Storage administration

Terms related to data storage management, including definitions about enterprise storage and words and phrases about storage infrastructure, storage capacity and hierarchical storage management (HSM).

NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory) - NVRAM (non-volatile random access memory) refers to computer memory that can hold data even when power to the memory chips has been turned off.
object storage - Object storage, also called object-based storage, is an approach to addressing and manipulating data storage as discrete units, called objects.
OpenStack Swift - OpenStack Swift, also known as OpenStack Object Storage, is an open source object storage system that is licensed under the Apache 2.
oversubscription - Oversubscription in a storage area network (SAN) is the practice of committing more network bandwidth to devices connected to that network than what is physically available.
paging - Paging is a function of memory management where a computer will store and retrieve data from a device’s secondary storage to the primary storage.
parallel file system - A parallel file system is a software component designed to store data across multiple networked servers and to facilitate high-performance access through simultaneous, coordinated input/output operations (IOPS) between clients and storage nodes.
persistent storage - Persistent storage is any data storage device that retains data after power to that device is shut off.
private cloud storage (internal cloud storage) - Private cloud storage, also called internal cloud storage, is a service delivery model for storage within a large enterprise.
problem list - A problem list is a document that states the most important health problems facing a patient such as nontransitive illnesses or diseases, injuries suffered by the patient, and anything else that has affected the patient or is currently ongoing with the patient.
program/erase cycle (P/E cycle) - A solid-state storage program/erase cycle (P/E cycle) is a sequence of events in which data is written to a solid-state NAND flash memory cell, such as the type found in a flash or thumb drive, and is subsequently erased and rewritten.
public cloud storage - Public cloud storage, also called online storage, is a service model that provides data storage on a pay-per-use basis.
Pure Storage - Pure Storage is a provider of enterprise data flash storage products designed to substitute for electromechanical disk arrays.
RAID 0 (disk striping) - RAID 0 (disk striping) is the process of dividing a body of data into blocks and spreading the data blocks across multiple storage devices, such as hard disks or solid-state drives (SSDs), in a redundant array of independent disks group.
RAID 10 (RAID 1+0) - RAID 10, also known as RAID 1+0, is a RAID configuration that combines disk mirroring and disk striping to protect data.
RAID 3 (redundant array of independent disks 3) - RAID 3 (redundant array of independent disks 3) is a RAID configuration that uses a parity disk to store the information generated by a RAID controller and uses striping to store the data.
RAID 4 (redundant array of independent disks) - RAID 4 (redundant array of independent disks) is a RAID configuration that uses a dedicated parity disk and block-level striping across multiple disks.
RAID 50 (RAID 5+0) - RAID 50, also known as RAID 5+0, combines distributed parity (RAID 5) with striping (RAID 0).
RAID 6 - RAID 6, also known as double-parity RAID, is one of several RAID schemes that work by placing data on multiple disks and enabling I/O operations to overlap in a balanced way, improving performance.
RAID controller - A RAID controller is a hardware device or software program used to manage hard disk drives or solid-state drives in a computer or storage array so they work as a logical unit.
RAM-based solid-state drive (SSD) - A RAM-based solid-state drive (SSD) is a storage device made from silicon microchips that has no moving parts and stores data electronically instead of magnetically.
raw device mapping - Raw device mapping (RDM) enables disk access in a virtual machine (VM) in the VMware server virtualization environment and allows a storage logical unit number (LUN) to be connected directly to a VM from the storage area network (SAN).
redundancy - Redundancy is a system design in which a component is duplicated so if it fails there will be a backup.
SAN switch (storage area network switch) - A SAN switch (storage area network switch) is a device that connects servers and shared pools of storage devices and is dedicated to moving storage traffic.
SATA Express (SATAe) - SATA Express (SATAe or Serial ATA Express) is a bus interface to connect storage devices to a computer motherboard, supporting SATA and PCI Express protocols simultaneously.
Seebeck effect - The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances.
shingled magnetic recording (SMR) - Shingled magnetic recording (SMR) is a technique for writing data to a hard disk drive (HDD) whereby the data tracks partially overlap to increase the areal density and overall storage capacity per disk.
slack space (file slack space) - Slack space, or file slack space, is the leftover storage space on a computer's hard disk drive when a file does not need all the space it has been allocated by the operating system.
