Finding the Best Solution for Portable Data Storage: Tomorrow's External Hard Drive

 Often, people think their search for a solution to protect themselves against a computer crash and loss of data stops at the purchase of a simple external hard drive. They could not be further from the truth; in fact, an external hard drive is merely a start if you are serious about backing up your data. External hard drives are, in effect, hard drives, and just like any other hardware, can develop faults over time, and can crash. For secure data storage bare metal data center, one extra hard drive simply does not cut it. For you multimedia professionals, graphic designers, and small business owners who like to have all their data stored in a central location on one device, do not rest on your laurels with a meager external hard drive. In the world of technology, there is only one constant: change. The old becomes obsolete. Systems crash and hard drives become defective. It is inevitable: your external hard drive is just about as assured of failure as the computer is that caused you to invest in external storage in the first place. The ideal solution for protecting your data from a disastrous hardware failure is to have data sourced in multiple storage points (i.e off-site or in the cloud). But for those of you who still prefer the convenience of one portable storage device, perhaps a RAID device is exactly what you have been wishing for.

There is no denying the usefulness of a simple external hard drive, especially if you are a very mobile worker or cannot access the internet for online storage. External hard drives give users an additional location for data storage, and some are even capable of performing automated backups of entire systems. But there are two main drawbacks with traditional external hard drives: 1) space is preset and limited; and 2) there's only one surface for data storage. Secure data storage means multiple hard disks-literally layers upon layers of storage capacity. Whether you purchase a 250GB or a 3TB drive, you are locked into a fixed amount of volume and your data storage needs must adjust to the capacity of the drive; in a world where data is growing exponentially, it should be the other way around.

Traditional external hard drives also usually only have one means of connectivity, which can limit transfer speeds. Another downside is that these drives, during file transfer, can sometimes affect the performance of your system, which forces data transfers and large file downloads to be completed during non-work situations so that the computer can be optimized and running at full speed when in use-not ideal for those who favor convenience. External hard drives are also very delicate: one drop can trigger immediate inaccessibility and thus loss of data in a flash. Therefore, they usually require some sort of protective case or stand, which gets added into product costs for the end user. Additionally, there is always the element of surprise with traditional drives. Most hard drives never let you know when a problem is imminent, leaving you no window of opportunity to salvage your data before it crashes. And lastly, hard drives usually need to be remounted every time the user wishes to access his/her data; keeping the hard drive connected at all times hampers its performance, can cause overheating, which over time, can deter the drive speed and expedite the onset of a crash.

RAID technology, which stands for redundant array of independent disks, has been a mainstay in the IT industry for some time now. In simplest terms, RAID combines multiple disk drives into one unit, and data is divided, replicated, and distributed across the drives, essentially for greater storage space. A RAID device holds multiple drives at once, and allows you to buy drives as you need them. However, even RAID devices still have a few drawbacks. With traditional RAID you are locked into specific "RAID levels," (which in layman's terms, is simply different array architectures that offer various advantages in terms of data availability, cost, and performance) and in order to change them, most storage arrays require you to move data off the drive, reconfigure the drive, and then move it back on. Traditional RAID also means lack of expandability: once drives are configured into a RAID pool that is it. If you want to add more storage capacity, the solution is to create a new RAID pool, which probably means starting over. And a third negative regarding traditional RAID concerns drive failure: When a drive fails, most RAID applications enter a state where data loss will occur if another drive falters before the user replaces the failed drive-again, leaving the user no chance to save his records before they are lost. Also, performance is affected when in this hampered state.

The volume of data that companies and people are going to have to manage is continually expanding. The days of knowing how much storage capacity you will need prior to purchasing a drive are disappearing. Information updates so frequently that data storage capacity needs to be able to conform to the needs of the user. This ever-increasing demand for data storage calls for better external drives. RAID drives will need to allow for users to add storage capacity without having to change RAID levels or go through complex administration of pooling RAID groups. If you want to add storage capacity, they should allow you to simply insert additional disk drives or replace smaller disks with ones that have more capacity and automatically reconfigure. If a drive happens to fail, a RAID device should automatically redistribute data across remaining drives, returning data storage to a protected state. Data storage should be seamless, easy, and efficient. New external hard drives should facilitate secure data storage, and enable adjustable capacity; there should be no need to purchase another external drive or delete data just to make room. RAID devices should also have a way of communicating when user interaction is required, when the device is engaged in file transfer, how much capacity is available, and when a drive needs to be replaced. A drive that, no matter what you do, never interrupts what you are performing on your system and never prohibits access to data even while replacing drives would make data storage most effective. That is the new definition of what secure data storage is--flexible, facilitates multipoint storage, and it works easy while you work hard.

