Introduction to storage networks

Flexible and redundant storage can solve many network problems, and storage area networks (SANs)
provide the solution. In this class, you'll learn the range of current storage issues and settings and
identify areas that provide tangible returns for an investment in storage networks. Along the way, you'll
learn about SAN disks, host bus adapters, switches and management tools.

Lessons
1. Is a storage area network right for your organization?
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.
2. Exploring virtual storage
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.
3. Understanding SAN disk solutions
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.
4. Discovering SAN controllers, cables and connectors
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.
5. Exploring topologies and switches
This lesson focuses on ways to interconnect storage network components.
You'll learn about topologies and the role of switches and the services they
provide. You'll also delve into more detail on the switches that tie a SAN
together.
6. Managing and administering SAN software
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.

Is a storage area network right for your organization?

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.
 

Welcome to Introduction to storage area networks

Welcome to Introduction to storage networks. Storage of your organization's  
data is critical to its business operations. Every day, users access, modify and
share data that enables the organization to function. However, data storage
can quickly become unmanageable when storage capacity must increase to
accommodate the vast quantities of information created daily and stored for
months or years. This class explains how to investigate your organization's
storage needs and evaluate storage technologies to determine which best fits
your 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
(SAN)—a centrally consolidated, virtual disk storage system that's separate
from 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
practical information to help you make informed decisions when planning your
network 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 components—controllers, cables and connection technologies—that
enable SANs to move data from disk to server.
Lesson 5: Exploring topologies and switches describes the SAN switch
protocol 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
organization 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
you've learned and applying them to your organization.

Get involved on the message board! You can exchange ideas, share your
expertise and offer feedback to help you get more from this class.

After completing this class, you'll have a wealth of information available to

understand how a SAN can provide your organization with the data storage and
management tools it needs to efficiently provision cost-effective storage
resources.

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
organization's size and data storage needs can change rapidly. For example,
when an organization adds new products or services, often its client database
grows faster than planned.
»  HP StorageWorks
modular disk arrays
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
are the traditional storage technologies that have been used to solve this
problem:
 Direct attached storage
Network attached storage

The following sections discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each

technology. To see them summarized and compared with SAN technology in
an 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 be

considered a direct attached storage (DAS) system. The hard disk in a desktop
computer or server is a simple example. DAS technology is fast because the
storage system is dedicated to one host.

DAS systems can be made up of internal or external drives, which are an

economical way to add storage. Internal drives include several technologies
such as small computer storage interface (SCSI), parallel ATA (PATA) which is
often times referred to as integrated drive electronics (IDE) and serial ATA
(SATA). External drives typically use the same physical hardware as the
internal drives, but add electronics to enable them to be used through an
external 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
the system to which they're attached. Therefore, expansion is more difficult
than with other storage solutions. An alternative—network attached
storage—enables 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
email and another as a shared application server for several departments.
Before you know it, you have many servers handling important tasks, and each
one requires separate storage. If you continue using a DAS system, your
organization might end up purchasing a lot more storage than it needs. For this
reason, shared storage technology can be of value.

A storage system that shares network bandwidth with standard server and user
traffic is called network attached storage (NAS). Devices called NAS
appliances share data over the network without adding multipurpose server
software, which can be expensive and difficult to maintain. NAS systems are
easy to operate and maintain and allow modest expansion. The hardware is
usually affordable and provides some management functions along with the
sharing capability.

NAS systems are subject to limitations of the underlying network's speed in

accessing data. For example, a Fast Ethernet local area network (LAN) has a
theoretical data transfer speed of 12.5 Mbps (megabytes per second). The
actual speed of accessing data drops, however, when NAS appliances are
using the network's bandwidth. Factor in network bandwidth for activities such
as web surfing, printing and email and the available data rate for storage
decreases even more.

What can an organization do to expand its storage so that it can be shared by

servers yet have enough speed to be effective? SANs were developed for just
this purpose, as you learn in the next section.

Realizing the benefits of a SAN

As mentioned, many networks are set up on a one-application, one-server
basis with separate servers for each organizational function or department.
With separate storage for each server, sharing data and resources is difficult
and can slow network performance. As you add more servers, management
can become time consuming, too.

»  HP Storage software
In a SAN system, all those separate storage disks are grouped and portfolio
consolidated in an array. Servers can then access the array as though it were a
local storage device. This setup also provides a separate network that's used
only for transferring data between storage systems and servers. This network is
optimized 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

fabric. 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 single

connection to the network, but a SAN fabric has multiple connections.

