8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
1/38
ntroduction to storage networksFlexible and redundant storage can solve many network problems, and storage area networks (SANs)
rovide the solution. In this class, you'll learn the range of current storage issues and settings and
dentify areas that provide tangible returns for an investment in storage networks. Along the way, you'llearn about SAN disks, host bus adapters, switches and management tools.
Lessons
Is a storage area network right for your organization?1.
In this first lesson, you'll learn the role of storage network solutions in adapting
your organization's network from a patchwork quilt of single-purpose servers to
an interwoven fabric of storage resources.
Exploring virtual storage2.
In this lesson, you learn what virtual storage is and discover its benefits. You
also learn how using an all-in-one solution can help you get started quickly and
easily and review migration and upgrade paths for moving your data.Understanding SAN disk solutions3.
In this lesson, you'll delve into the technologies behind SANs. You'll learn about
data protection with redundant drives and data backup, as well as performance
implications in designing a SAN.
Discovering SAN controllers, cables and connectors4.
SANs are made up of two main components: storage devices, in the form of
disk and tape drives, and networking components, which include adapters,
cables and switches. In this lesson, you learn about the networking components
of a SAN.
Exploring topologies and switches5.
This lesson focuses on ways to interconnect storage network components.
You'll learn about topologies and the role of switches and the services theyprovide. You'll also delve into more detail on the switches that tie a SAN
together.
Managing and administering SAN software6.
SAN systems require management to keep them running smoothly. This lesson
covers using management software, zones, policy-based tools and LUN
masking to ensure your SAN is secure and functioning efficiently.
s a storage area network right for your organization?n this first lesson, you'll learn the role of storage network solutions in adapting your organization's network from
patchwork quilt of single-purpose servers to an interwoven fabric of storage resources.
Welcome to Introduction to storage area networks
Welcome to Introduction to storage networks. Storage of your organization's
ata is critical to its business operations. Every day, users access, modify and
hare data that enables the organization to function. However, data storage
an quickly become unmanageable when storage capacity must increase to
ccommodate the vast quantities of information created daily and stored for
months or years. This class explains how to investigate your organization's
torage needs and evaluate storage technologies to determine which best fits
our requirements.
This class is geared toward IT personnel who are responsible for network
storage planning for small and medium-size businesses (SMBs).
One solution to meeting data storage needs is using a storage area network
8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
2/38
SAN)a centrally consolidated, virtual disk storage system that's separate
rom network traffic and shared by servers.
What you'll learn
The lessons in this class are designed to build on one another and give you
ractical information to help you make informed decisions when planning your
etwork storage. Here's what the lessons cover:
Lesson 1: Is a storage area network right for your organization? covers
options in storage technologies, explains how SANs can benefit your
organization and gives you an overview of assessing your current and future
storage needs.
Lesson 2: Exploring virtual storage answers the question "What is virtual
storage?" You delve into the components and capabilities of the SAN
infrastructure, including virtualizing and migrating your data.
Lesson 3: Understanding SAN disk solutions explains how you can use SAN
disk components to set up virtual storage solutions while considering
performance and redundancy factors.
Lesson 4: Discovering SAN controllers, cables and connectors covers the
network componentscontrollers, cables and connection technologiesthat
enable SANs to move data from disk to server.
Lesson 5: Exploring topologies and switches describes the SAN switchprotocol for interconnecting servers and disk arrays, which provides the
expansion and management capabilities that make a SAN infrastructure
such a huge advantage for your organization.
Lesson 6: Managing and administering SAN software covers storage area
network management and describes techniques for administering your SAN,
such as using device zones and SAN utilities.
Each lesson includes an assignment to help you to apply the concepts to your
rganization as well as a short quiz to check your comprehension of the topics.
Along the way, you can interact with other students and the instructor on the
message board. The message board is a great tool for reinforcing the concepts
ou've learned and applying them to your organization.
Get involved on the message board! You can exchange ideas, share your
xpertise and offer feedback to help you get more from this class.
After completing this class, you'll have a wealth of information available to
nderstand how a SAN can provide your organization with the data storage and
management tools it needs to efficiently provision cost-effective storage
esources.
Now that you have an overview of what this class offers, it's time to get started
with your first lesson.
Traditional data storage options
The amount of data an organization must store isn't always related to the
rganization's size and data storage needs can change rapidly. For example,
when an organization adds new products or services, often its client database
rows faster than planned.
Just because your organization is small doesn't mean your data storage
requirements are small.
So how can an organization keep up with the need for more storage? These
re the traditional storage technologies that have been used to solve this
roblem:
HP SAN product &
solution portfolio
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=103004&placementId=4425&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fnetworking%2Findex.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=103004&placementId=4425&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fnetworking%2Findex.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=103004&placementId=4425&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fnetworking%2Findex.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=103004&placementId=4425&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fnetworking%2Findex.html8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
3/38
Direct attached storage
Network attached storage
The following sections discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each
echnology. To see them summarized and compared with SAN technology in
n at-a-glance table, refer to the section on SANs later in this lesson.
