What Is a Storage Array?

In our FAQ series, we are addressing commonly asked questions in the storage solutions category.  Our last FAQ post was about hybrid storage arrays.  To go back to the basics, we answer the question:  what is a storage array?

Storage Array Fundamentals

Fundamentally, a storage array has:  redundant components, including drives, controllers, power supplies, and fans. These redundant components keep the storage array operational if a single component fails. The storage array configuration provides a secure and robust system with which to store large amounts of data and allows for a variety of backup and retrieval scenarios. Administrators can set up the storage management software to maintain a specific level of security and configuration on the storage area network, such that the network requires little human interaction to perform its daily functions.

Next Gen Storage Array Solutions

RAID, Inc. has added two very powerful tools to its storage array arsenal.  The ARI-100 Series and the ARI-300 Series.  Both have the capacity for storage to meet today’s high density and high performance demands.

The ARI-100 is a cost-effective hybrid data storage solution with unmatched virtualization capabilities including autonomic drive tiering and is one of the few systems where the block storage can scale to 1.4 petabytes (PBs).  It can sustain Performance of 3.5Gbs Write, 5Gbs Read on a File System.

The ARI-300 is a high performance enterprise computing array and can sustain performance of 5Gbs Write, 6Gbs Read in GPFS & Lustre.