Redundant connectivity reduces downtime for users, which is important to

ensuring high availability for data and network resources. A SAN's separate,
centralized 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

storage is centralized as a virtual pool of resources, you can allocate storage to
servers as needed quickly and easily. With recent regulations mandating that
some industries, such as health care, retain data for longer periods, many
organizations are facing rapidly expanding storage requirements. Virtual disk
storage makes handling this "storage explosion" easier.

To understand the benefits a SAN can have for your organization, comparing
the strengths and weaknesses of DAS and NAS systems with SAN technology
is helpful. Table 1-1 compares the basic features of each technology.

Storage DAS NAS SAN

feature
Storage Limited to ports on Not limited Not limited
capacity the local server
Speed of Fast Somewhat slow Very fast
accessing
storage
Ease of Might require Easy Easy
adding shutting down
storage servers to add
storage
Redundant No No Yes
connectivity
Centralized No No Yes
management
Ease of Limited to host's Allows modest Quick and easy
expansion physical ports expansion
Suited for Yes No Yes
databases
Suited for file Yes Yes Yes
storage
Cost Inexpensive Moderately Moderately expensive
expensive
Distance Must be close Up to hundreds of Up to hundreds of miles
between (under 6 feet) miles
server and
storage
Backups Each volume Each volume Can back up multiple
copied separately copied separately volumes without server
from server to tape from server to tape interaction

Table 1-1: Comparing storage technologies.

Because SAN technology offers different advantages from an NAS or DAS

system, you might want to create a hybrid system incorporating each of these
technologies. For example, a developer's server that's used to test new
changes to a production application may need to be a very low cost
implementation with little consideration for performance. This type of server
may use very low cost DAS to support a small testing database. Production
servers supporting the same application will no doubt support more users and
require the performance and scalability that a SAN provides. To help you make
that decision, assess the importance of the following factors as you compare
the features in Table 1-1:

Performance
Availability
Scalability
Cost

As you can see, SANs offer a fast, flexible method for connecting consolidated
storage to the servers in your organization. By efficiently allocating storage
resources as they're needed, your organization will save both time and money
by reducing the overspending on unmanaged DAS or NAS storage resources.
As you delve into the technical details of SANs in upcoming lessons, these
benefits will be even more apparent.

Now that you've seen what SANs can offer your organization, continue reading
to learn how to assess your current environment to determine whether a SAN
solution is right for you.

Taking inventory and assessing your storage needs

To understand how your organization can benefit from using SAN technology,
you need to take inventory of the storage you currently use and get a handle on
your projected future needs. Getting an accurate view of your organization's
overall storage picture can be daunting, especially if each department has its
own standalone storage. If your organization has been adding storage over a »  NAS file and print
long period for different functions—an email server one year and a database solution storage servers
server the next year, for example—this task can be even more challenging.

Although taking an inventory of this type of "server sprawl" setup can be time
consuming, the results can help you present a compelling case for using a
SAN. For example, scattering storage all over the network inevitably means
duplication of IT management efforts. Upper management usually responds
favorably to the potential for a good return on an investment (ROI) in SANs if
you can show a reduction in the overhead of having several IT staff performing
the 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
inventory of your current storage requirements. In general, you want to collect
information 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 considerations—for example, LANs in branch offices
Applications, including performance and availability requirements

In 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
to make sure your storage solution can handle future expansion without
unnecessary downtime and management headaches as well as to keep the
costs from spiraling out of control.

In upcoming lessons, you delve into the nuts and bolts of SAN technology and
learn more about disk drives, SAN switches and network cards, external
cabling and software management tools.

Moving on

In this lesson, you reviewed traditional data storage options and learned that
SANs combine flexibility with high-speed connectivity and consolidate your
organization's storage in a centralized virtual storage pool.

In Lesson 2, you learn more about SAN features and options for building a
high-performance SAN to increase your data storage sensibly. Before you
move on, complete the assignment and take the quiz for this lesson. In
addition, visit the message board to introduce yourself, ask any questions you
have and find out what your instructor and fellow students are up to. See you
there!

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
devices, such as USB drives, server hard disks and NAS systems. Collect the following information,
striving for as much detail as possible. You might find it helpful to put your information in a
spreadsheet for easy reference.

