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UNIVERSITY EXAMINATIONS: 2018/2019
EXAMINATION FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN
INFORMATION SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT/ MASTER OF SCIENCE IN
DATA COMMUNICATIONS
MDC6103 DATA STORAGE AND MANAGEMENT
DATE: APRIL 2019 TIME: 2 HOURS
INSTRUCTIONS: Answer Question One & ANY OTHER TWO questions.
QUESTION ONE (20 MARKS)
a) Salesforce.com’s CRM (Customer Relationship Management) product, and Google Apps such
as Docs and Calendar are provided to the end user via the Internet, and are paid for on a
subscription basis
i. What type of cloud service is this? (2 Marks)
ii. What are the challenges faced by users of this kind of cloud service?
(6 Marks)
b) What is Data deduplication? Describe the two types of Data deduplication.
(4 Marks)
c) What is data stripping? (2Marks)
d) Explain the two main types of partial backups. (4 Marks)
e) What are some of the commonest causes of data loss in Small and Medium Sized
Enterprises (2 Marks)
QUESTION TWO (15 MARKS)
a. How does a cloud network-attached storage (NAS) work? (2 Marks)
b. What are the advantages and disadvantages of a cloud network-attached storage (NAS)
(4 Marks)
c) Describe four things that one has to consider when selecting backup devices. (4 Marks)
b. What is Storage Clustering? (1 Mark)
c. Microsoft’s decision to support HD DVD format instead of Blu-ray format can be explained
by Microsoft’s chairman condemnation of the Blu-Ray Protection Technology. This is
because companies have included over-protective “digital rights management“(DRM) to the
Blu-Ray technology. What two problems have these DRM caused to the users and
manufacturers of Blu-Ray disks. (4 Marks)
QUESTION THREE (15 MARKS)
a. Discuss four disadvantages of using magnetic tapes as your storage device. (8 Marks)
b. Describe three distinct characteristics that differentiate cloud hosting from traditional
hosting. (3 Marks)
c. Tape-based backup solutions have been the default medium for offsite storage. What four
factors have combined to push tape out of the spotlight in favour of industry-standard disks?
(4 Marks)
QUESTION FOUR (15 MARKS)
a. With an aid of a diagram, discuss Network Attached Storage (NAS). (4 Marks)
b. List the three aims of storage virtualization. (3 Marks)
c. Explain the four critical storage service areas that each application requires. (8 Marks)
