Simplifying and Assuring Scalability in NAS Storage Infrastructure

In the data storage world, we refer to scalability as the ability to grow more in the storage capacity. It becomes necessary as the clients of the vendors of storage solution such as Scale Out NAS  grow in their business. This article is about the ways in which scalability can be achieved more easily and effortlessly.

There are 8 top practices which make it easier to scale out a storage infrastructure. Let us go through them one by one.  

1.       Stay Away from Databases to Make NAS Storage More Easily Scalable

It is a key to stay away from the database if you want to make scalability in the NAS storage easier and effective. It means that the database links must not be opened unnecessarily as it effects the scalability swiftness. There must be least number of transactions from the database.

2.       Lighten Up the database in NAS Storage

Another way of taking load off the database is using cache. It can be used particularly for the programs which are associated to databases and are only readable not writable. The cache that resides in memory is preferable on the one that resides on the disk, which in turn is better and more effective than database of a relational or remote type.

3.       Use Cache for Coarse Grained Objects

The CPU and the time taken by the NAS Storage infrastructure to assess the number of cache zones, can be saved by using cache for those objects which are coarse grained. So, it proves to be time efficient which makes scalability easier and quicker.

4.       Keep Transient Data Elsewhere

Another key element is to keep the transient data such as the log in and other sessional data somewhere but not in the database. It makes the database available for the mission critical data only which needs to be in the database and no other type of irrelevant less important data.

5.       Decide Wisely Where to Put What

In order to be able to make the NAS Storage system easily scalable, you need to be wise enough to decide which data should be stored on which location. The key is to try and keep the data as close as possible to the point from where it is going to be delivered. It enables the system not to involve a load balancer, a program and a server and sort of bypasses all these components to make things done quicker.

6.       Streamline the Requests

The requests to access the database or do any other action on it, must be preferably executed on a first come first served basis. The upcoming requests can be dealt with later on.

7.       Breaking down a process into steps

If a process is broken down into several asynchronous steps which are not attached to each other, scalability can be enhanced and so can be the performance of the storage infrastructure.

8.       Minimize the Network Communication

Last but not the least is the attempt to keep the programs and applications communicate for the minimum number of time. These communications, if taken out at the network level make things slower as compared to when done in the memory.  

Conclusion

In this article, ways of making scalability easier and more productive in a SAN Storage Infrastructure have been shared. These are the steps which can make easy and fast scalability to be achieved by the enterprises which need a more efficient scalable and high performance infrastructures.