Disk-based backup

4 long-term data backup options

Data backups ensure copies of critical data are available in the event of a crisis or failure. When backing up long-term data, cost and capacity are vital considerations. Continue Reading

disk array

A disk array, also called a storage array, is a data storage system used for block-based storage, file-based storage or object storage. Continue Reading

disk mirroring (RAID 1)

Disk mirroring, also known as RAID 1, is the replication of data across two or more disks. Continue Reading

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. Continue Reading

Dump and restore: Helpful backup utilities for Linux users

Dump and restore are two Linux utilities that help ensure reliable backups. From utility installation to restoring file systems, this tutorial is for Linux users of all levels. Continue Reading

hardware RAID (hardware redundant array of independent disk)

Hardware RAID is a form of RAID (redundant array of independent disks) where processing is done on the motherboard or a separate RAID card. Continue Reading

StorPool adds fast erasure coding to block storage

Latest release of StorPool Storage enables high-performance data protection for block storage using erasure coding on standard SSDs for fast recovery of demanding applications. Continue Reading

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. Continue Reading

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. Continue Reading

How to configure shadow copies on file servers

When you enable the shadow copies service on your shared folders, you give your end users the flexibility to restore deleted files or revert a file to an earlier version. Continue Reading

backup storage device

A backup storage device is used to make copies of data that’'s actively in use. Continue Reading

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. Continue Reading

floating gate transistor (FGT)

A floating gate transistor (FGT) is a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology capable of holding an electrical charge in a memory device that is used to store data. Continue Reading

disk image

A disk image is a compressed file that contains a copy of the entire contents of a computer's hard drive or other storage media, such as optical discs or solid-state drives. Continue Reading

network drive

A network drive is a shared storage device on a local area network (LAN) within a business or home. Continue Reading

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. Continue Reading

compact disc (CD)

A compact disc is a portable storage medium that can record, store and play back audio, video and other data in digital form. Continue Reading

What are the pros and cons of cloud backup?

Know which type of cloud backup you want to use and the advantages and disadvantages that come with cloud backups before you trust your data to a third-party provider. Continue Reading

Cloud backup vs. traditional backup: Advantages, disadvantages

Cloud backup vs. traditional backup is an important discussion. Although the cloud backup market is soaring, traditional backup players also have much to offer your organization. Continue Reading

The 7 critical backup strategy best practices to keep data safe

This comprehensive guide explains backup basics, the issues affecting risk and the seven critical backup strategies you need to keep data safe. Continue Reading

Data backup failure: Top 5 causes and tips for prevention

What can you do to prevent data backup failure? Learn how using the 3-2-1 rule, turning to cloud backup and following other practical steps can help protect your data. Continue Reading

Types of backup explained: Full, incremental, differential, etc.

There are several different types of backup. Here's how to choose the best way to safeguard your data and recover appropriately in the event of an incident. Continue Reading

removable media

Removable media is any type of storage device that can be removed from a computer while the system is running. Continue Reading

The ins and outs of unstructured data protection

Protecting unstructured data requires a few extra considerations for backup admins. Growing storage capacity requirements and regulatory compliance are critical. Continue Reading

RAID data protection quiz: Test your knowledge

How well do you know RAID? It may be time to test your know-how. Find out how much you know about RAID levels, origins and their relationship to data backup with this quiz. Continue Reading

Continuous data protection advantages and disadvantages

Continuous data protection can eliminate your backup window. However, there are many issues to consider, including application and operating system compatibility. Continue Reading

RAID 1 vs. RAID 0: Which level is best for data protection?

RAID 1 and RAID 0 are two of the most basic RAID levels. While one offers better performance, backup admins may choose the level that provides redundancy to better protect data. Continue Reading

Craft a secure and reliable backup redundancy strategy

Backup and redundancy are not interchangeable. By using both, backup admins can avoid critical data loss and help ensure recovery. However, watch out for some common missteps. Continue Reading

Storage media showdown: The benefits of tape vs. disk backup

Tape and disk are established as reliable backup storage, but which one is best for your organization? Consider factors such as cost, performance and security in your decision. Continue Reading

RAID 6 vs. RAID 10: Which is better to prevent data loss?

