Primary storage devices

Primary storage devices refer to storage hardware for data in active use, in contrast to storage used for backup purposes. They include SAN and NAS primary storage devices, non-volatile flash storage and other types of storage media. Find resources about primary storage and storage hardware, including RAID arrays and storage arrays, on this topic page.

Top Stories

News 05 Mar 2024
NetApp deepens storage offerings, security for AI buyers

New data protection and ransomware recovery features headline the latest NetApp updates. The vendor is also expanding its Nvidia partnership to ensure its offerings are AI-ready. Continue Reading
Opinion 04 Mar 2024
Is hyperscale NAS the future of storage in the AI era?

Storage for AI workloads will require high capacity and performance. Some vendors have started to tackle this issue, for example with global file system technology. Continue Reading

News 27 Feb 2024

IBM FlashSystem update focuses on ransomware detection

IBM FlashSystem builds on the ransomware fight in primary storage by adding AI to its FlashCore Module storage media and to Storage Defender, its data protection SaaS. Continue Reading
Definition 26 Feb 2024

file system

In computing, a file system -- sometimes written filesystem -- is a logical and physical system for organizing, managing and accessing the files and directories on a device's solid-state drive (SSD), hard-disk drive (HDD) or other media. Continue Reading
News 21 Feb 2024

Dell PowerScale adds new all-flash nodes, with eyes on AI

Dell has added the latest-generation Intel CPUs, PCIe 5.0 storage and DDR5 RAM to PowerScale, doubling the performance and making it a more attractive fit for AI. Continue Reading
News 21 Feb 2024

Nasuni drifts cloud storage platform into data management

Cloud storage and edge caching vendor Nasuni is adding new data observability capabilities to its platform with Nasuni IQ, now available to all Nasuni customers. Continue Reading
Definition 13 Feb 2024

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
News 12 Feb 2024

HPE's GreenLake for Block Storage goes GA

The third version of HPE block storage on the Alletra MP brings higher capacity and performance as well as an easier way for customers to scale out as needs change. Continue Reading
Opinion 07 Feb 2024

Will 2024 herald an on-premises infrastructure renaissance?

The storage market and buyer feelings have changed considerably in just a few years. Enterprises often see more benefits to on-premises infrastructure than the cloud. Continue Reading
Opinion 06 Feb 2024

Start preparing now for the 50 TB-plus HDD era

With Seagate's launch of its higher-capacity HDDs, organizations will find several benefits and must also navigate a few challenges. Impacts include cost and data management. Continue Reading
Tip 31 Jan 2024

4 NAS devices for enterprises in 2024 and buying factors

If you're considering a NAS device for your organization, discover the factors to evaluate and some vendor offerings to add to your NAS shopping list. Continue Reading
News 23 Jan 2024

Nexsan adds data protection to NV6000 unified storage

Nexsan's new unified array, the NV6000, adds immutable snapshots that create an 'unbreakable' backup when combined with the vendor's Assureon backup appliance. Continue Reading
News 19 Jan 2024

Seagate ships HAMR tech in new HDDs

Seagate's Mozaic 3+ brings HAMR-based HDDs to market with 3 TB platters, potentially helping to breathe new life into the legacy storage technology. Continue Reading
News 18 Jan 2024

Hammerspace's global file system now includes tape

With the inclusion of magnetic tape storage, Hammerspace now allows customers to access archives quickly, assuming the tapes are S3 compatible. Continue Reading
Definition 12 Jan 2024

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
Definition 02 Jan 2024

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE)

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FcoE) is a storage protocol that enables Fibre Channel (FC) communications to run directly over Ethernet. Continue Reading
Definition 20 Dec 2023

iSCSI initiator

An Internet Small Computer System Interface initiator is software or hardware that lets a host computer send data to an external iSCSI-based storage array through an Ethernet network adapter over a TCP-based IP network. Continue Reading
Feature 13 Dec 2023

AI to drive storage media demand in 2024

HDD and NAND-based storage media makers saw revenue and sales drop this year, but experts expect this to turn around in 2024, thanks in part to the demand for AI. Continue Reading
Definition 08 Dec 2023

hyperconverged appliance (HCI appliance)