Data Storage and the Virtual Desktop Infrastructure

Data storage takes many forms and can be broken down into primary, secondary, removable, and virtual data storage. Each category has its place. As an organization moves toward a virtual desktop infrastructure, some forms of storage system may be more appropriate than others. Here's a look at the different types of storage systems and their place, if any, in a virtual desktop infrastructure.

Primary Data Storage

Think of IPU primary storage as built-in, hands-off storage on a computer or server. For example, computers come with built-in RAM and ROM. In general, this type of data is handled by the operating system and end-users are not required to do anything special other than use their computers. Random Access Memory (RAM) stores data temporarily; when a computer is switched off, its RAM data is removed from memory. Read only memory (ROM) is permanent and cannot be overwritten; ROM stores data on internal chips.

With a virtual desktop infrastructure, each virtual desktop is assigned its own allotment of RAM independent of what's physically installed on the actual machine used to launch the virtual desktop.

Secondary Data Storage

Storage devices such as hard disks, CDs, DVDs, and USB flash drives are secondary storage devices. These devices can be added to a computer system or network as needed to increase storage capacity. For example, if you have a desktop computer with a nearly full built-in hard disk, you could add a second hard disk for added capacity. You could also write data to a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive. Secondary storage is semi-permanent. For example, it doesn't disappear when you shut down the computer like RAM does. However, you can usually overwrite data and delete files (unless the data is on a ROM disc such as a CD-ROM or has been set as read-only).

Removable storage falls into the secondary storage category, but is notable for its portability. USB thumb drives are the classic example of removable storage. These small devices are inserted into USB ports where they become an extra drive. You can drag and drop files between other drives and the USB drive as well as save files directly to the device. Once removed, the storage is portable. You can plug the USB drive into a different computer and access the files, write new data, and so on. Removable storage comes in several forms including USB drives, memory cards, and even connected devices such as digital cameras, smartphones, and MP3 players (which have their own storage systems).

Virtual machines do not necessarily need their own storage devices as data is generally stored in the organization's virtual storage system. However, end-users may need to access data on a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc or may want to save files to a USB drive for various purposes. For example, a sales rep may want a copy of his PowerPoint presentation on a USB device to ensure a smooth presentation at a client's office.

Online / Virtual Data Storage

Online / virtual storage is a storage system hosted by the enterprise or a third party provider, with users accessing it using a network or Internet connection. While the terms virtual data storage and cloud computing often sound as if data is just invisibly floating around, it is actually stored on physical storage devices located in a remote datacenter.

Virtual data storage is a vital component of a virtual desktop infrastructure. After all, virtual desktop users need a centralized location for storing and accessing data. If a user were to store files on a local computer rather than in virtual data storage, that data would not be accessible when the user uses a different computer to launch the virtual desktop.

Data Arteries - Enabling Business Strategy Through Information Technology

Regardless of size and industry, every enterprise is dependent upon information technology, and must have a strategy for how to employ it, especially as the internet becomes more pervasive. Information technology strategy is an enabler of business strategy. Not only must an enterprise manage relationships with its constituencies, but it must be able to connect with them electronically through data arteries - information supply, value, and demand chains. The information supply and demand chains are external; the information value chains are internal.

An information technology bare metal data center strategy is a special case functional strategy because every function in the enterprise requires electronic information delivery capabilities, and many require electronic process control also. In very large enterprises, strategy may be formulated at both the enterprise and organizational unit levels.

As websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace, Plaxo, and Twitter become more pervasive in business, linkages between application systems and databases and social networking websites will be more important to enable constituencies to communicate both collaboratively and cooperatively. Just as email has become a primary method of communication between enterprises and their constituencies, so will social networking sites especially for advertising and ecommerce.

Business intelligence information can be used to identify opportunities for competitive advantage. However, information technology itself can be an enabler of competitive advantage, especially when there are opportunities to digitize products or deliver information products electronically. In such cases, business strategy is inseparable from information technology strategy.