Direct attached storage
Any storage that's physically connected to a single host machine can beonsidered a direct attached storage (DAS) system. The hard disk in a desktop
omputer or server is a simple example. DAS technology is fast because the
torage system is dedicated to one host.
DAS systems can be made up of internal or external drives, which are an
conomical way to add storage. Internal drives include several technologies
uch as small computer storage interface (SCSI), parallel ATA (PATA) which is
ften times referred to as integrated drive electronics (IDE) and serial ATA
SATA). External drives typically use the same physical hardware as the
nternal drives, but add electronics to enable them to be used through an
xternal interface. Examples of these interfaces include universal serial bus
USB), FireWire and external serial ATA (eSATA).
Although these drives are economical, they're limited to providing storage for
he system to which they're attached. Therefore, expansion is more difficult
han with other storage solutions. An alternativenetwork attached
torageenables any server on the network to use storage.
Network attached storage
Servers have a way of multiplying in an organization. You might add one for
mail and another as a shared application server for several departments.
Before you know it, you have many servers handling important tasks, and each
ne requires separate storage. If you continue using a DAS system, your
rganization might end up purchasing a lot more storage than it needs. Forthis
eason, shared storage technology can be of value.
A storage system that shares network bandwidth with standard server and user
raffic is called network attached storage (NAS). Devices called NAS
ppliances share data over the network without adding multipurpose server
oftware, which can be expensive and difficult to maintain. NAS systems are
asy to operate and maintain and allow modest expansion. The hardware is
sually affordable and provides some management functions along with theharing capability.
NAS systems are subject to limitations of the underlying network's speed in
ccessing data. For example, a Fast Ethernet local area network (LAN) has a
heoretical data transfer speed of 12.5 Mbps (megabytes per second). The
ctual speed of accessing data drops, however, when NAS appliances are
sing the network's bandwidth. Factor in network bandwidth for activities such
s web surfing, printing and email and the available data rate for storage
ecreases even more.
What can an organization do to expand its storage so that it can be shared byervers yet have enough speed to be effective? SANs were developed for just
his purpose, as you learn in the next section.
Realizing the benefits of a SAN
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-software8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
4/38
As mentioned, many networks are set up on a one-application, one-server
asis with separate servers for each organizational function or department.
With separate storage for each server, sharing data and resources is difficult
nd can slow network performance. As you add more servers, management
an become time consuming, too.
n a SAN system, all those separate storage disks are grouped and
onsolidated in an array. Servers can then access the array as though it were a
ocal storage device. This setup also provides a separate network that's used
nly for transferring data between storage systems and servers. This network isptimized for fast data transfer at speeds of 2 to 10 Gbps (gigabits per second).
SANs are made up of several components, such as disk arrays and
switches, as you'll learn in Lessons 2 and 3.
SAN components connect servers and storage in what's known as a SAN
abric. Figure 1-1 shows a typical SAN fabric.
No doubt, the term "fabric" was coined because storage and servers are
interconnected with strands of fiber optic cables. These fibers are then
woven into a fabric of connectivity.
Figure 1-1: A SAN fabric is made up of many interconnected fiber optic strands.
Enlarge image
In many computer networks, workstations and servers have a singleconnection to the network, but a SAN fabric has multiple connections.
Redundant connectivity reduces downtime for users, which is important to
nsuring high availability for data and network resources. A SAN's separate,
entralized setup also reduces downtime and offers the following benefits:
Reduces the space required for a one-application, one-server setup
Eases the burden of management tasks, including backups and recovery
Reduces the incremental costs associated with adding storage
Increases the visibility into planning for storage growth as an organization
Improves security by separating storage processes from normal network
traffic
An important concept of SANs is the "virtualization" of data storage. Because
torage is centralized as a virtual pool of resources, you can allocate storage to
ervers as needed quickly and easily. With recent regulations mandating that
ome industries, such as health care, retain data for longer periods, many
rganizations are facing rapidly expanding storage requirements. Virtual disk
HP Storage software
portfolio
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/media/ns/11187/HPSMB_SAN01fg01_large.jpg8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
5/38
torage makes handling this "storage explosion" easier.
To understand the benefits a SAN can have for your organization, comparing
he strengths and weaknesses of DAS and NAS systems with SAN technology
s helpful. Table 1-1 compares the basic features of each technology.
