Our recent live SNIA Cloud Webcast “LTFS Bulk Transfer Standard” is now available on-demand. Thanks to all the folks who attended the live event. We did not have time to address all of the questions, so here are answers to them. If you think of additional questions, please feel free to comment on this blog. Q. The LTFS standard seems to support shared extents between files, and by extension, deduplicated files. Is this a correct assessment, and how does it play in the bulk transfer standard? A. The LTFS Bulk Transfer Standard supports shared extents as supported by the LTFS standard, which can transparently reduce space used by having multiple references to common data stored on tape (deduplication). This typically happens below the bulk transfer layer, by the software used to read and write the LTFS volumes. At this point, few software packages support this feature due to the wear and latency consequences of read seeks resulting from using this feature. Q. What is the state of the standard in its lifecycle? (e.g., working group draft, public review, published, etc.) A. The LTFS standard has been around for some time; more information can be found here at http://www.snia.org/tech_activities/standards/curr_standards/ltfs. The LTFS Bulk Transfer Standard is here at http://www.snia.org/tech_activities/publicreview#ltfsbulk, and is in public review. Q. The standard seems to be based on the idea of moving physical tapes to the cloud. Is there a definition of a virtual LTFS image that can be moved between systems over the network? A. Not yet, but that is a great idea we’ll be taking forward in the next versions of the proposal. Q. One of the barriers to greater use of LTFS in the Cloud is the relative lack of enterprise grade management software that ensures that the tape media is refreshed / upgraded as it ages, that its integrity is periodically checked, that reclamation and compaction is done. It needs open standards for support in standard volume management systems as well. Until these things are in place, LTFS will be interesting largely to specialized industries like film/entertainment, seismic, and bulk transfer & bulk storage -- but not about the steady-state use of tape as a true additional layer of the cloud storage hierarchy. Tape with LTFS plus proper management could fill this role -- but not until the full lifecycle tape management is available and integrated. A. The management that is always required for a physical product with a well-defined and finite lifetime is not a unique requirement of LTFS. Tape has a long history of use as a backup and archive medium, and there are a number of tape management products that are commercially available from LTO tape suppliers and independent software companies, as well as open source products. A Google search for “tape management software” will provide you with a number of alternative solutions. Q. Do you have a list or people that sell LTFS based solutions? A. No we don’t, but it’s a very good idea, and we’ll investigate it further.  

Mark your calendar for March 25^th as SNIA-ESF, together with the Dell’Oro Group, will be hosting a live Webcast, “Visions for Ethernet Connected Drives.” The arrival of mass-storage services, the emergence of analytics applications and the adoption of object storage by the cloud-services industry have provided an impetus for new storage hardware architectures. One such underlying hardware technology is the Ethernet connected hard drive, which is in early stages of availability.

Please join us on March 25^th to hear Chris DePuy, Vice President of Dell’Oro Group share findings from interviews with storage-related companies, including those selling hard drives, semiconductors, peripherals and systems, as he will present some common themes uncovered, including:

• What system-level architectural changes may be needed to support Ethernet connected drives
• What capabilities may emerge as a result of the availability of these new drives
• What part of the value chain spends the time and money to package working solutions

We will also present some revenue and unit statistics about the storage systems and hard drive markets and will discuss potential market scenarios that may unfold as a result of the object storage and Ethernet connected drive trends.

I’ll be hosting the event and together with Chris, taking your questions. I hope you’ll join us.

 

Mark your calendar for March 25^th as SNIA-ESF, together with the Dell'Oro Group, will be hosting a live Webcast, "Visions for Ethernet Connected Drives." The arrival of mass-storage services, the emergence of analytics applications and the adoption of object storage by the cloud-services industry have provided an impetus for new storage hardware architectures. One such underlying hardware technology is the Ethernet connected hard drive, which is in early stages of availability. Please join us on March 25^th to hear Chris DePuy, Vice President of Dell'Oro Group share findings from interviews with storage-related companies, including those selling hard drives, semiconductors, peripherals and systems, as he will present some common themes uncovered, including:

• What system-level architectural changes may be needed to support Ethernet connected drives
• What capabilities may emerge as a result of the availability of these new drives
• What part of the value chain spends the time and money to package working solutions

We will also present some revenue and unit statistics about the storage systems and hard drive markets and will discuss potential market scenarios that may unfold as a result of the object storage and Ethernet connected drive trends. I'll be hosting the event and together with Chris, taking your questions. I hope you'll join us.  

Mark your calendar for February 10^th as we conclude our Cloud Developer’s series by hosting a live Webcast on the LTFS Bulk Transfer Standard. LTFS (Linear Tape File System) technology provides compelling economics for bulk transportation of data between enterprise cloud storage.

This Webcast will provide an update on the joint work of the LTFS and Cloud Technical Working Groups on a bulk transfer standard that uses LTFS to allow for the reliable movement of bulk data in and out of the cloud, and mechanisms for verification, error handling and the management of namespaces. Register now to hear David Slik, Co-Chair of the SNIA Cloud Storage Technical Work Group, discuss:

• LTFS standard mandate and history
• LTFS adoption and use cases
• LTFS bulk transfer to, from, and between clouds
• Error handling and recovery
• Security considerations

I’ll be hosting the event, taking your questions, and hopefully shedding some light on the importance of this standard. I hope you’ll join us.

