-07-13T18:13:00.000+07:00

Thoughgout the last decade, espessially the last 5 years computing technology have develop rapidly in response to the rapid revolution in communication technology. Almost every aspect of Computing technology changed dramatically and one of the aspect changing so fast nowadays is the storage technology.

Take an example. A few years a go Storage Device was largely dominated by Harddisk drives either in form of Internal Harddisk drives or Extenal harddisk drives. But now, we can see Storage devices such as flash disk drives with capacity somewhat the same as early types of harddisk. Many flash disk drives now are able to store datas up to 1 Gb and more, although a year a go the maximum capacity of these devices were only 512 MB. It showed us how technology, in many aspects of life, changed so fast today.

Back to the harddisk drives storage issue, this type of storage device has also developed itself marked by the introducing of new storage interface technologies. One of them is called SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachement). SATA, which is the technology developed to overcome limitations in ATA Interface have benefits from in several aspects (as quoted from Jason Kohrs's "ATA vs SATA") :

1. Features and Connections

SATA drives are easy to distinguish from their ATA cousins by the different data and power connections found on the back of the drives. A side-by-side comparison of the two interfaces can be seen in this PDF from Maxtor, and the following covers many of the differences"¦

Standard ATA drives, such as this 200GB Western Digital model, have somewhat bulky, two inch wide ribbon cable with 40-pin data connections and receive the 5V necessary to power them from the familiar 4-pin connection. The basic data cables for these drives have looked the same for years. A change was made with the introduction of the ATA-5 standard to better improve the signal quality by making an 80 wire cable used on the 40-pin connector (these are commonly called 40-pin/80-wire cables). To improve airflow within the computer system some manufacturers resorted to literally folding over the ribbon cable and taping it into that position. Another recent physical change also came with the advent of rounded cables. The performance of the rounded cables is equal to that of the flat ribbon, but many prefer the improved system air flow afforded, ease of wire management, and cooler appearance that come with them.

SATA drives, such as this 120GB Western Digital model, have a half inch wide, 7 "blade and beam" data connection, which results in a much thinner and easier to manage data cable. These cables take the convenience of the ATA rounded cables to the next level by being even narrower, more flexible and capable of being longer without fear of data loss. SATA cables have a maximum length of 1 meter (39.37 inches), which is much greater than the recommended 18 inch cable for ATA drives. The reduced footprint of SATA data connections frees up space on motherboards, potentially allowing for more convenient layouts and room for more onboard features!

A 15-pin power connection delivers the 250mV of necessary power to SATA drives. 15-pins for a SATA device sounds like it would require a much larger power cable than a 4-pin ATA device, but in reality the two power connectors are just about the same height. For the time being, many SATA drives are also coming with a legacy 4-pin power connector for convenience.

2. Performance

In addition to being more convenient to install and drawing less power, SATA drives have performance benefits that really set them apart from ATA drives.

The most interesting performance feature of SATA is the maximum bandwidth possible. As we have noted, the evolution of ATA drives has seen the data transfer rate reach its maximum at 133 MB/second, where the current SATA standard provides data transfers of up to 150 MB/second. The overall performance increase of SATA over ATA can currently be expected to be up to 5% (according to Seagate), but improvements in SATA technology will surely improve on that.

The future of SATA holds great things for those wanting even more speed, as drives with 300 MB/second transfer rates (SATA II) will be readily available in 2005, and by 2008 speeds of up to 600 MB/second can be expected. Those speeds are incredible, and are hard to imagine at this point.

Another performance benefit found on SATA drives is their built-in hot-swap capabilities. SATA drives can be brought on and offline without shutting down the computer system, providing a serious benefit to those who can't afford downtime, or who want to move drives in and out of operation quickly. The higher number of wires in the power connection is partially explained by this, as six of the fifteen wires are dedicated to allowing the hot-swap feature.
(Jason Kohrs - ""ATA vs SATA" - http://www.geeks.com)

Although right now SATA interface-based haddisk drives are still more expensive than ATA interface-based haddisk drives (Well, technology costs isn't it and who can blame that) harddisk drives with this technology is getting more and more popular. Right now, It is SATA time. At least before a new and better technology can be developed.

Serial ATA- A new Generation of Harddisk Interface

2006-07-11T18:49:00.000+07:00

The SATA interface has become synonymous with hard disk drive (HDD) solutions that deliver performance and reliability at a price typically below the cost of SCSI or Fibre Channel. Popularity for the SATA interface has been growing at a break-neck pace. In fact, IDC reports that SATA is slowly overtaking both SCSI and Fibre Channel within the HDD market.

The Parallel ATA (PATA) camp is also feeling the SATA heat. This standard has served the storage industry well for years, but users are demanding faster performance, higher reliability and improved physical flexibility.