Storage
feature
DAS NAS SAN
Storage
capacity
Limited to ports on
the local server
Not limited Not limited
Speed of
accessing
storage
Fast Somewhat slow Very fast
Ease of
adding
storage
Might require
shutting down
servers to add
storage
Easy Easy
Redundant
connectivity
No No Yes
Centralized
management
No No Yes
Ease ofexpansion
Limited to host'sphysical ports
Allows modestexpansion
Quick and easy
Suited for
databases
Yes No Yes
Suited for file
storage
Yes Yes Yes
Cost Inexpensive Moderately
expensive
Moderately expensive
Distance
between
server and
storage
Must be close
(under 6 feet)
Up to hundreds of
miles
Up to hundreds of miles
Backups Each volume
copied separately
from server to tape
Each volume
copied separately
from server to tape
Can back up multiple
volumes without server
interaction
Table 1-1: Comparing storage technologies.
Because SAN technology offers different advantages from an NAS or DAS
ystem, you might want to create a hybrid system incorporating each of these
echnologies. For example, a developer's server that's used to test new
hanges to a production application may need to be a very low cost
mplementation with little consideration for performance. This type of servermay use very low cost DAS to support a small testing database. Production
ervers supporting the same application will no doubt support more users and
equire the performance and scalability that a SAN provides. To help you make
hat decision, assess the importance of the following factors as you compare
he features in Table 1-1:
Performance
Availability
Scalability
Cost
As you can see, SANs offer a fast, flexible method for connecting consolidated
torage to the servers in your organization. By efficiently allocating storageesources as they're needed, your organization will save both time and money
y reducing the overspending on unmanaged DAS or NAS storage resources.
As you delve into the technical details of SANs in upcoming lessons, these
enefits will be even more apparent.
Now that you've seen what SANs can offer your organization, continue reading
8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
6/38
o learn how to assess your current environment to determine whether a SAN
olution is right for you.
Taking inventory and assessing your storage needs
To understand how your organization can benefit from using SAN technology,
ou need to take inventory of the storage you currently use and get a handle on
our projected future needs. Getting an accurate view of your organization's
verall storage picture can be daunting, especially if each department has its
wn standalone storage. If your organization has been adding storage over aong period for different functionsan email server one year and a database
erver the next year, for examplethis task can be even more challenging.
Although taking an inventory of this type of "server sprawl" setup can be time
onsuming, the results can help you present a compelling case for using a
SAN. For example, scattering storage all over the network inevitably means
uplication of IT management efforts. Upper management usually responds
avorably to the potential for a good return on an investment (ROI) in SANs if
ou can show a reduction in the overhead of having several IT staff performing
he same management tasks.
Although advantages such as redundant connectivity and more efficient
backups are clear benefits of SAN vs. DAS and NAS to those working
directly with the network, upper management might not view these
advantages with the same weight as factors offering a clear-cut ROI, such
as allowing the staff to do more in less time and efficiently allocating
storage using centralized management tools.
The assignment for this lesson explains in more detail how to create an
nventory of your current storage requirements. In general, you want to collect
nformation such as the following:
Storage devices, including type (DAS or NAS, for example), capacity and
location
Host machines
Connection devices, such as switches and bridges
Any distance considerationsfor example, LANs in branch offices
Applications, including performance and availability requirements
n addition, review your past growth in storage requirements to estimate how
much your storage capacity needs might increase in the next year. The goal is
o make sure your storage solution can handle future expansion without
nnecessary downtime and management headaches as well as to keep the
osts from spiraling out of control.
n upcoming lessons, you delve into the nuts and bolts of SAN technology and
earn more about disk drives, SAN switches and network cards, external
abling and software management tools.
Moving on
n this lesson, you reviewed traditional data storage options and learned that
SANs combine flexibility with high-speed connectivity and consolidate your
rganization's storage in a centralized virtual storage pool.
n Lesson 2, you learn more about SAN features and options for building a
igh-performance SAN to increase your data storage sensibly. Before you
move on, complete the assignment and take the quiz for this lesson. In
ddition, visit the message board to introduce yourself, ask any questions you
ave and find out what your instructor and fellow students are up to. See you
NAS file and printsolution storage servers
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102993&placementId=644&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fdisk_storage%2Fstorage_servers%2Findex.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fproliant_storage_servershttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102993&placementId=644&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fdisk_storage%2Fstorage_servers%2Findex.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fproliant_storage_servershttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102993&placementId=644&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fdisk_storage%2Fstorage_servers%2Findex.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fproliant_storage_servershttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102993&placementId=644&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fdisk_storage%2Fstorage_servers%2Findex.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fproliant_storage_servers8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
7/38
here!
Assignment #1
Your assignment for this lesson is to make an inventory of your organization's current data storage.
This task might sound easy, but even small organizations often have data spread over many storage
evices, such as USB drives, server hard disks and NAS systems. Collect the following information,
triving for as much detail as possible. You might find it helpful to put your information in a
preadsheet for easy reference.