Information technology comprises the analytical and operational application systems, databases, and technical infrastructure (hardware and networks) of an enterprise. Not all computer technologies are information based. Computer technology is used for process control applications in special purpose equipment. However, connectivity is essential as applications become more integrated. As digital construction and manufacturing practices develop through such technologies as computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM), the processes, the control of processes, and the products and/or services delivered by processes all rely upon information technology for connectivity.

For example, in the manufacturing industry, not only can design and manufacturing work be conducted through integrated CAD/CAM processes with electronic linkages to carriers, such as FedEx and UPS, but the entire project and process management activities can be monitored electronically from ideation to product delivery.

Through technologies such as electronic data interchange and electronic funds transfer, data and both digital and information products flow through information supply and demand chains in parallel to material supply and product and/or service demand chains. Within the enterprise, data flows through information value chains from supply chains and to demand chains.

Developing an information technology strategy document is essential for describing the requirements and for educating users because:

The impact is enterprise or organizational unit wide and other elements of strategy cannot be implemented without it

Administrative activities, such as legal, finance, and human resources, and operational activities, such as research and development, procurement, manufacturing or equivalent, distribution, marketing, sales, and service depend on information technology - analytical and operational systems support both administrative and operational functions

The time frames, expenditures, risks, and magnitude of efforts are usually larger and more complicated than other initiatives and must be clearly understood; information technology projects have a tendency to go out of control and under deliver - therefore, contingency plans are always necessary

The subject matter can be complicated if not well explained

Data Storage Features of Personal Computers

Computer data storage is the component of the PC which holds digital information for a particular period of time. Data storing is one of the most important functions of a PC. Along with CPU and Input and Output devices, it is considered as core component of a PC.

Formats of stored data

DPU is stored in the storage device using binary format. Audio, pictures, text, numerals and any other information are converted into a sequence of bits or binary digits. Binary digits could hold the value of either 0 or 1 only. The set of 8 consecutive bits is called a byte. Byte is the most common unit of storage.

Storage Hierarchy

Based on the bandwidth,latency and cost per bit, the memory types are organized into storage hierarchy. The band width of the memory types at the higher positions of the storage hierarchy is more than of the memory types that at the lower positions. Also, if the position is higher, then the latency is also less. There are 4 type in the hierarchy namely primary, secondary, tertiary and off-line storage.

Primary Storage

CPU could directly access memory type of primary storage. Random Access Memory or RAM is an example of this type of memory. Though RAM is tiny sized and light, but it is quite expensive. It is also volatile. RAM does not retain information, when not powered up. Two more types of primary storage are Processor Register and Processor Cache. CPU contains the processor registers. The size of the register could be 1 byte, 2 bytes, 4 bytes or even 8 bytes. CPU performs various operations on the registers. Among all forms of storage, registers are the fastest to access. Processor Cache is slower than registers but faster than main memory. It is used to improve the performance of the PC. Most widely used information store in the main memory is copied into processor cache. This makes the information access time much lesser.

Secondary Storage

CPU cannot directly access memory type of secondary storage. The CPU uses its input and output channels to access secondary storage data. It is non volatile which means it does not lose data while not powered up. Hard disk drives, optical storage drives,flash memory,floppy drives are some examples of secondary storage category. This is the most important storage for PC because information is stored in it permanently. If by any reason the stored data gets corrupted, the computer support becomes essential to restore the corrupt data.

Tertiary storage

Tertiary storage involves robotic mechanism which inserts and takes out removable mass storage media into storage device as per system requirements. It is mainly used for accessing the huge amount of old and rarely accesses data. Optical jukeboxes and tape libraries are two examples of tertiary storage.

Off-line storage

Off-line storage devices are not under the control of any processing unit. While storing or retrieving information offline storage devices are connected to the CPU. Once the data transfer is done, the device is removed from the processor. These types of devices are used mainly for data transfer.

Recovering lost data

Data stored in the storage devices could be lost,damaged or corrupted due to many reasons such as hardware failure, human error,software crash etc. Remote support could come handy in retrieving lost,damaged or corrupted data.

Understanding Data Storage and PCs

 The two most important things that one should consider in buying PCs are their processors and data storage. There are many other components, of course, that may be considered. However, these two are the computer's heart and soul. Without which, the computer is nothing.