There are numerous RAID configurations to choose from, but navigating the nuances of each can take a lot of work. In the case of RAID 6 and 10, both have distinct pros and cons. Continue Reading

Infinidat adds cyber resilience software to InfiniGuard appliance

Infinidat upgraded its purpose-built backup appliance, InfiniGuard, with anti-ransomware software and boosted its DRAM to provide faster recovery times. Continue Reading

unzipping

Unzipping is the act of extracting the files from a zipped single file or similar file archive. Continue Reading

HD-DVD (high-definition DVD)

HD-DVD (high-definition DVD) is a defunct high-capacity optical storage medium that was once seen as the successor to the DVD. Continue Reading

content-addressed storage (CAS)

Content-addressed storage (CAS) -- also called content-addressable storage -- is a method for storing fixed content as objects and providing fast access to that content. Continue Reading

hard disk drive (HDD)

A computer hard disk drive (HDD) is a non-volatile data storage device. Continue Reading

storage medium (storage media)

In computers, a storage medium is a physical device that receives and retains electronic data for applications and users and makes the data available for retrieval. Continue Reading

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics)

IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) is an electronic interface standard that defines the connection between a bus on a computer's motherboard and the computer's disk storage devices. Continue Reading

optical disk

An optical disk is an electronic data storage medium that can be written to and read from using a low-powered laser beam. Continue Reading

backup

Backup refers to the copying of physical or virtual files or databases to a secondary location for preservation in case of equipment failure or catastrophe. Continue Reading

optical storage

Optical storage is any storage type in which data is written and read with a laser. Continue Reading

JBOD (just a bunch of disks)

JBOD, which stands for 'just a bunch of disks,' is a type of multilevel configuration for disks. Continue Reading

RAID (redundant array of independent disks)

RAID (redundant array of independent disks) is a way of storing the same data in different places on multiple hard disks or solid-state drives (SSDs) to protect data in the case of a drive failure. Continue Reading

RAID 5 vs. RAID 6: Capacity, performance, durability

RAID 5 and RAID 6 provide solid data protection, but both have their pros and cons. Find out what to compare when deciding between RAID 5 vs. RAID 6 in this tip. Continue Reading

AHCI vs. RAID: Which is better for performance?

The Advanced Host Controller Interface and RAID are fundamental concepts for running an efficient data management and storage infrastructure. Learn the AHCI and RAID basics. Continue Reading

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. Continue Reading

Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA)

Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a command and transport protocol that defines how data is transferred between a computer's motherboard and mass storage devices, such as hard disk drives (HDDs), optical drives and solid-state drives (SSDs). Continue Reading

Veritas NetBackup 9 adds Flex Scale scale-out architecture

NetBackup 9 offers a new scale-out deployment aimed at software-defined, hyper-converged data centers, allowing customers to add storage nodes as they see fit. Continue Reading

Candy-maker sweetens IT setup with VxRail, PowerProtect

Warrell Corp. treated itself to a new IT infrastructure to drive its candy manufacturing, adding hyper-converged backup appliances and cloud DR from Dell EMC. Continue Reading

X Series Arcserve backup appliances have built-in security

Arcserve X Series appliances have Sophos Intercept X Advanced built in and can scale to three petabytes. All Arcserve backup appliances now ship with Sophos software. Continue Reading

Rivals Dell EMC, Unitrends refresh backup appliance lineups

When upgrading their backup appliance portfolios, Dell EMC and Unitrends addressed continued demand for backup hardware. Both also rolled out new unified management interfaces. Continue Reading

RAID vs. backup: Learn the differences and benefits of both

In a battle of RAID vs. backup, both could win. While RAID offers disk failure protection, it falls short in other areas where backup comes in handy. Continue Reading

Law firm makes compelling case for Pure Storage all-flash

CSK Legal first used Pure Storage all-flash arrays to move VMs to VMware vSphere. Primary Pure FlashArray replicates VMs to second target used exclusively for backups. Continue Reading

Modern HDD technologies that are bringing hard disks back

Don't write off HDDs just yet. Energy-assisted technologies such as MAMR and HAMR may keep hard disk drives competitive in an evolving secondary storage market. Continue Reading

HAMR vs. MAMR, and the future of high-capacity hard drives

Energy-assisted hard drive technology is here, and heat-assisted and microwave-assisted magnetic recording technologies are about to bring even more changes to the HDD market. Continue Reading

SMR, HAMR and other HDD technologies you can build on

Hard disk drives could make a comeback in 2020, as new technologies such as SMR, HAMR, MAMR and dual actuators provide more capacity and speed for secondary storage. Continue Reading

SaaS-based Unitrends Helix automates tedious backup tasks

Unitrends Helix automates the tasks of monitoring, remediating and maintaining backup servers. While tedious, they are necessary to prevent failed backups. Continue Reading

