operations overlap and performance improves. If a disk drive in a volume group fails, the redundant or parity data can be used to regenerate the user data on replacement disk drives.

RAID relies on a series of configurations, called levels, to determine how user and redundancy data is written and retrieved from the drives. Each level provides different performance and protection features. The storage management software offers four formal RAID level configurations: RAID levels 0, 1, 3, and 5. Table 3-9describes these configurations.

RAID levels 1, 3, and 5 write redundancy data to the drive media for fault tolerance. The redundancy data might be a copy of the data or an error-correcting code derived from the data. If a drive fails, the redundancy data can be used to quickly reconstruct information.

Only one RAID level can be configured across each volume group. Each volume group stores its own redundancy data. The capacity of the volume group is the aggregate capacity of the member drives, minus the capacity reserved for redundancy data. The amount of capacity needed for redundancy data depends on the RAID level used.

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Sun Microsystems 5310 NAS manual Storage Arrays
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5310 NAS specifications

Sun Microsystems, known for its innovative computing solutions, launched the Sun 5310 Network Attached Storage (NAS) system, which marked a significant advancement in the realm of storage solutions in the early 2000s. The 5310 NAS was designed to provide high-performance, reliable, and scalable storage tailored for enterprise environments.

One of the standout features of the Sun 5310 NAS is its file-serving capabilities, which support multiple protocols, notably NFS (Network File System) and CIFS (Common Internet File System). This dual-protocol support allowed organizations to seamlessly integrate the NAS into diverse IT ecosystems, facilitating interoperability between UNIX, Linux, and Windows systems. The enhanced file-sharing capabilities made it an ideal solution for businesses with mixed operating environments.

The Sun 5310 NAS incorporates cutting-edge technologies to ensure high availability and data integrity. The system utilized a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology, providing various RAID levels to protect against data loss while optimizing performance. Additionally, the device featured hot-swappable drives, enabling maintenance and upgrades with minimal downtime, a crucial factor for business continuity.

Equipped with advanced management software, the Sun 5310 NAS offered users an intuitive interface for monitoring storage health and performance. This software included comprehensive reporting functionalities that allowed IT administrators to oversee usage patterns and capacity planning efficiently.

Scalability was another defining characteristic of the Sun 5310 NAS. The system could easily expand with additional storage modules, accommodating the growing needs of an organization without the necessity for complete system overhauls. This flexibility ensured that businesses could adapt their storage solutions to meet evolving data storage needs without incurring significant costs or disruptions.

In terms of performance, the Sun 5310 NAS featured high I/O throughput achieved through its robust hardware architecture and optimized file serving capabilities. This performance baseline was crucial for organizations that relied on heavy data workloads and required rapid access to information.

In summary, the Sun 5310 NAS from Sun Microsystems embodied a forward-thinking approach to network storage, blending reliability, scalability, and multi-protocol support. Its user-friendly management software, combined with the robustness of RAID technology and hot-swappable drives, made it a preferred choice for enterprises looking to streamline their storage infrastructure while safeguarding critical data.
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