Directly-attached (local) storage generally performs better than remote storage because it is simpler to configure well and avoids communications overheads. Some remote storage performs very poorly, especially under the kind of load that {es} imposes. However, with careful tuning, it is sometimes possible to achieve acceptable performance using remote storage too. Before committing to a particular storage architecture, benchmark your system with a realistic workload to determine the effects of any tuning parameters. If you cannot achieve the performance you expect, work with the vendor of your storage system to identify the problem.