Storage
DAS
Direct-attached storage connects drives straight to a server, with no network in the path. It is the simplest way to give a database, a render node or an editing workstation more room, at the lowest latency. IOPStor sizes the drives, the controller and the enclosure to your workload, and builds it.
Why it matters
When DAS is the right choice
- One server needs the capacity, and nothing else has to share it
- The application wants the lowest latency: a database, a virtual machine host’s local store, a video edit
- The network is already busy, or there is none to spare
- A server needs more storage, and buying a second server would be overkill
DAS or NAS?
- Who uses it
- DAS: the one server it is attached to. NAS: everyone on the network.
- How it connects
- DAS: a SAS cable, straight to the server’s controller. NAS: Ethernet.
- Speed
- DAS: no network overhead; the drives and the controller set the pace. NAS: the network ports set the pace.
- Sharing and snapshots
- DAS: whatever the server’s operating system provides. NAS: built in, with shares, permissions, snapshots and replication.
What we build
Sized to the workload
We start from what the server runs and how fast the data grows, then choose the number of drives, the drive type and the redundancy to match.
Enterprise SAS and SSD drives
12 Gb/s SAS hard drives for capacity, SSDs for speed, or both, in hot-swap bays so a failed drive is changed without downtime.
Redundancy you choose
Mirroring or parity, chosen by how many drive failures the data must survive and how much capacity you are willing to give up for it.
Three years of warranty
Hardware warranty for three years, with unlimited phone and web support in the first.
Questions people ask
Is DAS faster than a NAS?
For one server, usually: there is no network between the application and the drives. For many people at once, a NAS shares the same capacity far better.
Can two servers share one DAS?
How is a DAS backed up?
Tell us about the server
Which server, what it runs and how much it has to hold. We specify the drives and the enclosure and give you a one-time price.