to adapt the system to an increasing need for capacity, is referred to as scalability. The ability of storage systems to scale up in size or volume, i.e. Scale-Out Storage vs Scale-Up NAS Storage, Vertical Scalability vs Horizontal Scalability: Benefits and Interests This is what allows nodes to be connected without the need for them to be located.
The data stored on the system is managed with a global namespace, or with a DFS (Distributor File System) distributed file system. Thus, the users manage and administer the cluster. It is also possible to connect them via a high-speed backplanealso known as a backplane. These servers are linked together by an external network. Thus, adding a unit increases the storage capacity, but can also increase the performances of the system.Īs a general rule, nodes are x86 servers embedding an operating system and storage.
The node can also have its own processing power, and input/output bandwidth. In general, this capacity depends on the number of physical disks. Each clustered node added to the scale-out NAS allows for an increase in load.Įach unit, also known as a node, offers a certain storage capacity. It is possible to add as many clusters as you wish according to the needs of the company. To increase the storage capacity of a scale-out system, clusters are added to the system. This type of storage architecture is therefore ideal for meeting the challenges posed by big data. This considerably increases the flexibility of the company. Even if there is a sudden huge increase in demand, just add as many berries as you need. In addition, whatever the evolution of storage needs, it is possible to increase the disk space limitless or almost limitless. This type of scale-out architecture reduces the amount of initial investment. This way, there is no need to anticipate future expansions. If the storage limit is reached, or if the company wants to increase the performance of its system, it is possible to to easily add a bay to increase the total capacity of the network. Depending on the needs, it is thus possible to increase the storage space by adding more units. Scale-out storage is a Network Attached Storage (NAS) architecture based on interconnected bays with their own resources. Scale-Out NAS Storage: what is it, what is it for?įortunately, this problem has largely been solved with the emergence and democratization of so-called scale-out storage. In fact, a waste of money and resources often took place. It is possible that the expansion will not take place, or that it will be less than expected. However, it is difficult to accurately predict the expansion of a business. In the past, in order to ensure that sufficient storage space was available for expansion, companies had no choice but to to purchase berries from larger storage facilities than they needed. Learn more about the definition, operation, and benefits of scale-out storage. It offers horizontal scalability, as opposed to vertical scale-up. This type of storage allows the storage capacity of an enterprise IT system to be expanded at will as needed, without limits and without the need to anticipate future expansions. Scale-out storage is a type of NAS (network-attached storage) architecture based on interconnected arrays.