Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

Hyper-Converged Infrastructure Management

• Erasure coding vs. RAID: Pros and cons for hyper-convergence

  Hyper-converged systems, like any other, require data protection. We describe using RAID and erasure coding for hyper-convergence to help you pick the best option for your HCI.  Continue Reading

• HCI management layer vs. native hypervisor management

  See why inherent differences between hyper-converged and native hypervisor management tools tend to make one better suited for managing virtualized HCI resources than the other.  Continue Reading

• Essential hyper-converged backup, data protection questions to ask

  Procure a hyper-converged infrastructure, and you'll need to protect the data residing in that environment. Ask and answer these questions to determine the best HCI backup approach for your organization.  Continue Reading

• Do the benefits of hyper-convergence outweigh the drawbacks?

  Much has been said about the inability to scale storage separately from other resources in a hyper-converged system, but are there any advantages to treating storage in this way?  Continue Reading

• Do hyper-converged platforms have scalability limitations?

  Hyper-converged architectures let users scale easily by adding nodes as needed, but it's important to be aware of vendor- and hypervisor-specific limitations.  Continue Reading

• What hyper-converged architecture features are most important?

  When evaluating your options for a hyper-converged architecture, simplicity, resilience and scalability are some factors that should top your shopping list.  Continue Reading

• How do I manage VM resources in hyper-converged systems?

  Hyper-converged systems are growing in popularity, but the setup of virtual environments can result in wasted VM resources.  Continue Reading

• How are hyper-converged vendors providing DR?

  Brien Posey explains how hyper-converged systems are used for DR and which vendors are offering it in this expert answer.  Continue Reading

• How does the cost of a hyper-converged system compare to SAN or NAS?

  When evaluating the cost of a hyper-converged storage system, it's important to keep the functionality of the system in mind in addition to cost per gigabyte.  Continue Reading

• Are vSphere Virtual Volumes necessary with an EVO:RAIL appliance?

  Taneja Group's Tom Fenton explains how VVOLs work, and the storage differences between VVOLs and VSAN.  Continue Reading

• Is hyper-converged storage for VDI a good option?

  Hyper-converged storage can be a great fit for VDI because it eliminates complicated configuration that comes with virtualizing desktops.  Continue Reading

• How do hyper-converged systems change storage provisioning for VMs?

  Hyper-converged architectures make provisioning storage for VMs simpler by integrating it into configuration options.  Continue Reading