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Emerging Standards Impact on Storage Networks

John WebsterSenior Analyst and FounderData Mobility Group

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Emerging Standards Impact on Storage Networks

Fabric wars - Cisco battles the established players. How do you win?

CIM for storage - When will you see it? What will it do for you? Will you be better off choosing CIM-compliant storage?

Single vendor support for multi-vendor, storage networks vs. vendor consortiums - Which is better? What is the SSF and can it help you?

IP Storage - The hype says no interoperability issues here. Are there problems lurking in the underbrush?

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Why Multi-Fabric Interoperability?

Disaster Recovery

On-demand Resource Sharing

Content Sharing

Grid Computing

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The Road to Multi-vendor Fabric Extension

FC-SW-2 • Long road to adoption

• Backward compatibility requirements result in proprietary vs. open systems modes

Fabric extension consequences• Large layer 2 network

• More of the fabric exposed to error conditions

FSPF-BB to the rescue?• Proposed standard for creation of autonomous regions

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Bridging SAN Islands: FCIP vs. iFCP

FCIP –• Uses tunneling

• Fault isolation can be an issue

iFCP – • Uses “conversion”

• Achieves problem isolation but potentially exposes

SAN to network administrators

• Nishan now seeing major spike in demand for iFCP

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Assessing the Impact of Cisco

It’s a high stakes chess game

The Winner could dominate more than

storage networking

Will VSANs rule?

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What is SMI-S?

The Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S)

F.k.a. Bluefin, a.k.a CIM for storage

Lives within the SNIA’s Storage Management Forum (SMF)

SNIA working to become accredited ANSI Standards Developer

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What is SMI-S?

Management Tools

Storage Resource Management

Performance Capacity Planning

Resource Allocation

Container Management

Volume Management Media Management

Other…

Data Management

File System Database Manager

Backup & HSM

Storage Management Interface Specification

Managed Objects

Physical Components

Removable Media Tape Drive

Disk Drive Robot Enclosure

Host Bus Adapter Switch

Logical Components

Volume Clone

Snapshot Media Set

Zone Other…

Users Management Frameworks Graphical User Interface

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What is SMI-S? Platform Independent

Distributed

Automated Discovery

Security Features

Locking Mechanisms

Recognizes vendor-unique functions

More robust than SNMP

Integration Infrastructure

Management Application

Object Model Mapping – Vendor Unique Features

Device Types

Tape Library Switch Array Many Other

Vendor UniqueFunction

•Platform Independent•Distributed• Automated Discovery•Security•Locking•Object Oriented

SMISInterface

CIM/WBEMTechnology

MOF MOF MOF MOF

Auto-generation ofApplication and Infrastructure

Constructs

StandardObject Model perDevice

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SMI-S Reference Model

Client

Device or Subsystem

Agent

Proxy Model

Proprietary

0…n

0…n

Agent

Embedded Model

0…n

Object Manager

Proxy Model

Device

Proprietary0…n

Lock

Manager

0…n

Directory Server

Directory Agent 0…n

SA

SA

Service Agent (SA)

User Agent

SA

1

1 n

Provider

1

CIMxmlCIM operations over http

TCP/IP

SLPTCP/IP

Device or Subsystem

Device or Subsystem

Client

Device or Subsystem

Agent

Proxy Model

Proprietary

0…n

0…n

Agent

Embedded Model

0…n

Object Manager

Proxy Model

DeviceDevice

Proprietary0…n

Lock

Manager

0…n

Directory Server

Directory Agent 0…n

SA

SA

Service Agent (SA)

User Agent

SA

1

1 n

Provider

1

CIMxmlCIM operations over http

TCP/IP

SLPTCP/IP

Device or Subsystem

Device or Subsystem

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Vendors Currently Demonstrating SMI-S “Providers”

Brocade

Cisco

EMC

Hitachi Data Systems

HP

IBM

INRANGE

LSI Logic Storage Systems

McDATA

Network Appliance

QLogic

StorageTek

Sun

VERITAS

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SMI-S Deliverables V 1.0

Arrays and Virtualization Platforms• Read device configuration (physical and logical)

• Monitor health (operational status) of systems and volumes

• Create and delete volumes

• Perform LUN Mapping and Masking

• Set-up and perform copy services Snapshots Synchronous and asynchronous mirrors

Storage Media Libraries• Gather information on major components

• Monitor heath

• Receive asynchronous events/alerts for problems and status changes

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SMI-S Deliverables V 1.0

Fabric• Discovery and topology of the fabric and SAN devices

• Switch device configuration and control

• Switch performance statistics

• Zoning and configuration control

• HBA configuration and control

• HBA performance statistics

Delivery: End of Q202

NAS included in V 1.1 (YE03)

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The CIM/WBEM End-Game

Application Management

CIM/WBEM Enabled

Management Console

Processor Complex

Management

Storage Management

Database Management

Network Management

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Can SMI-S Succeed?No

• Vendors won’t cooperate

• Progress will be too slow

• Result will be of marginal value (i.e. its vendor hype)

Yes• Its in the commodity realm and commodities win

• Users will perceive value in a common management interface standard

• It makes life easier for vendors too

Its up to you

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SNIA Supported Solutions Forum (SSF)

Configuration and testing of multi-

vendor “registered solutions”• Presently 8 registered solution sets

• Multi-vendor Support Agreements

• Cooperative support for tested solutions

• Contact information and problem escalation

procedures known to and endorsed by all members

• Support available 24x7, world wide.

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iSCSI – No Interop Issues Here ….Right?

Recommendations:• Stay tuned to the Microsoft channel for iSCSI

“certification” if you plan heavy iSCSI deployment

in MS application environments

• Monitor the progress of the iSCSI Management API

(IMA) standard

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Can Interoperability and Security Co-exist?

IEEE – Searching for a standard

encryption method• Proposed solutions now on the table

• One method: use open source-developed code with

unique user-created keys to “unlock” the data

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Can Interoperability and Security Co-exist?

Recommendations: • Investigate potential conflicts with existing SAN

security features (i.e. Zoning and Masking)

• Investigate impact on data life cycle management

infrastructure and strategy (i.e. exposure to data

loss long term)

• Investigate potential for vendor lock-ins

• Whatever you do, don’t lose the keys

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Interoperability and Standards Compliance Testing

FCIA SANmark Qualified Program

SNIA Interoperability Conformance

Testing Program (ICTP)• SMI-S V1.0 compliance testing

• IMA compliance testing

• More to come

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Reading the Fine Print

Recommendation:

Understand What These Terms Mean• Compatibility

• Qualification

• Conformance

• Compliance

• Certification

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Ultimately, Its Up to You

Making your voice heard• The RFP process

• The SNIA’s Customer Executive and Customer

Advisory Councils

• Local Storage Networking User Groups (SNUGs)

• Watch for StorageNetworking.org later this year