What matters much in a processor is its speed, the quickness it is able to retrieve information according to the user's intention. With a high processor speed, the computer can function well even with many programs running at the same time. If it is slow, a user, generally, can experience problems with his computer's operation. Sometimes, it may even crash with just a couple of programs running.

The data processing unit is where the gigabytes of the information entered into the PCs are stored. It should be secure enough from any element that can affect the data and render it no longer retrievable and damaged. Otherwise, all this valuable information could be just be lost in a matter of time, something that can spell real trouble for computer users.

There are different types of data storage. One uses discs as the medium that holds the data. Many PCs have enclosed discs that can handle hundreds of gigabytes of information. Those that are used for big offices to store business-related information can actually handle even more, sometimes thousands of gigabytes.

With the arrival and development of microchips, data can now be stored in much smaller data storage. These are usually found in smaller PCs such as laptops. Portable memory devices like the USB have these chips inside. These have limitations on the amount of memory that can be stored though.

Since most people have used their computers not just for work but also for entertainment, there is a rising demand for data storage that can accommodate higher volumes of memory. Manufacturers of PCs have tried to meet this by developing those that can really store thousands of gigabytes without making the central processing unit, which houses the data storage, grow in size.

The trend nowadays is to make PCs as small as possible for convenience in bringing it around and for better aesthetic value. However, that is just for the CPU. The peripherals, especially the monitor, are better left in their usual size. For those that are used in graphics design, bigger monitors provide better details.

The memory size of data storage has a bearing on the prices of PCs. It would be wise to buy a computer with average memory size. However, if the intention is to build a soft library of different digital file types, then purchasing one that has more than a hundred gigabytes of memory is advisable.

Bare metal data center

These devices, and a fortiori the individual studio do not work without adjusted software application: the sequencers manage the execution of a piece straight beginning from a computer system, the editors of noise are meant for the treatment, the assembly, and the blending of sound series. Programs make it possible to compose a partition, which from now on is generally used by the musical edition. The makers can likewise be put under the control of additional programs to the structure bare metal data center.

The musical representation

The Midi requirement was established in 1983 to enable the piloting of numerous synthesizers beginning from one just keyboard; the messages are sent in mathematical format, according to a well-specified procedure. With the origin, Midi is therefore well based on critical gesturer control: it is an approach to represent not the noise, however the gesture of the artist who plays a Midi instrument.

Developed in the middle of the Seventies, this system increases naturally from the technique of the synthesis of the noise by this type-setter: within the group which it had signed up with together, baptized at first Emamu (Group of Mathematics and Musical Automatic, 1966), and with the funding of the Structure Gulbenkian, Xenakis had made develop a digital-to-analog converter of high quality. The UPIC represents a total environment of structure with, in the outcome, the noise synthesis of the page of made-up music. To hear the page which it has simply drawn, the type-setter needs to wait up until the computer system ended up computing all the samples; the generation of the noise is guaranteed by a digital-to-analog converter of high quality.

Data Storage and IPU

One year later on, max Mathews, a scientist at the labs of the Bell Telephone, in New Jersey, was the very first mathematical developer of synthesis of the noise for the computer system IBM 704 composes. Let us keep in mind that throughout the development of the work of Hiller by the string quartet WQXR, it is maxed Mathews which arranged a recording, which provided location, afterward, with the publication of this recording in a disc brought out in 1960 by the Bell Laboratories, and entitled Music from Mathematics: even if the methods traced by these 2 creators are independent, it is not understood as that they did not cross

The commercial field is today at first comprised by the market of the synthesizers and the processors of the noise, and by the software application that makes it possible to exploit them. Today, all the synthesizers are mathematical, and always satisfy the Midi requirement. The field of the synthesizers is double: on the one hand, devices, frequently offered with a keyboard, which propose an option of preprogrammed noises which one can differ specific criteria by a primary procedure of shows; in addition, the makers which are planned to recreate noises in advance taped and remembered, or kept on mass memory: samplers, or "samplers".

It must be kept in mind that all these innovations end up being available to the personal artist, within the structure of what is called typically the "individual studio" (house studio).

