Storage Resource Management

The unprecedented growth in data is forcing administrators to find new means to manage storage capacity and utilization. Storage area networks (SANs) have provided some relief to the data explosion by enabling more servers to access larger storage arrays. SANs, however, simply provide the means to consolidate storage resources. Without storage management applications, a SAN infrastructure cannot determine what kinds of data are being stored or identify where data placement should occur. One of the major contributors to data growth is simply duplication. A business may have multiple copies of applications, databases and files spread throughout the network. To address this inefficient use of storage capacity, storage administrators are turning to storage resource management (SRM) applications to help them determine where duplication exists.

Storage resource management software was pioneered by Highground Systems, which Sun Microsystems acquired in 2000. Highground's innovative approach to storage management is based on intelligence-gathering by software agents installed on each server. The SRM software agent constantly monitors storage utilization on disk arrays under a server's control. Information on the types of applications, databases and files is reported by each server to a central management platform. By processing the information gathered from tens or hundreds of servers, the SRM management platform can identify instances of duplication wherever it exists. With this information, storage administrators can then determine how best to eliminate redundant applications and data and maximize use of existing storage capacity.

Resource management applications are a natural complement to shared storage networks. While SANs provide an efficient means to access storage, storage resource management ensures that shared disk space is not filled with redundant files or applications. In addition, by minimizing data duplication, tape backups can be shortened. Since the ongoing cost of administering storage is often calculated on a per-gigabyte basis, anything that reduces the volume of data to manage contributes to a lower total cost of ownership. The combination of SAN technology and storage resource management helps ensure that more useful data can be administered more economically.

Resource management is also a complementary component to storage virtualization. Hiding the complexity of physical storage through virtualization has less value if the virtualized storage is glutted with redundant applications and files. Theoretically, storage resource management can be tightly coupled with storage virtualization so that a virtualization engine dynamically allocates storage capacity as needed and monitors the types of data being stored. By automatically eliminating redundancy, policy-based virtualization can contribute to lower administrative overhead and hardware costs.

One of the initial drawbacks of storage resource management was the requirement for software agents to be run on each server. Customers generally do not like to load wedge or "gasket" software onto their servers, even if it serves a useful purpose. If a server fails, for example, someone must remember to reload the proper version of SRM software. In addition, a new release of SRM agent software would require a lengthy installation on multiple servers. As with volume management, the resolution to this problem is to integrate SRM functionality into the operating system. Updates can then be more easily automated since installation occurs as part of a normal service pack upgrade.

In the long term, customers will benefit from the convergence of SAN management, volume management, storage virtualization, and storage resource management applications. As shown by Microsoft's recent announcements at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC), operating system vendors are recognizing the key role that storage continues to play in enterprise networks. Providing hooks into the operating system for intelligent SRM agents will simplify the lives of storage administrators and help contain the unrelenting growth of data.



Designing Storage Area Networks(c) A Practical Reference for Implementing Fibre Channel and IP SANs
Designing Storage Area Networks: A Practical Reference for Implementing Fibre Channel and IP SANs (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0321136500
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 171
Authors: Tom Clark

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