A hyperconverged appliance (HCI appliance) is a hardware device that provides multiple data center management technologies within a single box. Continue Reading
News 07 Dec 2023

Dell PowerScale updates, new partnerships point to AI stack

Dell eyes AI with updates to PowerScale, an expanded partnership with AMD and a new partnership with AI lab Imbue. Its strategy is to bring a full AI stack on premises. Continue Reading
Definition 07 Dec 2023

HDD form factor (hard disk drive form factor)

HDD form factor (hard disk drive form factor) is the size or geometry of a data storage device equipped with one or more magnetic-coated spinning platters and one or more moving actuator arms with magnetic heads to read and write information. Continue Reading
Definition 05 Dec 2023

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
Feature 04 Dec 2023

Lack of new data storage hardware in 2023 unsurprising

While software development and partner integrations sped up in 2023, data storage hardware innovation appeared to slow down. Industry experts weigh in on why. Continue Reading
News 01 Dec 2023

S3 Express One Zone set to power generative AI workloads

Andy Warfield of AWS Storage breaks down the new AWS S3 tier of fast object storage and discusses future S3 development in a session at the vendor's re:Invent 2023 conference. Continue Reading
Definition 20 Nov 2023

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. Continue Reading
News 17 Nov 2023

Nashville Electric selects Pure Storage to provide power

A Nashville-based power company decided to migrate off an outdated, ill-fitting Dell storage system to something more modern and more reasonable. Continue Reading
News 15 Nov 2023

IXsystems flagship array goes all-NVMe flash

The F-Series storage array family is now all-NVMe, bringing new levels of performance and density to IXsystems flagship array as it adds a new option in the NAS storage market. Continue Reading
Feature 15 Nov 2023

Comparing RAID levels: 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 and 50 explained

RAID protects data and improves storage performance and availability, but it can be confusing. Read about the different levels of RAID, the pros and cons, and where they work best. Continue Reading
News 08 Nov 2023

DDN Infinia expands storage around HPC, AI

DDN has created a new software-defined object storage product, Infinia, for AI and HPC secondary storage. The tech can also be applied to some enterprise storage use cases. Continue Reading
News 02 Nov 2023

New IBM Storage Scale focuses on AI, HPC

Adding to the growing list of storage for AI, IBM Storage Scale System 6000 brings the vendor's parallel file system as well as nearly a ronnabyte of capacity to a single cluster. Continue Reading
News 30 Oct 2023

Western Digital to split flash, HDD business units in two

Western Digital will spin off its flash storage business into a separate company by the second half of 2024, leaving hard drives under the WD banner. Continue Reading
News 24 Oct 2023

NetApp adds new flash hardware, debuts VMware DR service

The enterprise storage vendor continues its hybrid cloud portfolio push with capacity flash for the ASA hardware family and bolts a VMware DR service to its BlueXP console. Continue Reading
News 18 Oct 2023

Dell PowerMaxOS 10.1 targets operational, energy efficiency

The latest Dell PowerMaxOS update brings greater data reduction and power usage monitoring to its top-of-the-line storage array. The update also keyed in on cyber-resilience. Continue Reading
Definition 02 Oct 2023

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
Definition 19 Sep 2023

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
Feature 14 Sep 2023

TD Securities chooses Dell PowerMax to grow with it

Looking at high-end block storage systems for high transactional needs, a Canadian wholesale bank decided to tap Dell PowerMax as an investment for current and future business. Continue Reading
News 30 Aug 2023

StorCentric winds down, Nexsan stands out

StorCentric's Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing pushed the storage conglomerate and the companies it acquired into limbo. Now one of those companies might find new footing. Continue Reading
Definition 28 Aug 2023

backup storage device

A backup storage device is used to make copies of data that’'s actively in use. Continue Reading
Opinion 31 Jul 2023

Lenovo's latest heavy on flash, security for enterprise storage

Lenovo's concentration on QLC flash, hybrid cloud and ransomware protection in its latest hardware and software offerings should aid enterprise buyers. Continue Reading
Definition 26 Jul 2023

