Selecting the Right Drive for Maximum Performance

Key Specifications for Database Server Storage

Prev Question Next Question

Question

A technician is called upon to add storage to a database server.

The database administrator needs the maximum performance for accessing many small files.

Which of the following specifications should the technician focus on when selecting the drive to add to the server?

Answers

Explanations

Click on the arrows to vote for the correct answer

A. B. C. D.

D.

In this scenario, the primary concern of the database administrator is to achieve maximum performance for accessing many small files. Therefore, the technician needs to focus on the drive specifications that will impact performance the most.

A. Form factor: This specification refers to the physical size and shape of the drive. While it is important to ensure that the drive selected matches the server's form factor, it does not significantly impact the performance of the drive. Thus, form factor is not the most critical specification to focus on in this scenario.

B. Capacity: This specification refers to the amount of data the drive can store. While having sufficient capacity is important for a database server, it does not directly impact the performance of the drive. Thus, capacity is not the most critical specification to focus on in this scenario.

C. Bus bandwidth: This specification refers to the speed at which data can be transferred between the drive and the server's bus. The bus bandwidth is critical to the drive's performance, especially when accessing small files. A higher bus bandwidth allows for faster data transfer rates, resulting in faster access times and better performance overall. Therefore, the technician should focus on selecting a drive with a high bus bandwidth.

D. Seek time: This specification refers to the time it takes for the drive to locate and retrieve data. While seek time is important, it is not as critical as bus bandwidth in this scenario. Seek time is typically measured in milliseconds, whereas bus bandwidth is measured in gigabytes per second (GB/s). Therefore, selecting a drive with a higher bus bandwidth will have a more significant impact on the overall performance of the server.

In conclusion, when selecting a drive to add to a database server, the technician should focus on the drive's bus bandwidth as it has the most significant impact on performance, especially when accessing many small files.