SATA proliferation is only set to expand. Tape storage drives are ripe to take advantage of the various SATA benefits, and Sony Electronics is again at the forefront of the industry. The company is currently developing SATA-based tape drives within its AIT (Advanced Intelligent Tape) family.

Understanding the SATA Specification

SATA, or Serial ATA, is a point-to-point connection using a thin cable. Unlike cumbersome PATA ribbons of the past, SATA cables use only seven wires. Four wires are dedicated to communicating between the drive and the computer. Two wires transfer data from the computer to the drive (downstream), while the other two transfer data from the drive to the computer (upstream). The remaining three are ground wires.

The small size and greater flexibility of SATA cables deliver several benefits. The primary benefit is the higher levels of physical functionality offered to storage administrators and integrators. SATA cables take up less space than PATA ribbons and can carry data a little more than three feet, much longer than PATA's limited eighteen inches. The thinner cables also eliminate the restricted airflow often caused by wide PATA ribbons.

There are three generations of SATA currently available on the market. SATA 150 is the first generation, often called SATA I. The 150 marker describes the standard's 150MB/second throughput speed. Most SATA drives currently available on the market are based on the SATA 150 specification.

The second generation is SATA 3G. The 3G is not a wireless frequency reference. The specification gets its name from an increase in speed. The 3G moniker describes a doubling of the 150MB/second transfer rate to 300MB/second--or 3 Gb/second.

The latest SATA iteration is SATA II. It isn't technically a new generation. Instead, it's more of a group of SATA features (or extensions) that can be integrated into SATA 150 and SATA 3G storage drives. The planned External SATA extension is an example. It doubles the possible SATA cable length to six feet.

Why SATA Tape Drives?

The SATA interface is a high-performance, high-quality connectivity specification. It's also extremely popular, present on almost every server motherboard shipping today. SATA-based tape drives provide a step-up for storage administrators looking to avoid slower and potentially less reliable ATAPI technology. The SATA cables have higher data integrity than the ATAPI option.

ATAPI tape drives have traditionally been five to ten percent less expensive that their SCSI counterparts, and it is expected that this cost advantage will continue with next-generation SATA tape drive offerings.

The flexibility of SATA tape drives is another benefit, ideal for non-mission critical, secondary and bulk storage applications. The interface is perfect for moving data across multiple segments, such as desktops, midrange servers, file and print servers and network storage.

SATA's flexibility and inexpensive nature has fueled the popular disk-to-disk storage architecture, especially within the small-to-midsized business market. One important element, however, has been left out of the picture. SATA tape drives are the final tier. The technology delivers a true serial disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) architecture. This option is sure to please storage admins needing to reliably back up servers and storage arrays. Tape storage offers high performance in streaming capabilities when coupled to hard disk drives in D2D2T configurations, significantly reducing network traffic loads.

The benefits of SATA tape drives go beyond a slightly lower price tag and architectural flexibility. The specification is also efficient and easier to network and troubleshoot from the IT support side of the table. The external connectivity option available with SATA II creates the possibility for a very portable and highly robust external tape drive, much like USB.

SATA tape drives also eliminate transfer rate bottlenecks experienced with ATAPI. The ATAPI specification was not designed to handle the fast transfer rates (up to 62.5MB/second) of the latest AIT generations. The drives also deliver the traditional benefits of tape, including the ability to be easily transported offsite for long-term archiving and disaster recovery.

There is, of course, a trade off. SATA is slightly slower and less extensible than SCSI, Serial-Attached SCSI (SAS) and Fibre Channel drives. The performance gap, however, is shrinking on almost a daily basis. SATA disk drives have additional trade offs surrounding disk revolution speed and reliability, but neither are an issue with tape drives.

SATA Joins the Tape Market

SATA tape drives add another specification to an already crowded set of acronyms. The market already has PATA, ATAPI, Hybrid ATA, SCSI and Fibre Channel. The SATA format, however, is a viable option that deserves a place in the tape storage mix.

The ATAPI interface is a popular option for inexpensive tape and hard disk drives. The performance and reliability issues of ATAPI have already been discussed. SATA is a more solid standard option, featuring higher reliability and performance.

Hybrid ATA is a category within the ATAPI classification. It describes ATAPI devices with a bridge mechanism, making them appear as USB or Firewire. The format still has the performance and reliability issues associated with ATAPI. What's more, SATA requires no bridge.

SATA also faces a challenger from the SCSI family. SAS promises the reduced price of a serial interface with the proven reliability and performance of SCSI. SAS doesn't compete as aggressively with SATA tape drives as the current ATAPI option. Most analysts believe SATA will ultimately replace ATAPI. SAS, on the other hand, will perform as a low-cost option for the performance niche occupied by today's SCSI and Fibre Channel drives. Most of the replacement market for SAS will come at the expense of the SCSI and Fibre Channel share.

