Boot Storm

Definition - What does Boot Storm mean?

A boot storm is a situation where multiple users attempt to boot their computers at the same time. This action can result in causing a high demand on the entire network, which can result in unwanted delays such as paging. This is something which is encountered when users are trying to log on to the network at the same time and in a virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) environment. Boot storms invariably affect the performance of the network, as there is a high level of power drain, something which can also crash the network, preventing users from accessing it completely.

[Free eBook] Cybersecurity: The Beginner's Guide ($29.99 Value) FREE For a Limited Time | Download Now

Techopedia explains Boot Storm

A boot storm can cause an immense level of power drain; hence this has a very distinct and negative effect on performance, as it can hamper the network throughput. Moreover, if the VDI installation in question does not have proper backup, a boot storm could be nothing short of a total disaster. One must be very careful with the construction and the speed of VDI systems, as it has been observed that boot storms are a common phenomenon in VDIs which are not fast and passive. Moreover, boot storms in VDIs are similar to login storms in VDIs, as a number of users try to start the operating systems around the same time. But there are ways to curb the problem of boot storm:

Storage configuration: The performance of the storage is what defines the effectiveness of the VDI. The whole storage configuration depends on the RAID configurations selected along with the type of discs in the configurations.
Memory Ballooning: A feature which is touted as desirable for most networks can be bad news for VDIs. If there are too many users logging in at once, then the chances of the host running out of RAM is possible, which can cause a dangerously high disk I/O.