List all storage devices (with make and model) used in your organization. Include each device's
storage 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
understanding how a SAN can improve your data management are easier.

Quiz #1
Question 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
consolidated 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
transfer rate.
A) 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
B) Network attached storage
C) Server-based storage
D) Direct attached storage
 

Exploring virtual storage

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 virtual storage

Welcome back! In Lesson 1, you reviewed the storage technologies
organizations often use, compared them with SAN technology to see the
flexibility and efficiency SAN offers. We covered how, when compared with
DAS and NAS technologies, SAN provided:

Unlimited storage provisioning

Superior management of consolidated storage »  HP Vmware
Higher performance

You also learned the importance of doing a thorough inventory and assessment
of your current and future storage needs. As you work through this lesson,
keep your Lesson 1 assignment handy. You can refer to this inventory of your
current 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

can manage separate drives and drive array storage units as part of a larger
pool. As you learned in Lesson 1, storage technologies are based on the
building block of a single physical drive. Adding drives requires some sort of
connectivity and power to make it possible to use the storage. By consolidating
these connections within a storage unit, drive connections are made using an
internal wiring harness that both eliminates clutter, but more importantly, allows
each 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,
requires separate power and connectivity cabling to make it work. As storage
units are filled with drives, more storage units must be added. Each storage
unit also requires some kind of connectivity so that the drives in the unit can
transfer data to and from systems using that storage.
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
useful 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
storage space on each drive is divided logically into storage blocks, as shown
in Figure 2-2, that can be assigned as a larger group spanning multiple physical
drives.

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
storage pool. Managing storage as a pool makes it possible to allocate a
portion of the storage to individual servers that are connected to the
consolidated storage on the SAN. For example, when a server requires storage
space, you can assign it as a group of storage blocks that might span many
different physical drives in that storage pool. Virtual storage hides the
underlying physical infrastructure's complexity so that you can allocate storage
to 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
As shown in Figure 2-3, physical drives have a number of storage blocks
allocated to provide servers with volumes used to store data. These volumes
are allocated storage blocks based on a server's needs, as shown in Figure 2-
3.

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
a server volume. The unallocated storage blocks are expansion space that can
be assigned to a volume on another existing server or a new server that's
added 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,
determining how new applications, new regulations or business growth can
affect storage allocation is often difficult. In your Lesson 1 assignment, you
reviewed 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
traditional storage solutions. That's why many organizations continue
purchasing new storage every year, even though they have quite a bit of
unused storage. For these organizations, SAN's flexibility and efficiency in
allocating storage can contribute to a positive ROI.

Allocating storage efficiently in your organization can save tens of thousands of

dollars every year, not just in the cost of purchasing new storage devices, but in
the management and installation time needed to add storage.

Now that you understand the rationale of virtual storage, continue reading to
learn 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
are knowledgeable about using SAN technology. Also, in the past, switching to
SAN technology has meant a sudden costly investment in new hardware and
software. You learn more about management software in Lesson 6, but for
now, it's helpful to know that solutions are available that enable IT professionals
to manage storage like a expert and make it possible for organizations to move »  HP All-in-One storage
to a SAN without a huge initial investment. solution

The task of allocating storage to server volumes from a consolidated storage

pool can be daunting if you don't have a solution designed to walk you through
the steps and enable you to manage storage easily. Luckily, a few vendors
have entry-level products called all-in-one solutions that you can use to
capitalize 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
do 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.

In addition, most all-in-one solutions have quick-start guides and data migration
utilities so that you can start using new storage solutions in your current
environment quickly and easily. After all, you want to migrate your data to a
new, more manageable storage platform as soon as possible.

Don't dismiss all-in-one SAN products as lightweight alternatives to the "real

thing." 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
current environment by leveraging the infrastructure that exists within your
current network. For example, advanced SAN installations require multiple
switches, fiber-optic cabling and training to maintain the new infrastructure. All-
in-one solutions allow you to connect to your existing LAN switching gear with
standard copper wiring and offer integrated electronics to manage new drives
in 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
system.

All-in-one solutions are an easy way to get started with SANs. What do you do,
however, when you outgrow your all-in-one solution's capacity?