List all storage devices (with make and model) used in your organization. Include each device'sstorage capacity (used space and free space), type of storage (DAS, NAS and so on), type of
connection it supports and location.
List the total number of host machines (workstations, servers and so on). For each host, include the
operating system (OS), type of connection it supports and applications running on it.
List all connection devices, such as switches and bridges, including their type and connection
speed.
List any distance considerations, such as LANs in branch offices that require storage.
List all applications your organization uses with their current storage requirements. Include
performance and availability requirements for users. You might also want to specify traffic patterns
for applications, such as peak periods of use.
Calculate the total amount of storage your organization uses.
After assessing the current state of your storage situation, projecting future storage needs and
nderstanding how a SAN can improve your data management are easier.
Quiz #1Question 1:
How does a SAN differ from an NAS system?
A) SANs use only fiber optics.
B) SAN and NAS are different acronyms for the same thing.
C) Network activity on a SAN is separate from other server and user traffic.
D) Network activity on an NAS system is separate from other server and user traffic.
Question 2:
Which of the following is a compelling advantage you can use to convince upper management that a SAN's
onsolidated storage is the best option?
A) Reducing duplication of IT management's time and efforts
B) Using current network bandwidth for storage processing
C) Reducing space requirements
D) Increasing data backup speed
Question 3:
True or False: An NAS system is faster than a DAS system because it uses the underlying network's data
ransfer rate.
) True
B) False
Question 4:
What advantages can a SAN offer over DAS and NAS solutions? (Check all that apply.)
A) Lowest cost
B) Centralized management
C) Reduced downtime
D) Fast data transfer speeds
Question 5:
Which of the following storage solutions is the most difficult to expand?
A) Storage area networks
8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
8/38
B) Network attached storage
C) Server-based storage
D) Direct attached storage
Exploring virtual storagen this lesson, you learn what virtual storage is and discover its benefits. You also learn how using an all-in-one
olution can help you get started quickly and easily and review migration and upgrade paths for moving your
ata.
Understanding virtual storage
Welcome back! In Lesson 1, you reviewed the storage technologies
rganizations often use, compared them with SAN technology to see the
exibility and efficiency SAN offers. We covered how, when compared with
DAS and NAS technologies, SAN provided:
Unlimited storage provisioning
Superior management of consolidated storage
Higher performance
You also learned the importance of doing a thorough inventory and assessmentf your current and future storage needs. As you work through this lesson,
eep your Lesson 1 assignment handy. You can refer to this inventory of your
urrent storage as you learn about SAN storage capabilities in this lesson.
Storage consolidation
Storage consolidation is a major benefit of using SANs. With consolidation, you
an manage separate drives and drive array storage units as part of a larger
ool. As you learned in Lesson 1, storage technologies are based on the
uilding block of a single physical drive. Adding drives requires some sort of
onnectivity and power to make it possible to use the storage. By consolidatinghese connections within a storage unit, drive connections are made using an
nternal wiring harness that both eliminates clutter, but more importantly, allows
ach drive to be replaced independently should it fail.
Lesson 3 explains the details of how physical drives are connected in a
SAN.
Each physical drive added to a server or storage unit, as shown in Figure 2-1,
equires separate power and connectivity cabling to make it work. As storage
nits are filled with drives, more storage units must be added. Each storagenit also requires some kind of connectivity so that the drives in the unit can
ransfer data to and from systems using that storage.
HP Vmware
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102053&placementId=18987&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18004.www1.hp.com%2Fproducts%2Fservers%2Fsoftware%2Fvmware%2Findex.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fvmwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102053&placementId=18987&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18004.www1.hp.com%2Fproducts%2Fservers%2Fsoftware%2Fvmware%2Findex.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fvmwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102053&placementId=18987&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18004.www1.hp.com%2Fproducts%2Fservers%2Fsoftware%2Fvmware%2Findex.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fvmware8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
9/38
Figure 2-1: Drives are aggregated into storage units.
Building blocks of storage
This growing collection of drives housed in multiple cabinets (storage units) isn't
seful without a way to manage all the raw storage, however. Management is
where the power of SAN technology starts to shine. With SAN technology, the
torage space on each drive is divided logically into storage blocks, as shown
n Figure 2-2, that can be assigned as a larger group spanning multiple physical
rives.
Figure 2-2: Logical storage blocks on a physical drive.
Enlarge image
These storage blocks are managed as a single virtual storage device called a
torage pool. Managing storage as a pool makes it possible to allocate a
ortion of the storage to individual servers that are connected to the
onsolidated storage on the SAN. For example, when a server requires storage
pace, you can assign it as a group of storage blocks that might span many
ifferent physical drives in that storage pool. Virtual storage hides the
nderlying physical infrastructure's complexity so that you can allocate storage
o meet servers' needs more easily.
By abstracting the way a server sees storage from the way drives actually
read and write it, the possibilities for adding, moving and copying storage
become interesting, as you see later in this lesson.
