Preface

You cannot simply replace data. You can easily reinstall a computer application, but you cannot go to the store and buy another copy of your data warehouse. The computer storage industry thrives on this fundamental fact, creating sophisticated and elaborate mechanisms to ensure that whatever happens, a second copy of the data is available if needed. Sometimes there is also a third copy, and a fourth, and so on.

A couple of years ago, I noticed that everything taking place in the storage networking industry became almost singularly focused on data protection. This was probably due to increasing commercial reliance on data to run businesses and the stark realization that even when we think everything is safe, it may not be.

Looking a bit closer, I found that many of the early campaigns for storage networking were being left out or left behind. The initial impetus for storage networks was derived largely by a need to manage data more effectively. In the midst of an all-out recovery focus, many of the industry's driving forces were stunted, while business continuity planning stole the show.

Meanwhile, important new storage networking technology developments were taking place. For the first time, IP networks were proven to be a reliable, high-performance means to transmit block-level data. Long the domain of parallel SCSI buses and Fibre Channel networks, the storage transport had a new friend in IP networks ”and that friendship would begin to rewrite the storage networking guidelines.

Watching the industry transform, I felt that a protection-only view of the world was serving neither the customers nor the industry. Only by adopting plans to return to the roots of storage networking ”a means to handle and manage almost unstoppable data growth ”would everyone benefit. Fortunately, the proactive strategies for storage networking fit hand in hand with strategies for data protection, yet only in concert do the greatest returns materialize.

Recognizing the need to bring storage networking back into the forward-thinking planning process, I focused my efforts in this book on IP storage networking ”one of the most important storage networking steps since the initial SCSI command set serialization into Fibre Channel. IP storage networks promise to unite the once-restricted storage functions with the rest of the enterprise, allowing coordinated information technology planning across compute and storage functions with a common platform.

IP Storage Networking: Straight to the Core is targeted to both a technical and business audience. The aim is to include information about new storage networking technology but also to keep a reality check on the business aspects of storage networking implementation. Understanding and evaluating both the technical and business implications of new technology helps all of our organizations. As such, many parties in the storage industry, such as storage networking planners and implementers, business-focused managers, senior financial planners, industry press and analysts, and technology investors, are likely to benefit from the material.

Chapters 1 through 3 provide the background necessary for almost anyone in this group to get up to speed on the storage networking industry. With the industry changing so quickly, even those with detailed knowledge are sure to find some new information.

Chapters 4 and 5 lay the foundation for building effective storage network roadmaps . Chapter 4 presents a history of data storage architectures and how the intelligence piece of the equation has evolved across server platforms, disk subsystems, and now within networking fabrics . Chapter 5 outlines both defensive, protection-oriented strategies and offensive strategies for storage deployment using new technologies enabled by IP storage networking.

The primary business continuance applications are covered in Chapter 6 in a clear, incremental framework from basic recovery mechanisms to sophisticated real-time availability. Chapter 7 examines means to increase efficiency and productivity, and to create a flexible data storage infrastructure to serve the organization through dramatic and unpredictable information growth.

The tactical roadmap begins in Chapter 8 and extends through 9 and 10. From an exploration of the infrastructure design shifts to crafting an effective migration, Chapter 8 assists in this decision making. Chapter 9 serves as a comprehensive review of networking options, and rounding out the tactical storage roadmap, Chapter 10 reviews specific applications across wide area networks.

With the appropriate storage infrastructure in place, business and IT managers still have the task of maintaining and managing storage policies. Chapter 11 presents options for creating overall enterprise storage policies, and Chapter 12 concludes by tying the material together and presenting some forward-looking options.

There is plenty ahead for IP storage networking. Read on and enjoy!