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
Definition 19 Jul 2023

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. Continue Reading
Definition 18 Jul 2023

flash memory card

A flash memory card -- sometimes called a storage card -- is a small storage device that uses non-volatile semiconductor memory to store data on portable or remote computing devices. Continue Reading
Feature 12 Jul 2023

Storage in space? The data's already there

As research and businesses become more established in space, data storage needs are growing. Vendors are building for the otherworldly conditions and keeping an eye on the moon. Continue Reading
Definition 29 Jun 2023

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
Definition 28 Jun 2023

M.2 SSD

An M.2 SSD is a small form factor solid-state drive (SSD) that internally mounted storage expansion cards use. Continue Reading
Definition 21 Jun 2023

logical block addressing (LBA)

Logical block addressing (LBA) is a technique to specify the addresses of blocks of data on a storage device, such as a hard disk. Continue Reading
Tip 19 Jun 2023

Charge trap technology advantages for 3D NAND flash drives

Flash drive cells based on charge trap technology have several advantages over older floating gate cells. However, take note of potential reliability issues. Continue Reading
News 14 Jun 2023

Pure takes aim at HDDs with FlashArray for colder storage

Pure Storage added a new, cost-efficient model to its FlashArray line expanding potential uses cases. It's also rolling out new controller upgrades and data protection SLAs. Continue Reading
News 22 May 2023

NetApp rolls out new ASA block storage, recovery guarantee

NetApp's latest update includes a new line of all-flash SAN, an expansion of its OnTap software to all storage systems and a ransomware recovery guarantee. Continue Reading
News 18 May 2023

DDN launches all-QLC ExaScaler

The all-QLC ExaScaler scale-out parallel file system from DDN slots in between performance and costs. It comes at a time when AI workloads are on the rise. Continue Reading
Definition 17 May 2023

commodity hardware

Commodity hardware in computing is computers or components that are readily available, inexpensive and easily interchangeable with other commodity hardware. Almost all PCs use commodity hardware. Continue Reading
News 11 May 2023

Dell PowerStore zeros in on security, energy efficiency

Dell has added a handful of security features and integrations to PowerStore through an OS update, while obtaining Energy Star certification for two of its PowerStore models. Continue Reading
News 27 Apr 2023

Pure unifies block, file storage on single FlashArray

Pure Storage expanded the unified storage market by granting native file, block and VM support on a FlashArray, which could reduce complexity and costs for some customers. Continue Reading
News 25 Apr 2023

A fine, earnings and new tech for Seagate

Seagate faces a $300 million fine for selling HDDs to Huawei and reported less than stellar earnings, but it continues to press forward on HDD technology. Continue Reading
Definition 21 Apr 2023

RAID 5

RAID 5 is a redundant array of independent disks configuration that uses disk striping with parity. Continue Reading
News 20 Apr 2023

HPE brings multi-protocol Alletra storage to GreenLake

HPE's newest addition to its Alletra portfolio supports block, file and object protocols. It reflects a shift toward simplification and commoditization in storage hardware. Continue Reading
Definition 13 Apr 2023

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
News 11 Apr 2023

Quantum containerizes file, object storage

In a shift for Quantum Corp., the vendor is now competing in the file and object storage market with its all-flash, software-defined, scale-out Myriad offering. Continue Reading
News 30 Mar 2023

Toshiba's $15B buyout won't affect storage businesses

The acquisition, pending shareholder approval, would take Toshiba private, a move experts say could help stabilize the company, which has been searching for a path forward. Continue Reading
Answer 29 Mar 2023

NFS vs. CIFS vs. SMB: What are the differences?

There are stark differences among file sharing protocols NFS, CIFS and SMB. Compare access, application deployment, configuration and security, among other key features. Continue Reading
Definition 27 Feb 2023

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
Definition 09 Feb 2023

CD-ROM

A CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) is a type of compact disc that can only be read, not written to. Continue Reading
News 07 Feb 2023

Western Digital releases dual-actuator HDDs

WD has quietly released a dual-actuator HDD, bringing dense drives with higher transfer rates, but customers can't reap the full benefits just yet. Continue Reading
News 07 Feb 2023

NetApp adds storage buying options, arrays

NetApp introduces a myriad of buying options and hybrid cloud capabilities for VMware workloads on Google Cloud. Soon-to-come: new QLC all-flash arrays. Continue Reading
News 01 Feb 2023

Hard drives fall on hard times

Hard drive manufacturers have had a couple of bad quarters due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and supply chain issues, but see a turning point on the horizon. Continue Reading
Feature 25 Jan 2023

Storage vendors look to make case for sustainability

Energy costs are rising, and sustainability is all the rage. But storage vendors may struggle convincing customers to combat climate change during an economic downturn. Continue Reading
Tip 19 Jan 2023

Fibre Channel vs. iSCSI: What are the differences?

