storage virtualization

storage virtualization

Treating storage as a single logical entity without regard to the hierarchy of physical media, which may change. Storage virtualization enables the applications to read from and write to a single pool of storage rather then individual disks or SSDs. Also called "file virtualization," it allows excess capacity on a server to be shared, and it can make migration from one file server to another transparent to the applications. See HSM, storage management, SAN and virtualization.

Not Necessarily "Virtual Storage"
Storage virtualization deals with a pool of storage devices. The term "virtual storage" may refer to storage virtualization; however, virtual storage is an alternate term for "virtual memory," which is what every desktop operating system uses to expand the computer's main memory (see virtual memory).

Copyright © 1981-2025 by The Computer Language Company Inc. All Rights reserved. THIS DEFINITION IS FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY. All other reproduction is strictly prohibited without permission from the publisher.