Understanding migration and upgrade paths

Storage growth is inevitable in organizations. As you've seen in this lesson,
virtual storage allows allocating storage blocks to servers as needed and
allocating unused storage to new servers you've added. However, at some
point, you'll run out of storage. What options do you have?
»  HP StorageWorks 4/8
Base SAN switch and HP
StorageWorks 4/8 SAN
At some point, your organization will need to add storage, and SAN
switch
technology can make that process easier.
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
technologies. New drives become part of the virtual storage device, and their
storage blocks can be allocated as needed. When new storage is needed by
expanding server volumes, it can come from many different drives in the SAN
infrastructure. To make this process even easier, SAN management software
controls how server volumes use storage blocks behind the scenes. SAN
technology ensures that increasing storage by adding physical drives is done
as efficiently as possible so that you don't purchase more drives than you
actually need.

Migrating storage

Another option is purchasing a new storage solution and moving your current
data to it. As with any technology, newer, faster or less expensive storage
solutions that your organization wants to take advantage of will become
available, or perhaps your organization has outgrown the capacity of the all-in-
one solution you started with. When you purchase new SAN hardware, you
need a way to move data on your current SAN infrastructure to the new
hardware.

This migration can take place seamlessly, depending on how advanced the
software is. Because of the abstraction of physical drives and the virtual
storage allocated to server volumes, migrating data from one SAN device to
another can be done by using block-level copying. Figure 2-4 shows the
concept of block-level copying. Each block within the storage device is copied
by the SAN, rather than by the server that may be assigned that particular
storage block, to another storage unit. As long as the server and applications
using data can access the virtual storage device, it doesn't matter where data is
stored 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
storage device remaps where data is located so that servers can start to take
advantage of the new SAN infrastructure immediately. Block-level copying
reduces downtime and increases flexibility, particularly for disaster recovery
procedures, 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
single entity, which makes it easier to configure and monitor storage
components during a data migration.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned how physical drives are divided logically into storage
blocks that are allocated to server volumes. You have also seen how to use
virtual storage to manage adding drives and migrating data without affecting
the servers using that storage. In Lesson 3, you learn more about disk drive
technology to understand how data is protected and how to improve storage
performance with fiber optics. Before you move on, complete the assignment
and 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:

1. Determine which servers in your network have the most storage space.
2. List which servers have shown the most increase in storage growth over the
past year.
3. Note the age of all your current storage devices.

These assessments will be helpful when you start to evaluate the process of building
your organization's SAN solution.

Quiz #2
Question 1:
True or False: Servers connected to a SAN can use only specific physical drives for storage.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 2:
In 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
hides the underlying physical infrastructure's complexity.
A) 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.
A) True
B) False
 

Understanding SAN disk solutions

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.
 

Meeting your disk space requirements

In Lesson 2, you learned how virtual storage works and how to add to your
existing storage solution. In this lesson, you see how to plan for your future
data storage needs by using a SAN. Although your organization might be
supporting different platform-specific storage components, such as a NAS and
tape subsystem for Unix and another for Windows, you can consolidate those »  NAS file and print
different components into a SAN system to help manage data growth. solution storage servers

Looking 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
another. In the consolidated SAN model, you no longer need to evaluate
specific storage types; instead, you can evaluate overall growth patterns to
determine your storage management plan.

A major benefit of a SAN is that you don't have to let storage capacity
purchased for one platform sit idle while storage for another platform is running
out 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,
the storage your corporate databases use is probably ranked as more critical
than archives of process documentation. This evaluation leads to some
important architectural design implications that you learn about later in this
lesson and in Lesson 5 when you explore SAN topologies. For now, consider
the following types of storage your organization might have:

Databases
File storage
Data backups
Archives
Temporary storage

Even within these broad storage categories, there can be varying levels of
importance. For example, your organization might value a customer database
more than a database of parking assignments at the main office. Both are
databases, but they have different levels of importance. You use this
information 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
following 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
determine data storage speed and expense, which is the topic of the next
section.

Improving performance with disk components

As you learned in Lesson 2, the basic building block of SAN storage is physical
drives. Not all drives are the same, however. These factors determine how fast
data can be read to or written from a drive:

Number of platters and heads

Data density on each platter
Platter rotational speed »  HP Storage software
Bandwidth of the drive's connection portfolio

An increase in any of these factors can improve performance but also increase
costs. Therefore, ranking the importance of your data storage is important to
make sure your storage solution is cost effective. Your organization might
decide to spend more on fast data storage for critical applications but be
unwilling to spend much for data of lesser importance.

