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Sun StorEdge 3000 Family Best Practices Manual • June 2004
Both the Sun StorEdge 3500 series arrays feature full 2Gb host Fibre Channel (FC)
connections and are next-generation storage systems designed to provide direct
attached storage (DAS) to entry-level, mid-range, and enterprise servers, or to serve
as the disk storage within a storage area network (SAN).
Modern businesses employ servers of all sizes requiring storage to match the type of
data storage and processing being used by the applications involved, as well as
consider the cost of the server. The Sun StorEdge 3500 product family is designed to
address network application priorities and cost considerations by applying the
appropriate disk technology as follows:
■
Applications demanding transaction-based random access patterns with high
duty cycles are better suited by the FC-disk solution of the StorEdge 3510 FC
array.
The StorEdge 3510 FC array is designed for business-critical applications and
their high-value data. These critical applications require higher availability (not a
trait of SATA-disk based solutions).
■
Applications requiring streaming or sequentially accessed data or those with cost-
sensitive duty cycles such as backup and archival are better served by the Serial
ATA-disk solution of the StorEdge 3511 SATA array.
The StorEdge 3511 SATA array is designed for applications requiring lower-cost
bulk storage (not a trait of FC-disk based solutions), where application or data
availability is not a primary concern.
The StorEdge 3511 SATA array is only used for archival, backup, or static storage;
it is not used to store single instances of data, and cannot serve as a boot device.
Designed for smaller direct-attached storage (DAS) needs or for consolidated storage
applications using a Storage Area Network (SAN), matching the array reliability and
disk performance to the application availability requirements has never been easier.
This document gives a high level overview of the Sun StorEdge 3500 series arrays
and outlines five sample storage solutions for entry-level, mid-range, and enterprise
servers. Use these solutions as-is or tailor them to fit your exact needs. Examples of
customization opportunities include adding disks, enclosures and software or even
combining configurations. Choosing the solution that best matches your particular
environment will provide the best results.
The benefits and purpose of each array varies according to network requirements:
■
The Sun StorEdge 3510 FC array uses Fibre Channel (FC) disk technology and is
ideal for performance-sensitive, intense I/O applications.
■
The Sun StorEdge 3511 SATA array uses Serial ATA (SATA) disk technology, and
is ideal for cost-sensitive archival, static storage, and backup applications.
