Application Recoverability

Application/DBMS recoverability is one of the most compelling reasons for networked storage (predominately SAN-based storage) participation. Based on the mean time to recovery (the time it takes from the recognition of a failure to the time the application begins accepting transactions againnot simply restoring information from tape to server) discussed with the business, numerous technology options can assist in meeting those requirements. Snapshot or volume-based replication (either local or remote) can dramatically reduce the recovery times to minutes, preventing the need for a tape restore (but not eliminating the need for tape backup/recovery).

Although restoration is a significant and necessary capability, the state of the information/data can be much more important than the existence of the information. Recovering data in an inconsistent stateor data from one database that reflects a point in time that is significantly different from another reliant databaseis often useless. Consistently managing replication and recovery options (possibly from multiple vendors) will prove to be operationally beneficial, as will rationalizing backup/recovery software and hardware across as many platforms as possible (often excluding the mainframe). Consistently managing various storage vendors snapshot/volume replication can provide further operational savings, striving for policy-based automation. Moreover, just as all applications are not created equal, storage replication software is no different. Integration with operating systems, clustering software, applications, and databases, as well as quiescent time (the time required for a consistent view of the application), will often differentiate offerings, given that replication software has become much more prominent during the past 36 months.