Volume allocation
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/media/ns/11187/HPSMB_SAN02fg02_large.jpg8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
10/38
As shown in Figure 2-3, physical drives have a number of storage blocks
llocated to provide servers with volumes used to store data. These volumes
re allocated storage blocks based on a server's needs, as shown in Figure 2-
.
Figure 2-3: Storage blocks are allocated to server volumes.
Enlarge image
As you can see in Figure 2-3, not all storage blocks on a drive are allocated to
server volume. The unallocated storage blocks are expansion space that can
e assigned to a volume on another existing server or a new server that's
dded later.
Storage use
Determining storage allocation amounts is still more of an art than a science.
Although you can estimate storage use fairly accurately for current applications,
etermining how new applications, new regulations or business growth canffect storage allocation is often difficult. In your Lesson 1 assignment, you
eviewed the storage allocated to servers in your current environment. You
might have noticed the following trends:
Some servers were using almost all the storage attached to them.
Some servers had a lot of unused storage.
Some servers had more than one type of storage technology (for example,
DAS and NAS).
These trends point out the difficulty of allocating storage efficiently with
raditional storage solutions. That's why many organizations continue
urchasing new storage every year, even though they have quite a bit of
nused storage. For these organizations, SAN's flexibility and efficiency inllocating storage can contribute to a positive ROI.
Allocating storage efficiently in your organization can save tens of thousands of
ollars every year, not just in the cost of purchasing new storage devices, but in
he management and installation time needed to add storage.
Now that you understand the rationale of virtual storage, continue reading to
earn ways you can incorporate this technology into your organization.
Discovering an all-in-one solution
Some organizations, locations may not have employees dedicated to storage
management. Even large organizations might not have IT professionals who
re knowledgeable about using SAN technology. Also, in the past, switching to
SAN technology has meant a sudden costly investment in new hardware and
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/media/ns/11187/HPSMB_SAN02fg03_large.jpg8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
11/38
oftware. You learn more about management software in Lesson 6, but for
ow, it's helpful to know that solutions are available that enable IT professionals
o manage storage like a expert and make it possible for organizations to move
o a SAN without a huge initial investment.
The task of allocating storage to server volumes from a consolidated storageool can be daunting if you don't have a solution designed to walk you through
he steps and enable you to manage storage easily. Luckily, a few vendors
ave entry-level products called all-in-one solutions that you can use to
apitalize on the benefits of SAN technology.
Look for vendors that offer both all-in-one and enterprise-level storage
solutions. All-in-one products often incorporate the expertise used to
develop the more expensive enterprise-level products in a vendor's line but
at a lower cost and with more simplified management tools.
By using an all-in-one solution that combines hardware and software, you can
o the following more easily:
Consolidate your storage.
Reduce your data center space requirements.
Reduce expenditures on extra storage.
Manage the storage your organization already owns more efficiently.
n addition, most all-in-one solutions have quick-start guides and data migration
tilities so that you can start using new storage solutions in your current
nvironment quickly and easily. After all, you want to migrate your data to a
ew, more manageable storage platform as soon as possible.
Don't dismiss all-in-one SAN products as lightweight alternatives to the "real
hing." Many all-in-one products have more features than your current solution.
Many all-in-one SAN products allow you to integrate your new storage into the
urrent environment by leveraging the infrastructure that exists within your
urrent network. For example, advanced SAN installations require multiple
witches, fiber-optic cabling and training to maintain the new infrastructure. All-
n-one solutions allow you to connect to your existing LAN switching gear with
tandard copper wiring and offer integrated electronics to manage new drives
n the storage unit. We'll cover some of these connection details in Lesson 3 as
we go over the connectivity options that are available when setting up a SAN
ystem.
All-in-one solutions are an easy way to get started with SANs. What do you do,
owever, when you outgrow your all-in-one solution's capacity?
HP All-in-One storage
solution
Understanding migration and upgrade paths
Storage growth is inevitable in organizations. As you've seen in this lesson,
irtual storage allows allocating storage blocks to servers as needed andllocating unused storage to new servers you've added. However, at some
oint, you'll run out of storage. What options do you have?
At some point, your organization will need to add storage, and SAN
technology can make that process easier.
HP SAN product &
solution portfolio
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=103004&placementId=4425&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fnetworking%2Findex.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=103004&placementId=4425&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fnetworking%2Findex.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=103004&placementId=4425&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fnetworking%2Findex.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=103004&placementId=4425&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fnetworking%2Findex.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storagehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102953&placementId=20158&lessonId=28189&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Faiostorage.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R11575_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fstorage%2FAiO-storage8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
12/38
Adding storage
One option is simply adding more physical drives to your current setup. With a
SAN's block-level allocations, this option is easier than with other storage
echnologies. New drives become part of the virtual storage device, and their
torage blocks can be allocated as needed. When new storage is needed by
xpanding server volumes, it can come from many different drives in the SAN
nfrastructure. To make this process even easier, SAN management software
ontrols how server volumes use storage blocks behind the scenes. SAN
echnology ensures that increasing storage by adding physical drives is done
s efficiently as possible so that you don't purchase more drives than you
ctually need.