Discover how Fibre Channel and iSCSI compare when it comes to meeting SAN performance, ease of use, manageability, total package and TCO requirements. Continue Reading
News 18 Jan 2023

HPE expands Alletra with focused storage servers

HPE released new storage servers for container and software-defined storage with the Alletra 4000. The new servers bring high compute with new Intel CPUs in a denser package. Continue Reading
Definition 10 Jan 2023

Fibre Channel

Fibre Channel is a high-speed networking technology primarily used for transmitting data among data centers, computer servers, switches and storage at data rates of up to 128 Gbps. Continue Reading
Feature 09 Jan 2023

Data growth to help storage vendors weather slowing economy

The economy may be slowing down, but reliance on data isn't -- a reality that might help enterprise storage vendors wade through economic turbulence in 2023. Continue Reading
News 22 Dec 2022

RackTop Systems, Seagate deepen partnership for secure NAS

RackTop Systems and Seagate are offering more in turnkey storage appliances and private cloud integration, combining security software into primary storage devices. Continue Reading
Feature 09 Dec 2022

Automation company swaps Isilon for software-defined storage

The Swedish automation company Hexagon needed super scale and performance for its files. The new SDS upgrade speeds up customer response times. Continue Reading
Answer 22 Nov 2022

SAN vs. NAS vs. DAS: Key differences and best use cases

Compare SAN, NAS and DAS and find out what to consider when using each type of storage system. Object storage and the cloud are additional available storage options. Continue Reading
News 22 Nov 2022

Scality's Ring9 adds NVMe storage tier, new APIs

Scality Ring introduces its ninth major update, bringing an all-NVMe tier for better performance and new APIs for tighter integration to tools and third-party applications. Continue Reading
News 18 Nov 2022

Seagate quietly expands multi-actuator HDD product line

Seagate has added to its multi-actuator line of Exos 2X HDDs, now offering up to 18 TB in capacity in its attempt to start paving the way for future use cases. Continue Reading
Tip 09 Nov 2022

A comparison of distributed file systems

There are many different distributed file systems available, so careful analysis of the options, as well as good project management, helps ensure a successful installation. Continue Reading
Tip 26 Oct 2022

Stay organized with 6 file storage best practices

File storage can quickly become disorganized without organizational planning. Use best practices like retention policies and naming conventions to easily manage file storage. Continue Reading
Tip 24 Oct 2022

7 NAS encryption best practices to protect data

Data storage security is as important now as it's ever been. Encryption is one way to make NAS devices more secure against such threats as ransomware. Continue Reading
News 20 Oct 2022

IBM introduces Diamondback tape library for cloud providers

IBM's Diamondback tape library delivers 27 PB of capacity in a single rack space. The technology is geared to cloud and service providers as cheap, efficient storage. Continue Reading
News 04 Oct 2022

IBM integrates Red Hat storage for hybrid cloud

IBM storage has integrated Red Hat OpenShift Data Foundation and Ceph into its new hybrid cloud data storage offering. Analysts said the move is good for both vendors. Continue Reading
Definition 30 Sep 2022

What is network-attached storage (NAS)? A complete guide

Network-attached storage (NAS) is dedicated file storage that enables multiple users and heterogeneous client devices to retrieve data from centralized disk capacity. Continue Reading
News 26 Sep 2022

HPE expands Alletra with lower prices and more options

HPE added the hybrid Alletra 5000 to its block storage portfolio and GreenLake, giving customers more capacity and more consumption options while lowering costs. Continue Reading
News 26 Sep 2022

Lenovo launches entry-level block storage arrays

Lenovo has released to the entry-level market new all-flash and hybrid arrays, which provide companies with a boost in previous performance, and has unified hardware management. Continue Reading
Tip 26 Sep 2022

How to set up a NAS: A step-by-step configuration guide

Get the most out of your rackmount NAS appliance by configuring admin accounts, permissions and network access; running a diagnostic check; and configuring advanced options. Continue Reading
Tip 23 Sep 2022

NAS vs. cloud storage: Which is better for your business?

