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HP 3PAR peer persistence: peering into the persisting world of 3PAR

HPStorage-Guest — Tue, 21 May 2013 03:33:27 GMT

By Andre Carpenter, @andrecarpenter, Consulting Solutions Architect, HP Enterprise Group

As you may or may not know, HP 3PAR boasts a sexy array-based software feature set. You’ve probably heard me rave on about it in other posts and podcasts I have done. I’ve worn this fan-boy cap for a while now and spoken about our leading thin suite. Some 3PAR software features perhaps don’t get as much limelight as our thinning capability or wide striping but they are extremely supportive and tell a great benefit story, especially in the area of high availability (HA) or business continuity (BC

These array-based features: peer persistence, peer motion, persistent ports and persistent cache have names with similar words but they mean different solutions so let’s take a look at one of these concepts and how they work particularly with the vSphere platform—starting with peer persistence.

Hocus pocus and fairy dust – dispelling SMB storage myths

ChrisJohnson — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:11:32 GMT

I have talked before about storage for SMBs and my belief that the future lies in a converged approach – to storage and the infrastructure as a whole. I can imagine your surprise when, just a couple of weeks later, HP announced its very own storage solution framework for small and midsize businesses – HP Simply StoreIT – based on exactly these principles! You’re probably expecting me to wax lyrical about the benefits of HP Simply StoreIT, so I’m not going to. Instead, I’m going to attempt to cut through some of the hype and myths surrounding SMB storage as I see it today.

We’re talking flash: the basics on flash-optimized storage

HPStorage-Guest — Tue, 21 May 2013 01:38:52 GMT

By Priyadarshi (Pd), Sr. Product Manager, HP 3PAR Storage

I have to say I’m excited to be kicking off this blog series focused on flash-optimized storage. To help introduce me to you, Calvin and I first recorded a quick podcast. Give it a listen: I talk a little bit about my background and get the conversation going on four key flash design requirements (which I’ll be talking about in more detail in subsequent posts).Then I follow up with a quick primer on flash—to lay the foundation for further discussion on flash design requirements.

HP StoreEasy Storage update

CalvinZ — Thu, 16 May 2013 05:37:46 GMT

I've had a couple of blog posts this week about our HP Simply StoreIT announcement - focusing on storage for Small and Midsize Business. One of the parts of the announcement I haven't really given adequate attention to is HP StorageEasy Storage.

From the beginning

If you already know what HP StoreEasy Storage is, skip down to the sub-heading "So what's new?". We announced HP StoreEasy Storage in November of last year, Prior to that you may have known it as the X1000 and X3000. Start with our HP ProLiant DNA, layer on Windows Storage Server 2012, and a few HP additions and you start to get the idea. One of the first ChalkTalks I did was about StoreEasy - so if you want to get a bit more on what it is, check that out.

So what's new

I'll just quickly summarize what's new and let you watch the ChalkTalk I have.

Wizard-driven storage provisioning tool
Single interface for launching management tasks and utilities
Built-in snapshot management for files
Choice of Server Core headless mode (shrinks active OS code, reducing virus vulnerability and OS patching)
Optional onboard HP Data Protector for hybrid cloud backup/recovery
Wizard-based easy gateway clustering for file services with SANs

Hot storage trends that will transform your data center

CalvinZ — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:37:23 GMT

On Wednesday, I will be hosting (well, I should say introducing) another webcast, this time with our VP and Chief Technologist Milan Shetti. Milan lives in New Hampshire and as they say in New England is "wicked smart". His webcast is titled "Hot storage trends that will transform your enterprise".

(Editor's note: the webcast has happened and you can watch it by clicking on the image).

More on MSA 2040 and replay of webcast with David Scott

CalvinZ — Tue, 14 May 2013 05:57:57 GMT

Earlier today (ok, really yesterday now), we announced the new MSA 2040, the 4th generation of the very successful MSA family. I think the ChalkTalk I did, which I'll include again in this post, is a good high-level overview and you definitely need to check it out if you haven't already.

But I was getting a few questions on Twitter about getting more technical details on the MSA 2040. We won't have those details to share until June - but I did get an early look at the QuickSpecs and wanted to share a few things from it with you.

Here is what the MSA 2040 Small Form Factor (SFF), Large Form Factor (LFF), and rear view with two SAN controllers installed looks like.

I've got more details on this blog post so click over to it for more.

Storage efficiency is the key to managing the data explosion

ChrisJohnson — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:56:00 GMT

From speaking to many customers, it is clear to me that the data explosion continues unabated and most organisations struggle to cope with the never-ending demand for more capacity. The traditional storage vendor battles have been focused on the “bigger, better, faster” mantra, but I see a need for increased vendor responsibility where our community needs to focus less on performance specs and more on the efficiency agenda. Employing techniques to offer customers real data reduction capability and much better utilization of storage is where the game is at. There is a lot to be done and a lot that can be done!

