Introduction

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This section discusses the explosion in drive size, overall storage capacity, and why it is more imperative than ever to take charge of server disks and disk management.

Taking Hard Disks for Granted

Stripping away the tremendous complexity that can exist in regard to disks, the basic purpose of disks is very simple — to store data. That is exactly what hard disks have been doing since the 1950s when IBM worked out how to store 100 K on a 12-inch platter. This apparently tame event was actually a serious breakthrough, as it marked a move away from the cumbersome punch cards that had previously been the standard medium for data storage. Yet, despite the enormous expansion in disk capacity over the past fifty years, disks largely tend to be taken for granted. For many they are sort of a "black box" item. They spin away, buried inside little beige boxes that are usually gathering dust under desks or hidden in server closets. Most system managers hope they keep on going until it is time to replace all the hardware for the latest batch of bigger and better machines. In most people's opinion, disks are the last thing they want to worry about. And, anyway, if something does go wrong, you can just put in a new one … right?

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