Storage Technologies Collection

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Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Storage Technologies Collection

Much of the data stored on Microsoft Windows-based servers is critically important for the day-to-day activities in business organizations. Because it is important that employees are able to access and store data reliably, data storage and recovery are a concern for many IT managers. In response to the expanding needs for storage in distributed computing environments, Windows Server 2003 includes many storage technologies that are designed to help you store, access, and manage data on servers.

Storage technologies include the following components:

  • File Services Technologies

  • File Systems Technologies

  • Disks and Volumes

  • Storage Services Technologies

File Services Technologies

File services are the underlying technologies that enable file servers to share data within an organization. These essential services allow users to store and share data on servers across the network.

Windows Server 2003 offers a number of file server solutions, such as disk quotas, Shadow Copies for Shared Folders, Distributed File System (DFS), and File Replication service (FRS), for enhancing the manageability, scalability, and availability of file servers.

File Systems Technologies

A file system is the structure in which files are named, stored, and organized. Windows Server 2003 supports the following file systems: FAT16, FAT32, and NTFS. You can use any combination of these file systems on a hard disk, but each volume on a hard disk can use only one file system. By default, Windows Server 2003 uses the NTFS file system.

NTFS provides performance, reliability, and advanced features not found in any version of FAT. For example, NTFS includes built-in security features such as file and folder permissions and the Encrypting File System (EFS), which is the technology used to store encrypted files on NTFS volumes. NTFS also provides support for volumes up to 256 terabytes in size, support for disk quotas and compression, and support for mounted drives.

Disks and Volumes

Windows Server 2003 offers two types of disks for storing information about your server: basic and dynamic. Basic disks use the same disk structures as those used by the Microsoft MS-DOS operating system and all previous versions of Microsoft Windows. Dynamic disks were introduced in Windows 2000 and they provide features that basic disks do not, such as the ability to create volumes that span multiple disks, including fault-tolerant mirrored and RAID-5 volumes.

Storage Services Technologies

In response to the expanding needs for storage in distributed computing environments, Windows Server 2003 includes several storage technologies that are designed to help you store, access, and manage data on servers.

Storage Technologies Scenarios

This section describes some of the most common scenarios for using storage technologies.

File Services Scenarios

The following sections describe the scenarios in which organizations deploy file services in Windows Server 2003.

DFS

DFS is used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Provide an intuitive way for users to access multiple file servers throughout the organization.

  • Make data on multiple file servers appear as though it were available on a single file server.

  • Make data available in multiple sites so that users in each site use fast, inexpensive bandwidth to access the data.

  • Reduce delays that occur when users access heavily used shared folders.

  • Provide fault-tolerant access to shared folders.

  • Consolidate file servers or migrate data without affecting how users locate data.

Disk Quotas

Disk quotas are used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Limit the amount of data that users can store on a particular volume.

  • Monitor how much disk space each user is using.

FRS

FRS is used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Ensure data availability if a file server fails or is taken offline for maintenance.

  • Make data available in multiple sites to provide inexpensive access to users within each site.

Shadow Copies for Shared Folders

Shadow Copies for Shared Folders is used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Provide access to previous versions of files on the file server.

  • Reduce the cost associated with restoring files for users.

File Systems Scenarios

FAT or FAT32 file systems

The FAT and FAT32 file systems are used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Provide compatibility with older operating systems, such as Windows 98.

  • Provide a way to switch between different versions of the Windows operating system on the same computer by using a dual-boot configuration.

NTFS file system

The NTFS file system is used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Keep files secure. The NTFS file system is more secure than either FAT or FAT32.

  • Use the advanced features provided by NTFS, such as disk quotas, file and folder permissions, encryption, large volume support, and sparse file management.

Disk and Volume Scenarios

The following sections describe the scenarios in which organizations use basic and dynamic disks and volumes in Windows Server 2003.

Basic disks and volumes

Basic disks and volumes are used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Provide simple data storage.

  • Provide separate volumes for operating system and business data so that when a new version of the operating system is released, the boot or system volume can be reformatted and a new operating system installed, leaving the business data, located on the second volume, untouched.

  • Provide separate volumes that are individually secured to limit access to specific, authorized users.

Dynamic disks and volumes

Dynamic disks and volumes are used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Increase the size of an existing disk by extending it onto a second disk.

  • Increase the speed at which data is read and written.

  • Provide fault-tolerance for business critical data that will be read more often than it is written by creating a RAID-5 volume.

  • Provide good write performance with fault-tolerance for business critical data by creating a mirrored volume.

  • Provide a way to easily move data from a smaller disk to a larger disk in the same computer by using a mirrored volume.

Storage Services Scenarios

The following sections describe the scenarios in which organizations use storage services technologies in Windows Server 2003.

Virtual Disk Service Scenarios

The Virtual Disk Service is used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Manage LUNs on diverse hardware storage devices.

  • Manage disks and volumes.

  • Manage end-to-end storage operations.

Removable Storage Scenarios

Removable Storage is used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Manage stand-alone drive libraries.

  • Manage automated libraries.

Remote Storage Scenarios

Remote Storage is used in organizations that want to achieve the following goals:

  • Conserve disk space on managed volumes.

  • Extend disk space on managed volumes.

  • Generate multiple media copies of removable media.

  • Replace damaged removable media while Remote Storage is running.

  • Recover from loss of Remote Storage metadata.