Platters and heads

Each drive contains aluminum or glass platters with a thin magnetic coating
that stores data. The number of platters in a drive determines the drive's
physical size, capacity (amount of data it can store) and how much data can be
transferred in and out. Heads are mechanisms that transfer data to or from the
platters; they're sometimes called "read/write heads." Typically, drives have two
heads for each platter—one for each side of the platter.

In 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
platters has eight heads that can read or write twice as much information with
each 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 the
head 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
chemicals used to create this layer improve and heads can read data in smaller
areas, the amount of data you can store in the same amount of space can
increase. Because there are two main physical drive sizes, 3.5 inch and 5 inch,
increasing the density of data stored on a platter is essential for getting large-
capacity drives.

Although higher densities allow for larger capacities, the technology might
not always translate to faster performance.

Platter rotational speed

Inside each drive, a motor spins the platter, allowing the heads to float over the
platter's surface and read the data on it. As platter speed increases, so does
the drive's power consumption, heat output and noise. This added speed
reduces the time needed to make an entire rotation, however. If data is read on
one pass before the head moves to another area to read the next set of data, it
happens more quickly with a faster rotational speed. The following table shows
different uses for platter speeds in rotations per minute (rpm).

Platter rotational Typical use

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
keep in mind that the faster the platter rotational speed, the more expensive the
drive is. For a database that doesn't get much use, for example, buying a
15,000 rpm drive isn't cost effective. You'll have more speed than you need,
and power consumption, heat output and noise will be higher than necessary.

Connectivity bandwidth

Lesson 1 covered connectivity types for drives (SCSI, ATA, serial ATA and
USB). These connectivity options enable data to be streamed from the drive to
applications that need it. Some options are faster than others, which allow drive
heads to pump data from the platter continuously. As you might imagine, the
bandwidth of these connections can affect data flow if the heads can read more
data than the connection can transfer. If the connectivity cannot stream the
data as fast as it's read from the drive, the drive will buffer some of the data
temporarily in a small on-board memory chip. However, once the RAM buffer
capacity is reached, the drive will wait to read more data. This increases the
potential 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
the head's position.

Considering your RAID configuration

You've been concentrating on the performance of data streaming from drives,
but you should also consider how to protect data stored on drives. Component
failures are inevitable, so planning for these failures is essential. The primary
mechanism for managing data replication in a SAN is a redundant array of
inexpensive drives (RAID) system. The following table describes the available
RAID levels.
»  HP Tape, disk-based
RAID Description backup
level
RAID Creates data "stripes" across multiple drives, which makes it possible to
0 read data more quickly than on a single drive but doesn't protect data if
any drive fails.
RAID Creates a mirrored drive set, in which data is written to two duplicate
1 drives simultaneously. If one drive in the mirrored set fails, the other
drive can still operate and store all the data.
RAID Creates a striped data set similar to RAID 0 but includes an extra drive
3 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 Similar to RAID 3, but parity data is striped across the entire group of
5 drives instead of being stored on one dedicated drive. Therefore, every
drive can manage a portion of the drive set's parity data.
RAID In this combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0, data is striped across a set of
10 drives and then mirrored to another set of drives. This type of mirroring
removes the extra step of calculating parity data every time data is
written to the drive.

Table 3-2: RAID levels.

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
you 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
or in firmware on the controller) must calculate parity data before data is written
to drives in the set. This calculation is usually rapid but still requires time. RAID
5 works for most applications; however, if the SAN volume using RAID has a lot
of activity, application performance might be affected. In this case, consider
using RAID 1 (mirroring) to eliminate the overhead of parity calculations. Just
remember that you'll spend twice as much on storage because every drive has
a mirrored duplicate drive.

Performance effects during RAID rebuilding

When a drive in the RAID set fails, every operation must undergo a RAID parity
calculation to make up for the drive that failed. This process reduces the RAID
system's overall read performance. Additionally, when a new drive is installed
to replace the old drive, every byte of data on the volume must be recalculated
and copied to the new drive. During this operation, the RAID system's
performance degrades.