Announcing a new MSA and Simply StoreIT

CalvinZ — Mon, 13 May 2013 15:45:16 GMT

I've got news to share with you today and I've put it into a couple of ChalkTalks. At a high level, the news today is:

We're introducing the MSA2040, the fourth generation of the MSA that is up to 4X faster than the MSA2000 G3 and competitive entry arrays. It's the first entry SAN with 16Gb FC and has very cool data in-place upgrade capabilities.
There are enhancements to our HP StoreEasy Storage - this is file and application storage based on Windows Storage Server 2012. Then enhancements include a new provisioning wizard that makes HP StoreEasy Storage even easier!
HP Simply StoreIT is a channel-exclusive program focused on helping SMBs with solutions for virutalization, file sharing, Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server, and backup and data protection.

Here's the overview ChalkTalk but be sure to check the blog post as there's more details there.

Lastly, I want to invite you to join me and Sr VP and GM of HP Storage David Scott. Today at 10:30 AM PDT (that's 1:30 PM EDT), I'll host a live webcast with David and we'll talk about this announcement today. I'm again partnering with my friends at Watchitoo.com; you can download a calendar reminder or if you miss the live broadcast, watch the replay at www.hp.com/go/SimplyStoreIT.

ViPR or Vapor: The Software-Defined Storage saga continues

HPStorage-Guest — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:51:12 GMT

The topic of Software-Defined Storage (SDS) got hotter this week with vendor announcements and claims of “World’s First SDS” product. World’s first, really? In order to claim anything a product must be code complete, known to work and at the very least have aknown GA date. I think all the other vendors out there will agree that software-based storage products have actually been shipping for many years and most of those fit into the new category of Software-Defined Storage. But I have a question. Does this new product actually fit the mold of software-defined storage?

I’m talking about EMC’s ViPR product and what doesn’t appear to be a storage product but actually a storage orchestration and management tool. Correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I’ve read and the demo videos I’ve watched this is a software product that needs a fully functioning storage product already in the data center. It’s touting of virtual storage arrays are nothing but a grouping of physical arrays to create a shared storage resource for a service catalog. Does it follow the VMware standard of Abstract, Pool and Automate…it seems so, but what else does it do? If you have orchestration software that connects to in-place storage hardware doesn’t that make it software-managed storage?

Time for a new maturity model for small and midsize businesses

HPStorage-Guest — Sat, 11 May 2013 15:17:26 GMT

By Britt Terry, product marketing and resident HP Storage expert for small and midsize business

Last week I talked about the challenges that keep you up at night. Today I wanted to take a few minutes to introduce a “maturity model” concept which we’ll be using to help you address the specific challenges you are facing and the one just over the horizon. Through a set of solution-based maturity models, we’ll help you address not only today’s challenges but also to foresee the next wave of issues before they even hit. Sounds a bit like a crystal ball but it’s not.

A film guy, StoreAll and Autonomy

CalvinZ — Fri, 10 May 2013 07:03:45 GMT

In today's post, I point to some of the video interviews we did at NAB - we did over 20 interviews during our two days there and really, I think all of them are interesting topics because I'm really interested in the convergence of media, entertainment and technology. But I don't want to overwhelm you with all the videos at once so I have a few of them in the blog post today.

I have a few favorites and the interview Andy McCaskey from SDRNews.com did with indie film maker Ryan Brown is a favorite of mine. Ryan used to be an Apple/Mac guy but now is all in on HP hardware for making his films. Checkout what Ryan had to say.

I also think the interview with Dr. Jeff Cornelius from HP Autonomy talking about IDOL and extracting meaning from words was really interesting. I need to get Jeff on a podcast and go deeper on this topic.

I have a few more videos on the blog post so check it out!

Question for SMBs: What top 3 challenges keep you up at night?

HPStorage-Guest — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:34:20 GMT

By Britt Terry, product marketing and resident SMB storage expert, HP Storage

Here I am—as promised in last week’s Around the Storage Block post. Today, I’m kicking off my blog series by delving into the challenges that keep you from getting a good night’s sleep. Now the three categories of challenges I’m going to talk about here are something every business faces, regardless of size. But for small or midsize business like yours, tackling them day in and day out has its own special set of issues. Do they sound familiar? Or are other issues rising to the top of your list? Weigh in here.

Software Defined Storage ChalkTalk

CalvinZ — Thu, 16 May 2013 17:12:51 GMT

Kate Davis (@KateAtHP) has done a great job of getting the conversation going around Software Defined Storage and I thought it would be helpful to do a ChalkTalk giving an overview on our perspective. Here's a single link to all of the blog posts on ATSB focused on SDS.