Quantum object storage expands with ActiveScale purchase

Quantum object storage will be used in conjunction with StorNext file system technologies to tackle unstructured data associated with streaming video and surveillance. Continue Reading

With Time on its hands, Meredith drives storage consolidation

Following an acquisition of Time Inc., Meredith Corp. dumped most of its traditional IT gear and added newer technology developed around virtualization, convergence and the cloud. Continue Reading

Archive vs. backup and why you need to know the differences

Archiving and data backup are both key pieces of data protection. They can complement each other, but both provide distinct and important capabilities. Continue Reading

IBM Spectrum Protect supports container backups

IBM focuses on data protection with backup support for container volumes in Kubernetes, Red Hat OpenShift environments, VMs in VMware Cloud on AWS; adds new Virtual Tape Library. Continue Reading

Backup deduplication: A complete guide

Backup deduplication has moved from cutting-edge technology to mainstream staple. Learn about the different types, benefits and challenges of deduplication. Continue Reading

RAID 50: How to select the right RAID level

RAID 50 combines striping with distributed parity for reduced data loss and better performance. Is RAID 50 the right configuration for your organization? Continue Reading

Oscar-winning studio tames file data with Oracle, Igneous

Making movies is a file-intensive business, and Hollywood studios must give their artists the right storage technologies to store, manage and protect business-critical data. Continue Reading

Erasure coding vs. RAID: Pros and cons for hyper-convergence

Hyper-converged systems, like any other, require data protection. We describe using RAID and erasure coding for hyper-convergence to help you pick the best option for your HCI. Continue Reading

7 rules for effective data backup procedures

If you're responsible for data backups on multiple systems, strong policies are highly recommended. This tip gives you seven rules to follow for effective data backup procedures. Continue Reading

How to make the most of secondary data storage workloads

You get more out of your data when you use secondary storage effectively. Taking advantage of disk-based and hyper-converged backups -- and copy data management -- will help. Continue Reading

How EHT's black hole image data is stored and protected

The Event Horizon Telescope team had to find a way to capture, store, process and back up petabytes of radio signal data to create the world's first black hole image. Continue Reading

Top 4 NAS backup strategies for your data protection

Whether justified or simply because the technology was misunderstood, backing up NAS devices was once considered a challenge. Now, you have several options for proper NAS backup. Continue Reading

Unitrends Recovery Series Gen 8 backup appliances

Unitrends has updated its Recovery Series backup appliance to Gen 8, with added features like machine learning-based ransomware protection and automatic recovery testing. Continue Reading

Quantum backup appliance portfolio grows by two

The Quantum backup appliance lineup gets refreshed with the addition of the DXi4800 and DXi9000 series. But the vendor is staying away from integrated appliances at the moment. Continue Reading

Backup hardware devices: 2018 Products of the Year finalists

Some finalists in the 2018 Products of the Year backup hardware category aim to entice data-rich SMBs, or carve their niche by branching out beyond backup and recovery. Continue Reading

In-vehicle mobile data storage is Quantum's next target

Quantum Mobile Storage is designed to capture vehicle data from self-driving cars and easily offload it to a Quantum StorNext appliance. It's built to handle harsh, mobile environments. Continue Reading

Compression, deduplication and encryption: What's the difference?

Learn the distinctions and similarities among data compression, dedupe and encryption as these data protection methods gain importance in everyday storage. Continue Reading

Commvault appliance lineup expands by two

Commvault moves its HyperScale appliance platform into the enterprise with the HS3300 and into remote and branch offices with the Remote Office Appliance. Continue Reading

Inline deduplication vs. post-processing: Data dedupe best practices

Will inline or post-processing deduplication work better for your data protection platform? There are several products on the market that offer these capabilities. Continue Reading

HPE StoreOnce backup adds capacity, protection capabilities

Hewlett Packard Enterprise spruces up StoreOnce secondary storage with federated management of up to 100 appliances. HPE also deepened the StoreOnce integration with Commvault. Continue Reading

purpose-built backup appliance (PBBA)

A purpose-built backup appliance (PBBA) is a standalone disk-based storage device that is configured and optimized for storing backup data. Continue Reading

Create a backup image in 7 easy steps

Learn how to generate an image-based backup using our step-by-step instructions. Just remember to perform this activity in a test system to avoid wiping out source data. Continue Reading

5D data storage and the future of optical technology

Researchers say revolutionary 5D optical storage could protect hundreds of terabytes of data for billions of years, far beyond the capabilities of current storage media. Continue Reading

How have disk backups changed in recent years?

