Virtual Storage
What does it mean? Is it storage that isn’t really there or it only LOOKS like storage? Of course not. Still, storage virtualization is a phrase that has come to have many meanings, and thus doesn’t really mean anything…until you define it carefully. We in the Data Management field know that “virtualization” is one of the hottest buzz words around. It has been applied to many aspects of storage: the arrays, the networks, the tools and all of the above. More than anything else, “virtualization” is an approach or a design philosophy, more than it is any specific technology. The best engineers in this field have come up with some great implementations of virtualization, and we will get to that. We’ll start by defining some storage terms, with some concrete examples of how virtualization has been implemented. Next, we will talk about how shared and virtualized storage makes sense for virtualized server storage, specifically VMware. Then, we’ll talk about some real engineering that puts this technology into action.      

Define It, Please
Virtualization:

1. The act of abstracting, hiding or isolating the internal functions of a storage (sub)system or service from applications, host computers, or general network resources, for the purpose of enabling application and network-independent management of storage or data
2. The application of virtualization to storage services or devices for the purpose of aggregating functions or devices, hiding complexity, or adding new capabilities to lower level storage systems

(SNIA Technical Tutorial “Storage Virtualization”, 2004)

This definition covers a lot of ground, and much that is virtualized now has become very much taken for granted. Before we look at the newer implementations, let’s look at where virtualization already makes our life easier—much easier.

Industry Updates
	Xerox 8860 Solid Ink Printer Clean, Green, Easy and Affordable. Revolutionary Solid Ink technology only from Xerox
	HP Earns Top Environmental Rating for Entire Workstation Line
	Kingston examines the data center power crisis and provides memory provisioning recommendations for virtual environments.
	Companies Go Green and Save Tons with VMware Virtualization

Upcoming Events

GP Virtual World 08
GP Tech Trends.
Come Play.

It's Like a Mini VMworld… But in a Format Like You've Never Experienced.

Webinar - May 27^th
10:00 to 10:45 a.m. EST.
Assessing the Impact of XP SP3 and Vista SP1 Microsoft’s newest Service Packs for Windows XP and Vista have caused a great deal of confusion and frustration for the IT community. Join Michael Healey, GreenPages CTO for a review of each service pack and its potential impact on your network.
Read our Tech Alert

GP Promotions

GreenPages & Kaspersky
Three Great Network Security Spring Promotions!

1. Free Network Security Perimeter Sweep

2. New Kaspersky Network Security Jump Start Options

3. New Platinum Support Option

Google Jump Start
Unlock the Jump Start Power of Google Search for your business or organization.

Live Demo

GreenPages Network Monitoring & Support

You're invited every Friday at 1:00 p.m. EST for a live demo of GreenPages' Network Monitoring and Support capabilities. Join us and learn how you can give your IT staff a more complete 24/7 view of your overall network.

For more information, contact Tina Saltmarsh tsaltmarsh
@greenpages.com,
800-989-2989 x1306.

On–demand
     Webinars

System Center 2008

Lose Your Fat Desktops with Virtualization Solutions

Google Your Network
...Securely!

Is Now the Right Time for 64-Bit?
For our on-demand webinars please click here

White Papers
Please review GreenPages' current list of white papers from some of our partners.
Available white papers