Research problems - Assignment Example

Research problems Research problems Q RAID storage arrays The effective data storage capacity of each Raid level usually varies due to there difference in architecture, tolerance and performance. Generally the amount of effective data storage capacity can be calculated as an expression of the number of drives used in assembling the array. For example, the effective data storage capacity for RAID level 0 =1-(1/n) where n=0. Effective data storage capacity for Raid level 0= 6TB. Raid level 5=4/5 X 6TB=4.

8 TB, Raid level=5/6X6= 5TB while the data storage capacity of RAID level=9/10X6=5.4 TB. The number of disks that can fail before data is lost permanently also varies from one RAID level to another. RAID level 0 lacks redundancy and fault tolerance and therefore a permanent data loss often occurs when one drive fails. On the other hand, a complete data loss can only occur on RAID level 5 in the event of two or more drive failures. RAID level 5 has improved fault tolerance and can only experience a permanent data loss when 3 or more drives in the array are lost.

Lastly, RAID 10 provides a very high redundancy and fault tolerance but a failure of more than one disk in each sub array may result in a permanent data loss. I would recommend RAID level 5 for a web site that is backed up daily and changed frequently because it offers more fault tolerance, storage efficiency and the high performance required by the web servers. On the other hand, I would recommend the use of RAID level 10 for an array holding transaction data for an e-commerce site that is backed up daily because RAID level 10 provides sufficient redundancy to protect the sensitive transaction data (Delmar, 2003).Q. 2.

Comparison of SAN and NAS products of Dell and Hewlett-Packard Both the two giant computer vendors, Hewlett-Packard and Dell have developed a number of Storage area networking (SAN) and Network Automatic systems (NAS) products with different performance, costs and storage capabilities. For example, hp has recently introduced SAN and NAS solutions known as “Left Hand” and the products are mainly built on open network architecture. On the other hand, Dell is offering Equallogic as well as EQL PS6510E and NX3000 line NAS solutions.

In terms of configurations costs, HP’s left hand products are generally more expensive and configuring a left hand device to store 2 TB of data and respond to requests from 8 other servers will require approximately $15. Dell’s Equallogic devices are however cheaper and a system that can store the same capacity and respond to the similar number of servers will cost roughly between $ 10 and $ 12 on average. It is however worth noting that the NAS and SAN products from HP generally have higher storage access performance and are relatively easier to administer and configure than the Dell products.

Dell’s Equallogic devices are best suited for file sharing in home or small business networks because of their affordability while HPs products are more suited in handling high performance computing cluster due to their high redundancy and storage access performance.ReferencesDelmar, M. (2003). The Complete Guide to Networking and Network+. New York: Cengage Learning.