SMB 3.0 (Server Message Block 3.0) - SMB 3 (Server Message Block 3.
software redundant array of independent disk (software RAID) - Software RAID, also known as virtual RAID, is a form of RAID (software redundant array of independent disk) performed on an internal server.
software-defined storage (SDS) - Software-defined storage (SDS) is a computer program that manages data storage resources and functionality and has no dependencies on the underlying physical storage hardware.
SSD (solid-state drive) - An SSD, or solid-state drive, is a type of storage device used in computers.
SSD caching - SSD caching, also known as flash caching, is the temporary storage of data on NAND flash memory chips in a solid-state drive so data requests can be met with improved speed.
stack overflow - A stack overflow is a type of buffer overflow error that occurs when a computer program tries to use more memory space in the call stack than has been allocated to that stack.
storage as a service (STaaS) - Storage as a service (STaaS) is a managed service in which the provider supplies the customer with access to a data storage platform.
storage capacity planning - Storage capacity planning is the practice of assessing current data storage needs and forecasting future storage requirements.
Storage vMotion - Storage vMotion is a component of VMware vSphere that allows the live migration of a running virtual machine's (VM) file system from one storage system to another, with no downtime for the VM or service disruption for end users.
streaming data architecture - A streaming data architecture is an information technology framework that puts the focus on processing data in motion and treats extract-transform-load (ETL) batch processing as just one more event in a continuous stream of events.
tape library - In data storage, a tape library is a collection of magnetic tape cartridges and tape drives.
TLC flash (triple-level cell flash) - TLC flash (triple-level cell flash) is a type of NAND flash memory that stores three bits of data per cell.
Top searches of 2008 - What were people searching the WhatIs.
unified storage (multiprotocol storage) - Unified storage -- sometimes called network unified storage or multiprotocol storage -- is a storage system that makes it possible to run and manage files and applications from a single device.
utility storage - Utility storage is a service model in which a provider makes storage capacity available to an individual, organization or business unit on a pay-per-use basis.
value-based healthcare - Value-based healthcare, also known as value-based care, is a payment model that rewards healthcare providers for providing quality care to patients.
virtual address - A virtual address is a binary number in virtual memory that lets a process use a location in primary storage (main memory) or, in some cases, secondary storage.
virtual hard disk (VHD) - A virtual hard disk (VHD) is a disk image file format for storing the entire contents of a computer's hard drive.
virtual LUN (virtual logical unit number) - A virtual LUN (virtual logical unit number) is a representation of a storage area that is not tied to any physical storage allocation.
virtual server farm - A virtual server farm is a networking environment that employs multiple application and infrastructure servers running on two or more physical servers using a server virtualization program such as VMware or Microsoft Virtual Server.
volume manager - A volume manager is software within an operating system (OS) that controls capacity allocation for storage arrays.
VSAM (Virtual Storage Access Method) - VSAM (Virtual Storage Access Method) is a file management system for IBM's larger operating systems now called z/OS.
What is a private cloud? - Private cloud is a type of cloud computing that delivers similar advantages to public cloud, including scalability and self-service, but through a proprietary architecture.
What is cloud backup and how does it work? - Cloud backup, also known as online backup or remote backup, is a strategy for sending a copy of a physical or virtual file or database to a secondary, off-site location for preservation in case of equipment failure, site catastrophe or human malfeasance.
What is data protection and why is it important? - Data protection is the process of safeguarding important information from corruption, compromise or loss.
Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) - Windows Server Failover Clustering (WSFC) enables several computers to host a service, and if one has a fault, the remaining computers automatically take over the hosting of the service.
World Wide Name (WWN) - A World Wide Name (WWN) is a unique identifier that is hard-coded into each Fibre Channel (FC) device by the device's manufacturer.
write-back - Write-back is a technique used to cache data between the local processor or central processing unit and the final storage location, which is typically either main memory -- RAM -- or disk.
write-through - Write-through is a storage method in which data is written into the cache and the corresponding main memory location at the same time.
yobibyte (YiB) - A yobibyte (YiB) is a unit of measure used to describe data capacity as part of the binary system of measuring computing and storage capacity.
Zerto - Zerto is a storage software vendor that specializes in enterprise-class business continuity and disaster recovery in virtual and cloud environments.
ZFS - ZFS is a local file system and logical volume manager created by Sun Microsystems to control the placement, storage and retrieval of data in enterprise computing systems.