Learning storage connectivity options

Storage access is a crucial configuration for UCS solutions providing raw storage for both virtualized and non-virtualized servers. Most UCS deployments run virtualized environments where virtual workloads leverage many advanced features of centralized storage accessible through FC, FCoE, and iSCSI protocols. Most UCS blade servers provide very limited direct-attached internal storage space sufficient for installing hypervisors locally and leveraging centralized storage for all virtual servers.

Raw storage is available in three different categories. We will now briefly introduce these main raw storage categories:

• Direct Attached Storage (DAS): This is the storage available inside a server and is directly connected to the system through the motherboard. The cost and performance of this storage depends upon the disks and RAID controller cards inside the servers. DAS is less expensive and is simple to configure; however, it lacks the scalability, performance...