To develop a workstation consists in collecting programs of numerous nature, planned for the analysis or the synthesis of the noise, the control of the noise or the structure. These programs are incorporated within IPU data-processing an "environment" arranged around a computer system and of its peripherals, meant for the treatment of the noise online.

bare metal data center

With the Bell labs, max Mathews, on his side, composed in 1957 a very first mathematical configured synthesis of the noise for the computer system IBM 704, geared up with 4096 words of memory. The program Music III (1960) presented the principle of instrument modular. The design envisioned by max Mathews is motivated by more than one device of lab or an electronic studio of music that by an acoustic stringed-instrument trade.

With the origin of musical information processing bare metal data center, one discovers 2 types of activities, independent one of the other. These 2 types of activities are the musical structure and production of the noise. The very first severe tests of the musical structure per computer system go back to 1956: it is on this date that Lejaren Hiller determined a partition utilizing guidelines encodes in the kind of algorithms on the computer system Illiac I of the University of Illinois.

Another application of the computer appears with the piloting of analogical instruments. The first example of this system which one names "hybrid synthesis" was established in 1970 in Elektron Musik Studio of Stockholm, foundation independent since 1969, financed by the Royal Academy of Music, and placed under the direction of Knut Wiggen. A computer PDP 15/40 controlled twenty-four generators of frequency there, a generator of white vibration, two-third filters of the octave, modulators: out of the ring, of amplitude and reverberations.

DPU - data processing unit

The 2nd impact of the arrival of the microcomputer was the style of the "combined synthesis", synthesizers mathematical, real computer systems adjusted to the computation of the acoustic wave in real times, positioned under the control of a computer system. 

From 2nd half of the Seventies appear several accomplishments of this type; we will keep the work of James Beauchamp, Jean-François Louis, William Buxton, inter alia, like those of Peter Samson (synthesizer of Systems Principle, developed for the proving ground-- CCRMA-- University of Stanford), Synclavier de New England DIGITAL Corporation, developed by Syd Alonso and Cameron Jones under the impulse of the type-setter Jon Appleton, style, under the impulse of Luciano Berio, of a bench of oscillators in Naples by Giuseppe di Giugno, who continued his operate in Ircam under the instructions of Pierre Boulez; more just recently, Fly 30 of the Center of recherché musical of Rome. Let us keep in mind that with the 4X of Ircam, the regard to synthesizer vanishes, changed by that of the mathematical processor of signal, which unquestionably moves the accent on the basic info of the device.

It is the middle of the Seventies which marks the shift towards an inexorable widening from now on from the life of musical information processing, with the look of the microprocessor. A data-processing DPU stringed-instrument trade will end up being slowly possible with the style of total computer systems on an incorporated circuit: microprocessors. It will likewise be essential that the user interface with the user enhances, which the punch cards by a more interactive mode of inputs are changed: it will be the cathode and the keyboard ray tube which will bring it.

data processing unit

The experiment musical of the Art Group and Data processing unit of Vincennes (GAIV) highlight this time of shift well. This group, established at the University of Paris 8 by Patrick Greussay and a group of architects and artists, is understood for the publication of a publication diffusing the research study jobs in the latest art and information processing, delegated to the type-setter Giuseppe Englert the musical coordination of her activities. It is Intellec 8, a microcomputer with words of 8 bits, bought by a paper tape and a keyboard, which was utilized with the compositional activities and as research study on musical formalization; English synthesizers EMS-VCS3 were managed by the microcomputer, using digital-to-analog converters credited offer power of order in exchange of the binary information computed by interactive programs.

The concept of the hybrid synthesis continued to be used throughout the Seventies, before being supplanted definitively by the mathematical synthesizers at the dawn of the Eighties. The American business Intel markets given that 1971 the very first microprocessor, the circuit 4004, which enable the style of real mini-computer systems, the microcomputers: Intellec 8 (developed beginning with microprocessor 8008 of 1972), Apple I, Altair (1975 ), collected quickly under the name of micro-computers.

The industry of electronic instruments does not take a long time to adapt to these new developments. The second stage follows soon: it consists in designing genuine entirely numerical musical instruments.

Because of the relative sluggishness of the makers and style weight to be brought out, time put to produce the sound wave is rather greater than the period of the noises; the operation of these programs is understood as "in differed time". With the origin, the sound waves calculated in numerical form were stored on a numerical tape progressively proceeding to the end of an arithmetic unit of samples.