On-site NAS and cloud-based NAS are the two main file storage options. Organizations need to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each to make the best choice. Continue Reading
Tip 19 Sep 2022

Consider the advantages and disadvantages of NAS

NAS devices provide file sharing that is easy to manage but may be harder to scale than other storage types. Get to know the advantages and disadvantages of NAS. Continue Reading
Answer 07 Sep 2022

NAS vs. object storage: What's best for unstructured data storage?

There are advantages and disadvantages to using NAS or object storage for unstructured data. Find out what to consider when it comes to scalability, performance and workload type. Continue Reading
Tip 23 Aug 2022

7 guidelines to secure network storage

These practices, including firmware and VPN guidance, protect NAS devices. Use these steps as standalone procedures or incorporate them into your overall security process. Continue Reading
Tip 19 Aug 2022

Explore 7 software-defined storage companies

Software-defined storage offerings are all over the map, in uses, features and types of platform. These seven software-defined storage companies include several IT giants. Continue Reading
News 18 Aug 2022

Infinidat guarantees 1-minute restore of primary storage

Infinidat has several guarantees around availability and performance, as well as the ability to recover and restore an immutable snapshot on primary storage in less than a minute. Continue Reading
Tip 02 Aug 2022

Differences in scale-up vs. scale-out storage

Scaling up and scaling out are both approaches to increase storage capacity. To decide which approach to take, consider short- and long-term requirements. Continue Reading
Tip 26 Jul 2022

A primer on disaggregated storage

Disaggregated storage enables organizations to scale compute and storage separately for high-performance, low-latency workloads. Some benefits are cost savings and flexibility. Continue Reading
News 25 Jul 2022

Biotech company saves on data management through software

Biotech maker PacBio gleaned big savings and organized a mountain of data when it added data management tools for its local hardware and data silos. Continue Reading
News 13 Jul 2022

StorCentric files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Rapid acquisitions followed by supply chain issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic led StorCentric to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in an effort to restructure. Continue Reading
Tip 22 Jun 2022

Key features of a distributed file system

Distributed file systems enable users to access file data that is spread across multiple storage servers. A DFS should uphold data integrity and be secure and scalable. Continue Reading
News 21 Jun 2022

Weka adds multi-cloud support for AI, ML apps

With Weka 4.0, the parallel file system provider will support four major public cloud vendors while consolidating high performance workloads and adding a data reduction feature. Continue Reading
Definition 21 Jun 2022

space

Space is a term that can refer to various phenomena in science, mathematics and computing and generally encompasses the concept of an area or region. Continue Reading
Definition 16 Jun 2022

converged network adapter (CNA)

A converged network adapter (CNA) is a single network interface device that provides the functionality of both a Fibre Channel (FC) host bus adapter (HBA) and a TCP/IP Ethernet network interface card (NIC). Continue Reading
News 14 Jun 2022

StorOne connects HDDs with NVMe-oF

StorOne extended NVMe-oF to SAS HDDs, bringing some of the NVMe benefits to the older technology before NVMe hard drives hit the market while reducing costs of NVMe-oF. Continue Reading
Opinion 14 Jun 2022

Pure Storage's focus shines at Pure Accelerate 2022

At Pure Accelerate 2022, Pure Storage displayed its continued investment in R&D, coupled with new product releases. The vendor should continue to make a splash in flash. Continue Reading
Definition 03 Jun 2022

volatile memory

Volatile memory is a type of memory that maintains its data only while the device is powered. Continue Reading
News 01 Jun 2022

Nexsan introduces compact rackmount NAS for edge storage

Nexsan has introduced a new NAS for SMB edge storage use cases. One analyst believes the move is good but will present its own challenges to the vendor. Continue Reading