How does file archiving differ from file virtualization?

File archiving is about moving inactive data. By comparison, virtualization is about abstraction, for example,

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insulating applications from storage. With the recent buzz about file virtualization, some vendors try to describe file archiving as a form of file virtualization. Others argue that file virtualization is about global namespaces and global file systems, clusters, heterogeneous file replication, etc.

Keep in mind that virtualization is typically associated with virtualizing the file system and allowing you to perform different operations. So, migrating inactive data through file virtualization (even part of an automated tiered storage environment) could potentially overlap the definition of file archiving, though file virtualization offers many more potential capabilities.

Go back to the beginning of the File Archiving FAQ Guide.


This was first published in April 2007

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