Tolerance for RAID rebuilding when a drive fails

Most RAID hardware monitors idle periods to reduce the impact of the
rebuilding process, at the cost of taking longer to rebuild data. During
rebuilding, therefore, data is at risk of a secondary failure. RAID 1 (mirroring)
has a similar rebuilding process, but read performance isn't affected as much
because 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
have for certain types of data, help you determine which RAID level to use. You
have other options for storing backups of your data, however, that don't involve
using 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
data on traditional DAS systems, the server needs to spend cycles reading the
data to back it up to a local or networked drive. So during backup operations,
the server's performance is reduced, and the load on the local area network
(LAN) increases. The time a backup operation takes is called the backup
window. The more data a server has, the longer the backup window is. As you
continue adding storage, the backup window might be longer than the "off »  HP Tape and optical
hours" you've allotted for backups (usually nights or weekends). When the media
backup window spills over into normal work hours, the performance of an
organization's day-to-day operations is affected.
Organizations use three basic types of backups:

Full backup: All data on the volume is copied.

Differential backup: All data that has changed since the last full backup is
copied.
Incremental backup: All data that has changed since the last incremental
backup is copied.

The following table summarizes each backup type's advantages and

disadvantages.

Backup Advantage Disadvantage

type
Full All data is copied, so you have a complete set of Takes the
backup data if recovery is required. longest to
complete and
requires the
most storage
because all
data is being
copied.
Differential This type is a good compromise between full and As the time
backup incremental backups. It requires less storage and from the last
takes less time than a full backup, and fewer data full backup
sets are needed to restore the volume to the last increases and
full backup than with incremental backups. more files are
modified,
backups take
longer and
require more
storage.
Incremental This type is the fastest and requires the least If recovery is
backup amount of space because only data that has needed, this
changed since the last incremental backup is method
copied. requires
restoring the
most data
sets. The full
backup plus
every
incremental
backup since
the full
backup are
needed to
restore the
current
volume.

Table 3-3: Backup types.

Because a SAN maps storage into virtual volumes and assigns them to
separate servers, it maintains control over all storage components. Most SANs
include a tape system for reading data directly from the SAN instead of through
each server. This backup advantage reduces the amount involvement that the
servers themselves as well as eliminating the LAN traffic.

For example, if your organization has five servers, with 100 GB of data
allocated to each, the SAN-attached tape system can access all 500 GB of
data through the SAN, instead of pulling data from each server. During a tape
backup, the SAN can be instructed to create a snapshot, in which all data at a
point in time is "frozen." During a snapshot backup, the SAN maintains any
changes that would normally be applied to the file in a way that the data is
actually written to after the backup of the file is completed. Unless a file is
extremely large, the backup will usually complete without requiring a large
number of delayed writes. Figure 3-1 illustrates this process.
Figure 3-1: SAN snapshots used to back up live data.

Enlarge image

With a SAN-attached tape system, the servers and the LAN aren't affected
during backup operations. Backups can take place during working hours
without affecting servers that handle user requests, and network performance
isn't reduced when huge amounts of backup data are streaming over the LAN.
Additionally, backup operations are homogeneous, so you don't have to
manage different platforms for backup software and tape systems.

By consolidating the backups done over the SAN, the management time saved
in just backup operations could save thousands of dollars per year in time
spent swapping tapes and checking logs from multiple systems within an
organization with less than a dozen servers.

Moving on

Now that you've seen how your organization can benefit from the disk storage
features a SAN can offer and know how to protect your data from failures, in
Lesson 4 you move on to explore the hardware used to create a SAN and
connect your servers to a pool of managed storage. Before you move on, do
the assignment and take the quiz for this lesson. Visit the message board to
ask any questions and find out what your instructor and fellow students are up
to. See you there!

Assignment #3
Review the importance of data on current servers in your network, and then assign a RAID level
to each volume based on what you learned in Lesson 3. Using this list of volumes and associated
RAID levels, re-calculate your storage needs based on the following formulas:

RAID 0: You shouldn't be considering RAID 0 because it affords no data protection.

RAID 1: Double your current storage space to determine the total amount of storage required.
RAID 3: Multiply your current storage by 115 percent to include space for a RAID parity drive.
RAID 5: Multiply your current storage by 115 percent to include space for a RAID parity drive.
RAID 10: Double your current storage space to determine the total amount of storage required.

Quiz #3
Question 1:
True or False: Always use drives with the highest platter rotational speed available in your SAN system.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 2:
Which of the following RAID levels uses a single dedicated drive for parity data?
A) RAID 0
B) RAID 10
C) RAID 3
D) RAID 5
 
Question 3:
Using RAID 1 (mirroring) eliminates the overhead of parity calculations but has which of the following
disadvantages?
A) Data is at risk of a secondary failure during rebuilding.
B) The RAID system's overall read performance is reduced.
C) Costs increase because twice as much storage is needed.
D) Application performance is affected.
 