SAS and SATA can, of course, work together to create a particularly robust storage solution. The SATA drives can plug into SAS solutions, providing additional system-level flexibility and matching cost versus performance requirements.

SATA Tape Drive Availability

SATA tape drives will soon be a reality. Sony is currently developing SATA-based AIT drives and is already in the product testing and qualification phase with a number of partners. Target availability for the drives is expected at the end of this year. The drives will be based on the SATA 150 specification with support for SATA II extensions planned for early next year. The SATA AIT drives will reach native storage capacities of up to 200 GB (520 GB compressed). This capacity, will become scalable when automated SATA tape autoloaders and libraries are developed down the line.

The SATA AIT drives are set to open a new door in the serial attached storage category. The drives will soon be on the market, completing the tiered D2D2T architecture puzzle and delivering an inexpensive and highly flexible interface option for storage administrators.

Source : Schechter, Brett
SATA opens its doors to tape.(Disaster Recovery & Backup/Restore)(Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (hard disk interface) )

Highest-Capacity Enterprise SATA* Drive

2006-07-10T18:56:00.000+07:00

Today’s high-capacity server and storage arrays require hard drives designed for the job. Seagate provides the ideal solution with the Barracuda ES enterprise SATA disc drives.

With 24x7 reliability and 50 percent more capacity than other drives in its class, the Barracuda ES is designed to meet the requirements of capacity-intensive business applications. Barracuda ES drives provide the industry’s best answer for high-capacity, multi-drive business solutions powering the Digital World

Read More

Portable Data Storage - Pocket Hard Drives

2006-07-08T13:09:00.000+07:00

In a rapidly changing environment like we have nowadays, accurate decision making, and an efficient use of time when doing assignments are some of key factors that determine one's success in his/her career. In achiving those factors, discipline and correct attitude of a person probably become a dominant element but nevertheless one's job or assignment can not be easily done without the help of a tool. Imagine that a doctor has to work without his/her stetoscope or a singer has to sing without any microphone and audio system equipment. Basically everything that do in accordance to our work consists of learning something, acquiring data from some place, or someone. That is where the role of a data storage is important. and this is a tool that help us in many of our job

Related to the data storage importance that I have mentioned before, Seagate Corp. has a product is not bigger than waht our hand can hold but has the data storage size bigger than average USB Flask disk drive. They call the device as "Pocket Hard Drives". If you see the size of the device, you would say that it's not so hard to carry around everywhere. And it's as easy to use as a USB Flash Disk Drive, since it also uses USB 2.0 interface to connect with Other devices.

Check the preview here

Pocket Hard Drives

Magnetic Tape Data Storage Devices

2006-07-03T19:08:00.000+07:00

A rapid growth of important applications and an increase of data volumes require more attentive attention to data storage systems since any information has its own price and its loss can lead to finance losses, sometimes considerable.

Traditionally, storage system are divided into three classes.
Fast systems with arbitrary access. They are hard discs and RAID systems. They have a small access time and the most expensive specific cost of data storage.
Relatively slow systems with successive access. They are separate magnetic tape drives, magnetic type libraries and rarely used RAIT systems. The have the highest access time, a large capacity and the smallest specific data storage cost. They are used also in systems of hierarchical data storage.
Systems with arbitrary access which take an intermediate position in capacity, cost, speed. They are based on magneto-optics, DVD and CD (R, RW) technologies. Today they are used for building of small archives and for intermediate storage, in systems of hierarchical data storage.

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History of Data Storage

2006-07-02T13:24:00.000+07:00

Data storage is,inevitably, an important tool used by and need by many people and companies in modern life. The importance of data storage in human life aspect is primarly due to the limited ability of human brain memory capability. It is true that the capability to remember something vary form one person to another, but to be able to remember many things let's say like remembering the whloe activities performed in a week or planned to do in the next week might not be as easy as remembering activities performed in a day.

In an example of the importance of Data storage for companies, take an employee working as a payroll staff for an example. He or she is, of course, responsible for maintaining datas about other employee in the company. Datas such as Basic salary, Transport allowance and other allowance are important components of an employee salary.In the case of not many employees are employed by the company perhaps he or she will only need paper based database as data storage for keeping employees payroll data components but if there are many (like more than one hundred employees)employed by the company (and to make it more difficult, each employee has different salary components, different allowance rates, and payroll information is needed on a timely basis) it is very hard for a payroll staff in a company to provide accurate, right in time information about payroll.

That is why a tool is needed. the tool is called data storage. As I have mentioned previously, paper notes,paper documents are also qualified to be called data storage. But Eventually, as the need for accurate and fast-to-provide information emerged, other tools for data storage are needed. And More than just a data storage like paper documents, a data storage (or data storage system) that is capable of storing large volume datas and provide accurate and fast-to-provide information is needed.

As a reference of the development achieved in data storage technologies, there is an article, a simple article, that provides a good information.
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