Migrating storage
Another option is purchasing a new storage solution and moving your current
ata to it. As with any technology, newer, faster or less expensive storage
olutions that your organization wants to take advantage of will become
vailable, or perhaps your organization has outgrown the capacity of the all-in-
ne solution you started with. When you purchase new SAN hardware, you
eed a way to move data on your current SAN infrastructure to the new
ardware.
This migration can take place seamlessly, depending on how advanced the
oftware is. Because of the abstraction of physical drives and the virtual
torage allocated to server volumes, migrating data from one SAN device to
nother can be done by using block-level copying. Figure 2-4 shows the
oncept of block-level copying. Each block within the storage device is copied
y the SAN, rather than by the server that may be assigned that particular
torage block, to another storage unit. As long as the server and applications
sing data can access the virtual storage device, it doesn't matter where data is
tored physically.
Figure 2-4: Migrating data with block-level copying.
Enlarge image
After storage is copied from one device to another at the block level, the virtual
torage device remaps where data is located so that servers can start to take
dvantage of the new SAN infrastructure immediately. Block-level copying
educes downtime and increases flexibility, particularly for disaster recovery
rocedures, as you'll learn in Lesson 5 when we discuss SAN topologies.
Server volumes are allocated on the virtual storage device, so the
underlying physical drives can be managed without affecting the way the
server sees its data.
With SAN management software, you can view your storage network as a
ingle entity, which makes it easier to configure and monitor storage
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/media/ns/11187/HPSMB_SAN02fg04_large.jpg8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
13/38
omponents during a data migration.
Moving on
n this lesson, you learned how physical drives are divided logically into storage
locks that are allocated to server volumes. You have also seen how to use
irtual storage to manage adding drives and migrating data without affecting
he servers using that storage. In Lesson 3, you learn more about disk drive
echnology to understand how data is protected and how to improve storage
erformance with fiber optics. Before you move on, complete the assignment
nd take the quiz for this lesson, and then drop by the message board and chat
with your instructor and classmates about what you learned in this lesson.
Assignment #2
For this assignment, assess the following for your current environment:
Determine which servers in your network have the most storage space.1.
List which servers have shown the most increase in storage growth over the2.
past year.
Note the age of all your current storage devices.3.
These assessments will be helpful when you start to evaluate the process of building
our organization's SAN solution.
Quiz #2Question 1:
True or False: Servers connected to a SAN can use only specific physical drives for storage.
) TrueB) False
Question 2:
n a SAN, the storage space on each physical drive is divided into which of the following?
A) Storage pools
B) Storage units
C) Storage drives
D) Storage blocks
Question 3:
True or False: Virtual storage makes it easier to allocate storage dynamically to meet servers' needs because it
ides the underlying physical infrastructure's complexity.
) True
B) False
Question 4:
Migrating data storage with a SAN uses which of the following procedures?
A) Server volume allocation
B) Block-level copying
C) Storage pool copying
D) Virtual migrating
Question 5:
True or False: All-in-one SAN solutions are simply lightweight alternatives to enterprise-level SAN products.
) True
B) False
8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
14/38
Understanding SAN disk solutionsn this lesson, you'll delve into the technologies behind SANs. You'll learn about data protection with redundant
rives and data backup, as well as performance implications in designing a SAN.
Meeting your disk space requirements
n Lesson 2, you learned how virtual storage works and how to add to your
xisting storage solution. In this lesson, you see how to plan for your futureata storage needs by using a SAN. Although your organization might be
upporting different platform-specific storage components, such as a NAS and
ape subsystem for Unix and another for Windows, you can consolidate those
ifferent components into a SAN system to help manage data growth.
ooking at the list of servers in your inventory from Lesson 1's assignment, you
might have noticed a pattern of one platform or server type growing faster than
nother. In the consolidated SAN model, you no longer need to evaluate
pecific storage types; instead, you can evaluate overall growth patterns to
etermine your storage management plan.
A major benefit of a SAN is that you don't have to let storage capacity
urchased for one platform sit idle while storage for another platform is running
ut of space. All storage can be allocated to where it's needed in the SAN.
Of course, not all storage can be evaluated with the same priority. For example,
he storage your corporate databases use is probably ranked as more critical
han archives of process documentation. This evaluation leads to some
mportant architectural design implications that you learn about later in this
esson and in Lesson 5 when you explore SAN topologies. Fornow, consider
he following types of storage your organization might have:
DatabasesFile storage
Data backups
Archives
Temporary storage
Even within these broad storage categories, there can be varying levels of
mportance. For example, your organization might value a customer database
more than a database of parking assignments at the main office. Both are
atabases, but they have different levels of importance. You use this
nformation to determine how to allocate storage in a SAN.