Question 4:
True or False: The backup window is the time that elapses from one backup operation to the next.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 5:
If the SAN volume using RAID has a lot of activity, and application performance slows, which of the following
RAID levels should you consider using?
A) RAID 1
B) RAID 3
C) RAID 5
D) RAID 10
 
Question 6:
Which of the following backup types is the best compromise between backup window and number of data sets
to restore if recovery is needed?
A) Full backup
B) Differential backup
C) Incremental backup
D) Partial backup
 

Discovering SAN controllers, cables and connectors

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.
 

Examining networking components of a SAN

In the past few lessons, you've covered the basics of the SAN infrastructure. In
Lesson 3, you examined drives—a SAN's data storage component—and
options for using RAID to protect your data. In this lesson, you delve into the
networking component of a SAN.
»  HP SAN product &
solution portfolio
The term "network" can have different meanings, based on your background.
For some, it means routers and a LAN connecting workstations and servers.
However, in a SAN, it's a hidden network that users don't connect to directly.
It's composed of the following:

Servers
 Host bus adapters
Cabling
Switches
Storage devices (disk arrays and tape drives)

You might be thinking that these components seem like the infrastructure that
makes up a LAN. The components do have similar names, and the connectivity
between them might be similar. However, in a SAN, the network is a high-
speed channel designed to move data between storage devices to servers and
between tape systems and storage devices. Figure 4-1 shows how these
components are connected.

Figure 4-1: Networking components of a SAN.

Enlarge image

Host bus adapters

A host bus adapter (HBA) is a card or device added to a server to manage the
transfer of information and enable the server to communicate in a certain way.
You're probably familiar with network interface cards that are used with
desktops to communicate with a LAN via Ethernet. Similarly, wireless network
interface cards are used to connect laptops via Wi-Fi to a LAN. These HBAs
provide a communication channel over which data flows between a host and
network devices.

SAN HBAs serve the same purpose: connecting servers to storage over a
dedicated high-speed network that's separate from the LAN. However, HBAs
are not simply network cards for your SAN. These cards offer high-speed
processors that remove a large burden from the host's operating system and
main CPU. Creating a "virtual drive" for your server's operating system, the
HBA and its driver software mask the complex communications that goes on
behind the scenes between the HBA and the rest of the SAN.

Additionally, HBAs offer the ability to manage communications to the SAN in a

way that increases the overall throughput of your server's applications. The
HBA creates multiple communications links to the storage devices on the SAN
and manages them separately. For example, if one application on your server
is transferring a large bulk of data to a SAN storage device that's under a heavy
load, the HBA may have to wait to send data to that storage device. However,
another application on the server may be accessing a database that's not
experiencing heavy loads, therefore the HBA can continue streaming the data
between the server and the database without being affected by the other
communications that are waiting.

Cabling

Data flows from a server's HBA over some type of cabling. This cabling can be
copper, but often fiber-optic cabling is used for connectivity over longer
distances and resistance to outside electromagnetic interference (EMI ).
Copper cabling usually involves lower costs, but the main goal of a SAN is less
about cost and more about protecting data integrity. However, as you'll see
shortly, the types of cabling used in SANs can vary, depending on the
underlying network infrastructure. For example, Fibre Channel connectivity
uses fiber-optic cabling, and iSCSI might use copper cabling through existing
switches.

Switches

Switches, the backbone of a SAN network, provide connectivity between

servers and storage devices. These devices are available in different
networking technologies, and your decision on which one to use is usually
based on your current infrastructure and your selection of other SAN
components. Next up, you learn how to evaluate SAN networking technologies,
considering factors such as available support, costs and flexibility.

Evaluating SAN networking technologies

Some LANs use networking technologies such as token ring, Attached
Resource Computer network (ARCnet) and Fiber Distributed Data Interface
(FDDI), but Ethernet is the technology of choice for most organizations. It offers
interoperability and many vendors to select from.

