Hard disk storage capacity for SMBs

This is a great and common question, as there are many different myths and opinions as to how much disk space you should leave free.

What makes it such a slippery and evasive topic is that the answers will vary based on operating system, application, server and storage system type, configuration, personal experience and general industry folklore. For example, if your Windows-based laptop starts to slow down at 50% storage capacity usage, you might assume that all Windows-based systems slow down when 50% of their disk capacity is used, which may not be reality. The reality is that the performance will vary depending upon how the system and storage are configured, as well as how data and applications including the operating system utilize the disk storage that is available.

Monitor your systems and note how much free space is available at various times, as well as how the systems perform under different conditions. If you d

Digg This!     StumbleUpon     Del.icio.us

RELATED CONTENT Data centers and infrastructure for the midmarket Pricing out Windows Server 2008 for virtualization cost efficiency Data center strategy starts with the business Desktop and application virtualization: Lessons learned FAQ: What is unified communications, and why would I want it? Virtualization technology creates hosts of problems for midmarket IT shops Virtual servers key to consolidated data center Fixed-mobile convergence saves firms costly mobile phone charges Virtualization the center of county's 'disaster avoidance' plan Five tips that could change your data center Converged networks a risky business Data storage for the midmarket Disaster recovery plans solve bare-metal recovery problem via VMware The price of data center outsourcing: Security, costs and more explored Data center virtualization: User best practices Firm moves from tape backup to managed backup and recovery service IRobot CIO dishes on virtualization, disaster recovery and compliance Leading iRobot's IT: Virtualization, disaster recovery and compliance Midmarket data center management guides: Tips and best practices Midmarket IT budgets hit by economic downturn Taking electronic records retention management to the next level Virtualization as a disaster recovery strategy?

RELATED RESOURCES 2020software.com, trial software downloads for accounting software, ERP software, CRM software and business software systems Search Bitpipe.com for the latest white papers and business webcasts Whatis.com, the online computer dictionary

efragment and optimize your disk drives, you may get better performance as they fill up.

Many disk storage vendors, not surprisingly, will suggest that you keep your disks at or under 50% utilization as a conservative guideline. Disk capacity usage numbers in the 70 to 80% plus range are not uncommon for some Windows and open systems environments, depending on workload and I/O activity. For example, a database system may show disk usage in the 70 to 80% used range; however the database itself may not be using all of that space.

Take I/O activity into consideration when looking at how much free disk storage capacity to have as well. So if you want to be safe and have the disk space along with the budget, keep utilization low until you can determine for your self what the best rule of thumb is for different disks and applications. As you gain experience and can tune your systems, applications and storage, you can evolve to higher storage capacity utilization.

Greg Schulz is founder and senior analyst of The StorageIO group in Stillwater, Minn., (www.storageio.com) and author of the book Resilient Storage Networks (Elsevier).

Rate this Tip To rate tips, you must be a member of SearchCIO-Midmarket.com. Register now to start rating these tips. Log in if you are already a member. DISCLAIMER: Our Tips Exchange is a forum for you to share technical advice and expertise with your peers and to learn from other enterprise IT professionals. TechTarget provides the infrastructure to facilitate this sharing of information. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy or validity of the material submitted. You agree that your use of the Ask The Expert services and your reliance on any questions, answers, information or other materials received through this Web site is at your own risk.