One of the things I'm most excited about here at HP Storage is there's a strong focus on having a strategy and vision that we're driving toward - and as I've said here, I think it's right on the mark!. That vision is Converged Storage. In the ChalkTalk, you'll see how software-defined storage and Converged Storage.... dare I say it, converge.

The SMB segment: Prime time for Converged Infrastructure?

ChrisJohnson — Thu, 02 May 2013 10:42:35 GMT

This week I thought we could explore how things should pan out in the small and medium business (SMB) space. We see a lot of commentary on how big organisations are deploying technology. However, just like large enterprises, small businesses are also experiencing an explosion of data and increasing complexity while often lacking the specialist people to manage their IT infrastructure. After examining the legacy of SMB storage, I think it’s time for a change – to Converged Infrastructure and Converged Storage for SMB. Here’s why

Flash 101 with Vish Mulchand

CalvinZ — Mon, 13 May 2013 05:12:39 GMT

Vish Mulchand is our Director of Product Management - his team is defining the future of HP Converged Storage through products like HP 3PAR StoreServ and HP StoreVirtual. With more and more conversations happening around flash and flash-based storage, I thought it would be good to kick off some conversations focusing on the topic. I thought Vish would be ideal to kick-off the conversation because he had a session at SNW (a storage focused industry event) in October 2012 focused on flash and I did a podcast with him back then talking about it. NOTE: that was ATSB podcast #122 if you subscribe via iTunes. In some ways, the two conversations go together so if you haven't listened to that podcast with Vish, you should check it out.

Introducing Britt Terry to lead our discussion on SMB. Join in!

HPStorage-Guest — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:00:08 GMT

By Melissa Saegert Elicker, editor, HP Storage

In the coming weeks, we’ll be welcoming Britt Terry, product marketing manager (and SMB expert) for HP Storage, to Around the Storage Block. Britt will be focusing on the challenges facing SMBs today. To get the ball rolling – and to get you knowing Britt – this post includes some excerpts from an online interview he gave recently on The Standard Channel. We’ve also got registration details on the live May13 web event where you can learn more about Simply StoreIT and how to tackle the biggest IT issues you are facing today.

HP and Microsoft - Your Journey. Your Cloud. Your Way

CalvinZ — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 00:10:45 GMT

A couple of weeks ago, we had a full day of live streaming interviews from Microsoft Management Summit. There's no doubt that both HP and Microsoft are titans in technology and the partnership is helping our customers with their cloud journey - whether that is a private cloud or hybrid cloud. The interviews we did focused on that. There are too many to embed them all but I'm going to put a few of them here and give you links to the rest. There were 13 in all but this was my favorite!

New HP StoreVirtual enhancements

CalvinZ — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:30:13 GMT

Seems like we've had a steady stream of announcements over the last several months and a few of them have come from our HP StoreVirtual team. We made some enhancements to the HP StoreVirtual Storage in November, including changing the name from HP LeftHand. I did a ChalkTalk on those updates.

About a month ago, we had a few more updates to share focused on new mid-range StoreVirtual appliances and I had another ChalkTalk with those updates.

I have a ChalkTalk with the news we're sharing today. I'll give you hint - a new HP BladeSystem-based StoreVirtual appliance. Check it out in the ChalkTalk.

Chris Johnson - EMEA Storage Landscape Snapshot

ChrisJohnson — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 11:24:54 GMT

Hello Everyone! I’m Chris Johnson and this is my first contribution to the HP Storage blog. I’ve been in and around the storage industry for nearly 20years and as General Manager for one of the leading vendors, I see there is an absence of real-life, customer-facing commentary regarding the specifics of the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) storage scene. Having dedicated my working life to supporting the ‘internet generation’ and helping customers manage the ‘data explosion’, I see big shifts in the storage industry that should be interesting to expand upon (and even more fascinating to provoke insights from the community at large!). I travel around EMEA extensively: every week takes me to a new destination, and I plan to record my storage journeys and experiences as a way of capturing the real trends and shifts in the market, both from a user and a vendor perspective.

So, as a starting point, I want to lay out a ‘State of the Storage Nation’ – somewhere to start the journey together and build some themes that I hope will be both interesting and thought-provoking…

Is VSA the future of software-defined storage?

HPStorage-Guest — Sun, 12 May 2013 19:33:34 GMT

By Kate Davis, @KateAtHP, WW Product Marketing Manager, HP StoreVirtual Storage

In my last post, I posed a question: How do you define software-defined storage? I offered up a base definition of what software-defined storage means to HP. Since then IDC has released a new taxonomy on software-defined storage which includes its definition. You’ll see that our definitions are very similar: industry-standard hardware layered with feature-rich storage software. This naturally turns the conversation to VSA—and 4 reasons VSA is the future.