Storage Spaces Virtualize Storage

A new Windows Server 2012 feature named Storage Spaces enables a group of inexpensive commodity disks to appear as a single disk, which Microsoft refers to as storage virtualization. The feature, which is also available on Windows 8, provides fault tolerance and could prove especially useful for small or medium businesses deploying Windows Server 2012 that are unable to invest in network-attached storage, or larger organizations, including service providers, looking to reduce the cost required with complex storage technologies. Storage Spaces also provides an interesting opportunity for hardware partners to make complementary disks or enclosures. However, as the feature is new, it should be used cautiously until proven reliable.

Storage Spaces Focused on Cost

Storage Spaces will appeal to small and medium businesses looking to save money by using inexpensive disks to enable significant storage capacity. Storage Spaces uses commodity disks grouped together into a storage pool, which the Windows OS presents to users and applications as a single disk with one or more volumes. (For a comparison of a storage pool with a traditional disk-based storage, see the illustration “Understanding Storage Spaces“.)