Should We Ever Talk About JBODs
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
I think you are thinking too deep into it looking to pick it apart. Going in to it with the preconception of it being wrong will lead you to nitpicking.
Likewise, going in assuming that it has to be right will lead to overlooking the obvious problems. It's clear that we can't find any two sources that agree as to what it is. In this thread, everyone had a different - TOTALLY different, idea of what it is. Microsoft has at least three different ideas. SW had the same issue, everyone had a different idea of it with several that were not copied here. And then Wikipedia has the only one that matches the words.
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
If I were you, I would sum up the definition of what JBOD is supposed to mean. Not nitpick it apart to make it mean the literal pile of disks the individual words mean. I believe it is supposed to mean what I linked above: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html. And I also believe that's what most IT Professionals think it means. Sure, you'll have the few who are just wrong, but the majority I'm talking about. Maybe not, but the people who deal with the things do.
Right, but I don't agree, nor does Wikipedia nor the majority of the handful of people surveyed. See the problem? I think JBOD means exactly what it says and a JBOD enclosure means an enclosure of otherwise unassociated disks.
And starting form the point of "what do I think it should mean" leads me to "there is no use for this term." Since it is nothing but an unclear alternative to already existing, very clear terms.
If you look here and at MS and on SW, most IT pros don't agree with your "most" nor does Wikipedia. While it is possible that it is most, it's certainly not all and it's not "most" that we've found.
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
I believe it is supposed to mean what I linked above: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html.
But even that link doesn't agree with your definition. That link says it is a JBOD Enclosure, not a JBOD. Just like we have disks, and a disk enclosure. It's 100% in agreement with how I and Wikipedia have used the term, but not how MS is using it.
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
The technical definition of JBOD are disks that haven't been RAIDed or anything yet.
See your definition here doesn't match how you are now using it. I agree here, JBODs are disks that haven't been RAIDed or anything yet. Which means JBOD = disks, just like the words say. No mention of enclosure.
A JBOD Enclosure is just another wording of "disk enclosure" by extension. And that appears to be how the manufacturers use it and makes total sense.
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@scottalanmiller said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
A JBOD Enclosure is just another wording of "disk enclosure" by extension. And that appears to be how the manufacturers use it and makes total sense.
If by total sense you mean a bunch of marketing crap to sound cool to the unknown.. uhh... OK yeah, makes total sense. LOL
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^ was a total joke post for those who didn't know that.
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@scottalanmiller said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
Going word-by-word, yes, the above is just a bunch of disks. For sure. That is what it is. But it's useless like that.
What a JBOD is in IT terms, is a JBOD enclosure specifically. When you refer to a JBOD, you are referring something like Microsoft links to or one of those DataON JBOD storage enclosures.
But we have a term for that, too. A disk enclosure. Even in the MS working they have to say JBOD Enclosure. If JBOD means enclosure, then they are saying "enclosure enclosure" which would be a rack of enclosures or something. Clearly MS is not clear internally as to what it means. Is JBOD the disks or the enclosure? They go back and forth.
Which is my point. Microsoft is the best possible reference - if they can't figure it out, can't agree with themselves and don't even come close to agreeing with Wikipedia, common usage or common sense... obviously the term doesn't have a place in IT. There is simply never a time that using the term is meaningful or useful. It never clarifies and it never provides additional information. It is, at best, confusing and redundant.
Microsoft is using the term "JBOD". They only add the word "enclosure" depending on the context. It appears that way to me anyways.
For example, "SAS connected JBODs that comply with Windows Certification requirements"
vs.
"These HBAs are connected to all JBOD enclosures in the file server cluster, and can’t have built-in RAID functionality."Example, "RAID adapters, if used, must have all RAID functionality disabled and must not obscure any attached devices, including enclosure services provided by an attached JBOD."
vs.
"Serial ATA (SATA) or Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) connected disks, optionally in a just-a-bunch-of-disks (JBOD) enclosure"Or here, where they use both in the same sentence! "Enough JBOD enclosures to tolerate an entire JBOD failing or becoming disconnected"
Every time in Microsoft documentation they use the word JBOD, it's used correctly that I've seen. It's used to mean one thing, always. It's never used to mean anything other than this: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html
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@scottalanmiller
I'm familiar with JBOD as just a random collection of drives with no logical filter between them and the host.Now RAIN -- I have to admit to having never heard this term outside of weather. I'm not exactly a newb in the realm of computing, so I'm wondering which terminology silo it came from.