To plan a SAN successfully, know your data and understand its importance
to your organization's operations.
While reviewing the types of storage your organization depends on, ask the
ollowing questions to help you determine the options you have:
How can an important database achieve the best performance?
How can archival file storage be cost effectively allocated?
What options are available to prevent data loss if a drive fails?
To answer these questions, you'll need to understand the disk components that
etermine data storage speed and expense, which is the topic of the next
ection.
NAS file and print
solution storage servers
mproving performance with disk components
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102993&placementId=644&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fdisk_storage%2Fstorage_servers%2Findex.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fproliant_storage_servershttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102993&placementId=644&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fdisk_storage%2Fstorage_servers%2Findex.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fproliant_storage_servershttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102993&placementId=644&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fdisk_storage%2Fstorage_servers%2Findex.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fproliant_storage_servershttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102993&placementId=644&lessonId=28188&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fdisk_storage%2Fstorage_servers%2Findex.html%3Fjumpid%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fservers%2Fproliant_storage_servers8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
15/38
As you learned in Lesson 2, the basic building block of SAN storage is physical
rives. Not all drives are the same, however. These factors determine how fast
ata can be read to or written from a drive:
Number of platters and heads
Data density on each platter
Platter rotational speed
Bandwidth of the drive's connection
An increase in any of these factors can improve performance but also increase
osts. Therefore, ranking the importance of your data storage is important tomake sure your storage solution is cost effective. Your organization might
ecide to spend more on fast data storage for critical applications but be
nwilling to spend much for data of lesser importance.
Platters and heads
Each drive contains aluminum or glass platters with a thin magnetic coating
hat stores data. The number of platters in a drive determines the drive's
hysical size, capacity (amount of data it can store) and how much data can be
ransferred in and out. Heads are mechanisms that transfer data to or from the
latters; they're sometimes called "read/write heads." Typically, drives have twoeads for each platterone for each side of the platter.
n drives with more platters, more data can be read with each platter rotation
pass). For example, a drive with two platters has four heads that can read or
write a certain amount of data with each pass. However, a drive with four
latters has eight heads that can read or write twice as much information with
ach pass.
Data might not be read simultaneously with each head, or the next data
might not be positioned where any heads are located, thus requiring thehead to move to another location during subsequent rotations to get to
data.
Data density
The amount of data a platter can store depends on the technology used. As the
hemicals used to create this layer improve and heads can read data in smaller
reas, the amount of data you can store in the same amount of space can
ncrease. Because there are two main physical drive sizes, 3.5 inch and 5 inch,
ncreasing the density of data stored on a platter is essential for getting large-
apacity drives.
Although higher densities allow for larger capacities, the technology might
not always translate to faster performance.
Platter rotational speed
nside each drive, a motor spins the platter, allowing the heads to float over the
latter's surface and read the data on it. As platter speed increases, so does
he drive's power consumption, heat output and noise. This added speededuces the time needed to make an entire rotation, however. If data is read on
ne pass before the head moves to another area to read the next set of data, it
appens more quickly with a faster rotational speed. The following table shows
ifferent uses for platter speeds in rotations per minute (rpm).
Platter rotational Typical use
HP Storage software
portfolio
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-softwarehttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=101289&placementId=20160&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fsoftware.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-software8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
16/38
speed
7,200 rpm File storage, inexpensive server storage
10,000 rpm Mid-range database storage, streaming video storage
15,000 rpm High-use database storage, high-definition video editing
storage
Table 3-1: Typical uses of platter rotational speeds.
You might think that using the fastest drive available is the best option, but
eep in mind that the faster the platter rotational speed, the more expensive therive is. For a database that doesn't get much use, for example, buying a
5,000 rpm drive isn't cost effective. You'll have more speed than you need,
nd power consumption, heat output and noise will be higher than necessary.
Connectivity bandwidth
esson 1 covered connectivity types for drives (SCSI, ATA, serial ATA and
USB). These connectivity options enable data to be streamed from the drive to
pplications that need it. Some options are faster than others, which allow drive
eads to pump data from the platter continuously. As you might imagine, the
andwidth of these connections can affect data flow if the heads can read moreata than the connection can transfer. If the connectivity cannot stream the
ata as fast as it's read from the drive, the drive will buffer some of the data
emporarily in a small on-board memory chip. However, once the RAM buffer
apacity is reached, the drive will wait to read more data. This increases the
otential delay as the platter spins and the data that would have been read
moves farther out of position until the full rotation finally brings it back around to
he head's position.
