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Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

In The Lab: Dell UltraSharp 32″ 4K Monitor

The Dell UltraSharp 32 Ultra HD Monitor (UP3214Q) is designed for video editing, animation, application and game development as well as other use cases where having fine detail on your monitor is imperative. With a native resolution of 3840 x 2160, four times as much space as 1080p, the UP3214Q has exceedingly high pixel-density, allowing us

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

In the Lab: Giving Client SSDs an Edge in Enterprise

There are many factors that differentiate client SSDs from enterprise SSDs. One of those attributes is the amount of over-provisioning (OP) an SSD has. Over-provisioning on a flash device is the amount of space reserved for controller background activity; less OP means greater capacity with slower write performance, while more OP means less capacity and better sustained

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

In the Lab: Netgear Ethernet Networking Infrastructure

One of the more integral components in any lab is its traditional Ethernet networking infrastructure connecting servers, storage, networking and related components. While high-speed interconnects such as 10/40GbE, Infiniband or Fibre Channel might be the primary production links for storage or other means, gigabit is still needed to make all that gear manageable. For every switch, server or

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

In the Lab: Mellanox SX1024 Switch Configuration

In today's look into the StorageReview Lab, we are working on the initial configuration of a new Mellanox 10/40Gb Ethernet switch, the SX1024. Offering 48 10Gb SFP+ ports and 12 40/56Gb QSFP+ ports, it adds an immense number of ports to our top-of-rack connectivity for high-speed storage arrays and host connections. To get the switch

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

In the Lab: On-Site Testing Toolkit

At StorageReview, almost all reviews on the site are tested with hardware in our own lab on-premises in Cincinnati. As we grow and expand to testing larger storage systems, the need for proper on-site testing equipment grows. Rather than use gear supplied by a vendor for in-lab visits, we prefer to keep as much control as

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

In the Lab: Bulk SSD Secure Erasing

When reviewing large batches of SSDs for a certain project, the time always comes where to get back to a clean state, a bunch of SSDs need to be secure erased. This process can't be overlooked, since depending on the workload, not putting a drive back into its factory fresh condition can cause problems switching between workloads. In

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

Selecting the Best DRAM Configuration for SQL Server 2012

Building the ideal Microsoft SQL Server 2012 production server can be a daunting task, with variables such as storage, RAM, or processor selection stumping even seasoned IT administrators. We last posted an analysis around selecting the best Intel Xeon E5-2600 v2 CPU for running SQL Server 2012 in non-virtualized environments. Aside from CPU, RAM is another key component

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

Micron M600 Client-Class SSD Announced

Micron has announced their next-generation client-class M600 SATA SSD, which offers low-power, high-performance storage for personal computers. The M600 is specifically designed to leverage Micron’s NAND Flash technology to addresses the storage demands of modern mobile computing applications, such as Ultrabook platforms and tablets, as well as performance-oriented PC desktops and video capture systems. The M600

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

StorageReview NAS Test Lab

The StorageReview NAS Test Lab is a purpose built virtualized testing infrastructure to benchmark the growing number of 1GbE and 10Gbase-T shared storage products hitting the market. We've paired up with Tripp Lite for infrastructure products including the 42U SmartRack series rack, SmartPro 3kVA 2250W Line Interactive Sine Wave UPS, as well as their Single-Phase

Enterprise  ◇  In the Lab

How To Lower Virtualized Data Center Expense With USB Flash

One of the little known or little explored secrets with servers running VMware ESXi 5.x is they can be booted off of USB or SD flash media. In such a scenario, enterprises could dump HBAs or RAID cards and the hard drives or SSDs that are used to boot the servers. Going this route yields a CAPEX benefit