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things. At first, bits were grouped into bytes.
When there were too many bytes to keep track
of, they had to be grouped into blocks. When
there were too many blocks to manage, someone
invented volumes and volume managers. What do
you think the next logical step is when there are too
many volumes?
section 1
accurately, the traditional array and the HP Virtual
Array would have similar performance.
However, the HP Virtual Array would still have
the performance advantage because of its ability
to efficiently load balance across all the disks in
the array both at the initial configuration and
after capacity growth. In both stable and changing
environments, the HP Virtual Array is the right
choice. Now, if the environment is not totally stable,
then the HP virtual array is the hands-down winner.
When both arrays are initially configured, the
traditional array should be faster at least for
a day or so, but after that the HP Virtual Array
will catch up and continue to operate at peak
performance for as long as the array is plugged
in, while the traditional array will get slower
over time. This is how it works. When the HP Virtual
Array is first turned on, it doesn’t know which
data needs to be in RAID 1+0 and which data
needs to be in RAID 5. After a day or so of reading
the access patterns, it will figure out which RAID
level is best suited for which data. Once that
happens, the performance will be as good as in
any manually configured array. And, don’t forget,
if the environment should change after that, even
slightly, the HP Virtual Array will adjust while a
manually configured array can do nothing but
keep plugging along in a degraded mode.
Question:
Are you saying that this technology
is for everyone? I’m not looking for anything new.
Answer:
If it’s new to you, then it is understandable
that HP’s virtual technology might seem unnecessary.
After all, you’ve succeeded without it up till now.
But sometimes improvements do come along that
really do hold out the promise of a widespread
advantage. The dilemma of our rapidly advancing
technological age is to know which new technologies
should be ignored and which are the ones that
need to be grasped.
hp storage white paper
Consider:
It is always easier to manage a
smaller number of things than a larger number of
Answer:
HP’s Virtual Array.
summary
HP’s Virtual Array with HP’s patented Virtual
Technology is the industry’s most intelligent disk
array. Because of its unique ability to greatly
simplify storage management, it significantly
reduces overall IT management costs and practically
eliminates mistakes caused by human error. HP’s
Virtual Technology also has a significant positive
impact on real-world performance by automatically
eliminating “hot spots,” and by performance tuning
the array 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
for more information
For additional information on HP Virtual Arrays
and other HP storage products and solutions,
please call your local HP sales representative or
visit our Web site at www.hp.com/go/storage.
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