Disk-based backup provides newer features that can speed and ease recovery. IT should take advantage of instant recovery and virtual lab capabilities. Continue Reading

Cohesity backup replaces legacy EMC at Piedmont HealthCare

A healthcare firm doesn't take full advantage of Cohesity secondary storage capabilities, but finds its backup and recovery features simpler and faster. Continue Reading

disk backup or disk-based backup

Disk backup, or disk-based backup, is a data backup and recovery method that backs data up to hard disk storage. Continue Reading

Dell EMC unveils the DD3300, its latest Data Domain appliance

Dell EMC's latest addition to the Data Domain line targets SMBs and enterprises with remote offices. The system includes Data Domain Boost technology and cloud tiering software. Continue Reading

Build data storage reliability into a backup infrastructure

In today's market, there are a variety of data backup options. Here's how to make sure your organization's essential data will always be there when it is needed. Continue Reading

Data backup tools: Users want to handle more data more easily

Businesses want data backup that handles more data than ever, but with software and hardware that's easier to implement and manage than what they're already using. Continue Reading

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. Continue Reading

Disaggregation enables on-demand resource pool management and creation

Disaggregation may not be a new concept, but it has become more important to IT in recent years. Here, it means breaking computers down to the core elements of compute, memory, I/O, storage, cache, network fabric and so on, to enable resource pool management and create more agile, cost-effective data centers. Done correctly, disaggregation lets you stand up and break down infrastructures almost instantly while better serving the needs of individual applications. Meanwhile, resource utilization soars, and resource pool management costs decline because of the automation that's enabled. Delve into the world of disaggregation and find out how vendors are applying the concept to their products.

Hybrid cloud storage can let you run, manage and move primary storage workloads between the cloud and on-premises data center. It can also improve IT agility and cut costs. Today, a number of products and services fulfill the promise of the hybrid cloud like never before, knocking down barriers that have inhibited wider adoption. Hybrid cloud products open new possibilities for deploying production applications, but you must choose wisely.

Pundits have predicted the demise of the hard disk for years. Not only is solid-state much faster than hard disks, the price differential between the two storage technologies is rapidly disappearing. Yet the HDD vs. SDD controversy continues with the death of the former still a long way off. The question shouldn't be when hard disks will disappear, but instead, how to best use flash technology within the memory-storage continuum that starts with tape and goes to L1 cache, the fastest and most expensive memory in a system.

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Dell EMC IDPA changes vendor's backup strategy

The Dell EMC Integrated Data Protection Appliance is the vendor's first integrated enterprise backup target. What does this mean for physical Data Domain appliances? Continue Reading

partition

Partitioning a hard disk drive is the first step in preparing it for data storage. A disk partition is a carved out logical space used to manage operating systems and files. Continue Reading

EMC launches DD VE, virtual edition of Data Domain

EMC unveils the virtual edition of its Data Domain disk library, DD VE, allowing the Data Domain operating system to run inside a VMware hypervisor and back up to any hardware. Continue Reading

Oracle Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance

The Oracle Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance is integrated with RMAN and Oracle Enterprise Manager and is designed to drastically reduce data-loss exposure. Continue Reading

How to choose the right snapshot method

Snapshots and replication have become data protection tools of choice, but finding the right snapshot method for your data center can be challenging. Continue Reading

What is the best archival media type?

Many archival media types are available, including disk and cloud, but their level of reliability and storage density varies. Continue Reading

software RAID (software redundant array of independent disk)

Software RAID is a form of RAID (redundant array of independent disks) performed on the internal server. Continue Reading

What's the best way to protect against HDD failure?

HDD failure can put bytes of data at risk. Is multi-copy mirroring or erasure coding the more efficient data protection approach? Continue Reading

SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)

Definition: The Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) is a set of parallel interface standards used to attach disk drives and other peripherals to a computer. Continue Reading

EMC World 2015: Expect backup, flash, future directions

EMC will roll out products in its Data Domain, XtremIO and ViPR platforms at EMC World 2015, but what about a CEO succession plan? Continue Reading

RAID 3 (redundant array of independent disks)

RAID 3 is a RAID configuration that uses striping and parity, but it uses a parity disk to store the parity information generated by a RAID controller instead of striping it with the data. Continue Reading

RAID 50 (RAID 5+0)

RAID 50, also known as RAID 5+0, combines distributed parity (RAID 5) with striping (RAID 0). Continue Reading

What is Data Domain Boost and what is it used for?

SearchDataBackup Senior Site Editor Andrew Burton explains what EMC's Data Domain Boost software is designed for, how it works, and which products it supports in this Expert Answer. Continue Reading