What happens when data files get very large

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: MIKE KARP ON STORAGE IN THE ENTERPRISE
09/01/05
Today's focus: What happens when data files get very large

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Glimpse into changes large files will bring
* Links related to Storage in the Enterprise
* Featured reader resource
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Today's focus: What happens when data files get very large

By Mike Karp

Last time we talked about new, very large data files that are
the result of improvements in some important technologies, and I
raised a concern that we will have to contend with some new
issues when it comes time to manage such large objects in the
data center. More on this today.

The case of high definition television (HDTV) is useful here as
it may provide us with a worst-case scenario.

HDTV is already starting to arrive, and with it comes a vast
storage requirement. For example, graphics departments at firms
that provide content for HDTV create files in a high-resolution
encoded format that displays data at 30M bit/sec. Such files
will require 13.5G bytes of storage space for each hour of video
produced.

How well suited is the current enterprise IT shop to cope with
the management and manipulation of such data? In most cases, the
answer is probably "not very." Here's why.

First, such data will require new operating systems not
typically found in enterprise IT rooms. Servers with 32-bit
operating systems would likely be dragged to their knees by such
files - the sophisticated math operations required by the
applications that work with such files typically require 64-bit
operating systems. If support for such machines (many of which
are now moving from 32- to 64-bit operating systems) falls
within your responsibilities, the fun has only just begun.
Besides, we all know learning a new operating system is easy, so
give that job to some junior team members. Then, while your
colleagues are learning about the new operating systems, you
might give some thought to another question: What is going to be
required when it comes time to move such large files from one
node to another?

Moving massively large amounts of data across your present LAN
and SAN infrastructure will be no trivial task, and move such
data you assuredly will. And you may have to move it often. This
is because all this new data makes it even more imperative that
we manage with an eye to efficiency. Efficient use of storage
assets will mean migrating these large files whenever there is
no longer a requirement for rapid access to the data by multiple
users. At such a point, data must be moved to second-tier
systems, freeing up valuable space on the first-tier storage.
Expect a fairly continuous movement of data from the "work"
machines to lower tiers of storage.

Beyond this, archiving data off the second-tier storage will
also be a fairly standard act. But archiving of such data may
take quite a different form than what we are used to. This is
because the information lifecycle of high-definition content
should be expected to be quite different from the lifecycle of
most corporate data we have managed in the past.

How is it different? When corporate data ages, it gets passed
down the hierarchy to tape, where it resides in the archive
until those relatively rare occasions when it is read again.
High-definition content, on the other hand - online movies are a
good example - must typically be available on-demand (think of
video-on-demand at a hotel, or the files at a place like CNN).
This change in the latter part of the information lifecycle
means that archived high-definition content is more likely to be
sent to near-line disk than to tape, and that managers charged
with providing for this sort of on-demand requirement for
archived material may have to consider some serious changes as
they plan their hardware buys. Archiving to disk, essentially
unheard of now, may come to prevail in some part of the computer
room as low-priced disk technology becomes increasingly
available.

Large files - which must be stored, moved, stored again, and
frequently accessed perhaps for years afterwards - may
significantly change the way we have to manage a significant
subset of our data.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Google dives deeper into networking
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage6106>

2. 2005 salary survey
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage4039nlstoragealert6020>

3. VoIP rollouts generate heat, power concerns
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage6298>

4. Cisco aims to simplify switch mgmt.
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage6109>

5. VoIP season about to heat up
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage6108>

Today's most-forwarded story:

VoIP rollouts generate heat, power concerns
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlstorage6299>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Mike Karp

Mike Karp is senior analyst with Enterprise Management
Associates, focusing on storage, storage management and the
methodology that brings these issues into the marketplace. He
has spent more than 20 years in storage, systems management and
telecommunications. Mike can be reached via e-mail
<mailto:mkarp@enterprisemanagement.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Avocent
Network World Executive Guide: Reviewing Trends and Insights for
SMB Executives

Life is different for IT professionals at small and mid-sized
businesses, which don't have the luxury of hiring legions of
network experts. Read how network executives are keeping a firm
footing on an ever-shifting product landscape. Learn about
trends and insights surrounding VoIP and VPNs; plus get
commentaries from leading experts on storage strategies for
smaller businesses.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=111799
_______________________________________________________________
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VoIP networks performing at their best. Click here for more:
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