 

Mark your calendar for February 10^th as we conclude our Cloud Developer’s series by hosting a live Webcast on the LTFS Bulk Transfer Standard. LTFS (Linear Tape File System) technology provides compelling economics for bulk transportation of data between enterprise cloud storage. This Webcast will provide an update on the joint work of the LTFS and Cloud Technical Working Groups on a bulk transfer standard that uses LTFS to allow for the reliable movement of bulk data in and out of the cloud, and mechanisms for verification, error handling and the management of namespaces. Register now to hear David Slik, Co-Chair of the SNIA Cloud Storage Technical Work Group, discuss:

• LTFS standard mandate and history
• LTFS adoption and use cases
• LTFS bulk transfer to, from, and between clouds
• Error handling and recovery
• Security considerations

I’ll be hosting the event, taking your questions, and hopefully shedding some light on the importance of this standard. I hope you’ll join us.  

As part of their educational offering, the SNIA Solid State Storage Initiative TechDev committee will feature Barry Hoberman speaking on Spin Transfer and MRAM. This conference call and SNIA WebEx at 2:00 pm Pacific time February 2, 2015 is open to the public. Find the answers to your questions on Spin Transfer/MRAM, including:

• What are the drivers pushing emergence / adoption of Spin Transfer / MRAM?
• What are the compelling advantages of Spin Transfer / MRAM?
• What are the key applications that will be able to take advantage of MRAM?
• What has to happen for Spin Transfer to find traction and deployment?
• When will Spin Transfer / MRAM market adoption take place?

Dial-in to: snia.webex.com Meeting Number: 794 116 066 password: TechDev2015 Teleconference: 1-866-439-4480 Passcode: 57236696# Looking forward to seeing you!

As part of their educational offering, the SNIA Solid State Storage Initiative TechDev committee will feature Barry Hoberman speaking on Spin Transfer and MRAM.

This conference call and SNIA WebEx at 2:00 pm Pacific time February 2, 2015 is open to the public. Find the answers to your questions on Spin Transfer/MRAM, including:

• What are the drivers pushing emergence / adoption of Spin Transfer / MRAM?
• What are the compelling advantages of Spin Transfer / MRAM?
• What are the key applications that will be able to take advantage of MRAM?
• What has to happen for Spin Transfer to find traction and deployment?
• When will Spin Transfer / MRAM market adoption take place?

Dial-in to: snia.webex.com Meeting Number: 794 116 066 password: TechDev2015 Teleconference: 1-866-439-4480 Passcode: 57236696#

Looking forward to seeing you!

We’re kicking off our 2015 ESF Webcasts on March 4th with what we believe is an intriguing topic – how RDMA technologies can accelerate Ethernet Storage. Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) has existed for many years as an interconnect technology, providing low latency and high bandwidth in computing clusters. More recently, RDMA has gained traction as a method for accelerating storage connectivity and interconnectivity on Ethernet. In this Webcast, experts from Emulex, Intel and Microsoft will discuss:

• Storage protocols that take advantage of RDMA
• Overview of iSER for block storage
• Deep dive of SMB Direct for file storage.
• Benefits of available RDMA technologies to accelerate your Ethernet storage connectivity, both iWARP and RoCE

Register now. This live Webcast will provide attendees with a vendor-neutral look at RDMA technologies and should prove to be an interactive and informative event. I hope you’ll join us!

We're kicking off our 2015 ESF Webcasts on March 4th with what we believe is an intriguing topic – how RDMA technologies can accelerate Ethernet Storage. Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) has existed for many years as an interconnect technology, providing low latency and high bandwidth in computing clusters.  More recently, RDMA has gained traction as a method for accelerating storage connectivity and interconnectivity on Ethernet.  In this Webcast, experts from Emulex, Intel and Microsoft will discuss:

• Storage protocols that take advantage of RDMA
• Overview of iSER for block storage
• Deep dive of SMB Direct for file storage.
• Benefits of available RDMA technologies to accelerate your Ethernet storage connectivity, both iWARP and RoCE

Register now. This live Webcast will provide attendees with a vendor-neutral look at RDMA technologies and should prove to be an interactive and informative event. I hope you'll join us!

The SNIA Solid State Storage Initiative (SSSI), its affiliated Technical Work Groups (TWGs), and its individual members were honored at this week's SNIA Member Symposium in San Jose, California.

From left, Paul Wassenberg, Marvell (SNIA SSSI Chair); Paul Von Behren, Intel (SNIA NVM Programming TWG Co-Chair); Jim Ryan, Intel (SNIA SSSI Marketing Chair); and Arthur Sainio, SMART Modular (SNIA NVDIMM SIG Co-Chair)

At Wednesday's SNIA member recognition event,  five awards were bestowed based on votes by their colleagues in the Association:

1.      MOST OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENTS OF A SNIA TECHNOLOGY COMMUNITY –  SSSI (for the second year in a row)

2.      MOST SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS BY A COMMITTEE – NVDIMM SIG (in their first year of existence)

3.      MOST SIGNIFICANT IMPACT BY A TECHNICAL WORK GROUP – NVM Programming TWG (adding to all the other awards it has received in the past 2 years)

4.      VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR – Jim Ryan (who in addition to managing the Storage Industry Summit for two years in a row, is also the SSSI Marketing co-chair)

5.      INDUSTRY IMPACT AWARD – Paul von Behren, NVM Programming TWG chair (and tireless advocate of NVM technology)

In addition, Phil Mills, SNIA SSSI Founding Chair, was inducted into the SNIA Hall of Fame.

More details are available at www.snia.org/about/awards.

Congratulations to these SNIA volunteers and groups, who are poised for a great 2015!