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
Every time in Microsoft documentation they use the word JBOD, it's used correctly that I've seen. It's used to mean one thing, always. It's never used to mean anything other than this: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html
Is it? So with SS for example, it won't function with actual JBODs, but only JBOD enclosures? There is no way to use it with local disks? How does it know?
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@AmishBIll said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
Now RAIN -- I have to admit to having never heard this term outside of weather. I'm not exactly a newb in the realm of computing, so I'm wondering which terminology silo it came from.
It came from the RAID world once systems moved past traditional RAID.
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Okay, what about this view...
What would you have called this before the term JBOD?: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html
If you say "disk enclosure", then you can't use that as easily as JBOD. Because a disk enclosure can contain a bunch of disks that are already raided by some means. Therefore, you can't say just disk enclosure. JBOD specifically implies a disk enclosure that is not raided by anything.
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
Every time in Microsoft documentation they use the word JBOD, it's used correctly that I've seen.
They defined JBOD in one document as always having redundant controllers and power supplies. I believe that alone means that they're not sticking to anyone's agreed concept of "correct".
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
Okay, what about this view...
What would you have called this before the term JBOD?: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html
If you say "disk enclosure", then you can't use that as easily as JBOD. Because a disk enclosure can contain a bunch of disks that are already raided by some means. Therefore, you can't say just disk enclosure. JBOD specifically implies a disk enclosure that is not raided by anything.
But a JBOD enclosure can have RAID added to it. So I don't see how that clarifies anything. A RAID enclosure is used to tell us that there is RAID. Disk enclosure to tell us that it is an enclosure of disks, like JBOD. A disk enclosure / JBOD can always have RAID and, it is assumed, will always have something at least RAID-like.
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
Okay, what about this view...
What would you have called this before the term JBOD?: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html
If you say "disk enclosure", then you can't use that as easily as JBOD. Because a disk enclosure can contain a bunch of disks that are already raided by some means. Therefore, you can't say just disk enclosure. JBOD specifically implies a disk enclosure that is not raided by anything.
And what happens the moment you apply RAID or something else to it? Is it suddenly no longer JBOD?
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
... Because a disk enclosure can contain a bunch of disks that are already raided by some means.
If you're supplied something that already has some means of RAID applied at the box level, I personally wouldn't call that a simple disk enclosure. It's now an appliance, not a disk enclosure.
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@Dashrender said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
Okay, what about this view...
What would you have called this before the term JBOD?: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html
If you say "disk enclosure", then you can't use that as easily as JBOD. Because a disk enclosure can contain a bunch of disks that are already raided by some means. Therefore, you can't say just disk enclosure. JBOD specifically implies a disk enclosure that is not raided by anything.
And what happens the moment you apply RAID or something else to it? Is it suddenly no longer JBOD?
That's the problem, it gets confusing at that point.
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@Dashrender said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
... Because a disk enclosure can contain a bunch of disks that are already raided by some means.
If you're supplied something that already has some means of RAID applied at the box level, I personally wouldn't call that a simple disk enclosure. It's now an appliance, not a disk enclosure.
Right, I can't think of any case where disk enclosure != JBOD enclosure. I guess if we are referring to many enclosures of varying types? Maybe?
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@scottalanmiller said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
Every time in Microsoft documentation they use the word JBOD, it's used correctly that I've seen. It's used to mean one thing, always. It's never used to mean anything other than this: http://dataonstorage.com/dns-jbod-enclosure/dns-2608-4u-32-bay-12gbps-sas-enterprise-jbod-storage-enclosure.html
Is it? So with SS for example, it won't function with actual JBODs, but only JBOD enclosures? There is no way to use it with local disks? How does it know?
It's all in the context of which it's being used. I've never seen JBOD used officially, in a context that doesn't imply a JBOD enclosure.
I suppose you could say, "set up your servers internal storage in a JBOD configuration". Or you could say "hook up your server to a JBOD". Or even "I just dropped my JBOD enclosure"
Honestly, all are correct, and I don't see any issue what so ever with any. It doesn't make me any less knowledgeable or show that I can't do my job less well than someone else who avoids the term.
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I guess one of the things for me is, I've never used the term and have not lacked for expressive terminology. And it isn't like I don't have to talk about disks on a regular basis.
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@Tim_G said in Should We Ever Talk About JBODs:
It's all in the context of which it's being used. I've never seen JBOD used officially, in a context that doesn't imply a JBOD enclosure.
I take that back. I have in a "configuration" sense.