Considering your RAID configuration
You've been concentrating on the performance of data streaming from drives,
ut you should also consider how to protect data stored on drives. Component
ailures are inevitable, so planning for these failures is essential. The primary
mechanism for managing data replication in a SAN is a redundant array of
nexpensive drives (RAID) system. The following table describes the available
RAID levels.
RAID
evel
Description
RAID
0
Creates data "stripes" across multiple drives, which makes it possible to
read data more quickly than on a single drive but doesn't protect data if
any drive fails.RAID
1
Creates a mirrored drive set, in which data is written to two duplicate
drives simultaneously. If one drive in the mirrored set fails, the other
drive can still operate and store all the data.
RAID
3
Creates a striped data set similar to RAID 0 but includes an extra drive
containing additional information called parity data. With this feature, if
one drive in the set fails, lost data can be re-created so that the drive set
can continue operating.
RAID
5
Similar to RAID 3, but parity data is striped across the entire group of
drives instead of being stored on one dedicated drive. Therefore, every
drive can manage a portion of the drive set's parity data.
RAID
10
In this combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0, data is striped across a set of
drives and then mirrored to another set of drives. This type of mirroringremoves the extra step of calculating parity data every time data is
written to the drive.
Table 3-2: RAID levels.
HP Tape, disk-based
backup
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=104555&placementId=20161&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hp.com%2Fsbso%2Fserverstorage%2Fultimate.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=104555&placementId=20161&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hp.com%2Fsbso%2Fserverstorage%2Fultimate.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=104555&placementId=20161&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hp.com%2Fsbso%2Fserverstorage%2Fultimate.htmlhttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=104555&placementId=20161&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hp.com%2Fsbso%2Fserverstorage%2Fultimate.html8/9/2019 Course Session 306012 Intro Storage Networks
17/38
A SAN system can usually support every RAID level, so you can configure a
RAID level based on the storage allocated to the server. Some factors that help
ou determine the right RAID level include the following:
Tolerance for delays in writing to the drive
Performance effects during the RAID rebuilding phase
Tolerance for the RAID rebuilding process when a drive fails
Tolerance for writing delays
When data is written to a RAID system, the RAID software (whether on a chip
r in firmware on the controller) must calculate parity data before data is written
o drives in the set. This calculation is usually rapid but still requires time. RAID
works for most applications; however, if the SAN volume using RAID has a lot
f activity, application performance might be affected. In this case, consider
sing RAID 1 (mirroring) to eliminate the overhead of parity calculations. Just
emember that you'll spend twice as much on storage because every drive has
mirrored duplicate drive.
Performance effects during RAID rebuilding
When a drive in the RAID set fails, every operation must undergo a RAID parityalculation to make up for the drive that failed. This process reduces the RAID
ystem's overall read performance. Additionally, when a new drive is installed
o replace the old drive, every byte of data on the volume must be recalculated
nd copied to the new drive. During this operation, the RAID system's
erformance degrades.
Tolerance for RAID rebuilding when a drive fails
Most RAID hardware monitors idle periods to reduce the impact of the
ebuilding process, at the cost of taking longer to rebuild data. During
ebuilding, therefore, data is at risk of a secondary failure. RAID 1 (mirroring)as a similar rebuilding process, but read performance isn't affected as much
ecause there's no need to recalculate parity data. However, managing a
mirrored set requires twice as much storage.
Remember that RAID levels above 0 (simple striping) always require more
drive space to protect your data. This drive space costs more but adds
redundancy to your SAN for data protection.
These factors, weighed against the costs and survivability requirements you
ave for certain types of data, help you determine which RAID level to use. Youave other options for storing backups of your data, however, that don't involve
sing drives. The next section discusses non-disk storage options.
Backing up data with non-disk storage
Storing data on a SAN has an often overlooked advantage. When you store
ata on traditional DAS systems, the server needs to spend cycles reading the
ata to back it up to a local or networked drive. So during backup operations,
he server's performance is reduced, and the load on the local area network
LAN) increases. The time a backup operation takes is called the backupwindow. The more data a server has, the longer the backup window is. As you
ontinue adding storage, the backup window might be longer than the "off
ours" you've allotted for backups (usually nights or weekends). When the
ackup window spills over into normal work hours, the performance of an
rganization's day-to-day operations is affected.
HP Tape and optical
media
http://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102973&placementId=20162&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fstoragemedia.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-mediahttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102973&placementId=20162&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&eventType=PDC&targetUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fh18006.www1.hp.com%2Fstorage%2Fstoragemedia.html%3FjumpID%3Dre_R295_prodexp%2Flcmaps%2Fcomputing%2Fstorage-mediahttp://h30187.www3.hp.com/outgoing?productId=102973&placementId=20162&lessonId=28190&sponsorId=62&courseSessionId=175504&courseId=7881&