For SAN networking, you can select from the following technologies: »  HP All-in-One storage
solution
Fibre Channel
iSCSI
InfiniBand

Each technology has benefits you should consider. Use the following factors as
guidelines when you're evaluating SAN networking technologies:

Performance requirements: Is the connectivity speed of hosts an important

factor? Can the SAN infrastructure manage the throughput of all the hosts'
needs?
Long-term strategy for applications: If the SAN is used for storing critical
data, can you scale that storage easily?
Availability or resiliency needs: Does the SAN require 24x7 support, or can
you allow downtime for maintenance? Does data need to be replicated to a
remote location?
Support for server platforms: Does the SAN networking technology you've
chosen support your network's hosts?
Equipment cost: Although initial costs for equipment shouldn't be a high
priority, given the SAN's advantages in protecting data integrity,
management might ask hard questions if costs are too high.
Management cost: Management time and personnel can be hidden costs.
Does your staff need to be retrained on the new technology? Make sure you
allocate a budget for these costs.

Next, take a look at the major SAN networking technologies you can use,
keeping these factors in mind as you evaluate them.

Fibre Channel

Fibre Channel can be considered the Ethernet of SANs and is the standard that
all major vendors support. It has been around for more than 10 years and is
used in major corporations worldwide. If you want a mature technology with
wide support, Fibre Channel is an excellent option.

IT professionals everywhere are familiar with Fibre Channel, so it's a good

option if you want a standard SAN implementation with easy maintenance.

Fibre Channel does require an investment in switches and HBAs as well as

fiber-optic cabling to connect devices. However, this investment enables your
organization to get full use of a SAN system that's built for the future.

Some main benefits of Fibre Channel include the following:

Time-tested reliability
Broad-based industry standard
Large install base
Standard for SAN systems

iSCSI

A new contender in the SAN arena is Internet small computer system interface
(iSCSI), an IP-based standard for linking storage devices over a network. The
iSCSI protocol runs on top of a high-speed LAN infrastructure as another
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) application, so you
can use your existing network for a SAN without having to build a new
infrastructure.

iSCSI helps reduce SAN implementation costs and startup time by

leveraging existing infrastructure and familiar LAN cabling.

However, some potential challenges of using iSCSI include the following:

Competing with LAN traffic for available bandwidth

Requiring extra steps for installation
Redesigning your existing LAN to accommodate SAN components

When you use your current LAN infrastructure for a SAN's high-use traffic,
competition for bandwidth could be a problem. Printers, workstations and other
servers might be affected by traffic bottlenecks if the network isn't designed to
handle the additional SAN traffic. When installing iSCSI, therefore, you might
need to segment your network or add new switch ports to manage the SAN's
extra storage devices. These changes could involve some network redesign,
which may increase your time and effort. However, if your network is already
built for high-use traffic and is designed to handle new applications, such as a
SAN, iSCSI can be an easy way to deploy a SAN with your current hardware
and cabling.

InfiniBand

One of the newest SAN networking technologies is InfiniBand, which offers

support from major manufacturers but is still fairly new. Unlike the Peripheral
Component Interconnect (PCI) bus used with other networking technologies,
InfiniBand can carry multiple channels of data at the same time to improve
throughput. With a low-overhead protocol and high-speed throughput,
InfiniBand could overtake Fibre Channel in the future.

The Infiniband specification provides for both copper and fiber optic cabling
standards. With copper cabling, you have a limited distance of about 45 feet (or
15 meters) while fiber optic cabling provides for connectivity up to 900 feet (or
300 meters). An organization investing in Infiniband technology for a SAN
would want to invest in the fiber optics to ensure that there are not expansion
limitations once you've implemented your SAN.

Even with these benefits, you need to consider a few drawbacks. Because
InfiniBand is still fairly new, its support isn't as broad as Fibre Channel support.
Also, as with any emerging technology, some early-adopter issues need to be
worked out before InfiniBand can be considered ready for widespread use.
Currently, even with large names backing the technology, there are few
second-tier providers that are offering products based on Infiniband. This may
limit your options when your organization purchases equipment to build out
your SAN. InfiniBand could still be an excellent selection for your organization,
however. Major companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Intel and Sun
Microsystems use it, and it has been used in super-computing applications
around the world. However, compared to the Fibre Channel support base,
InfiniBand still can't be considered the standard SAN implementation.

After deciding which networking technology you want to use for a SAN, you
need to select an HBA. Next up, you learn some factors to consider when
picking one.

Selecting an HBA
 
After selecting a SAN networking technology, the HBAs you decide to use have
an effect on throughput (performance), reliability and scalability. In this section,
you review some key decisions to make when you're evaluating HBAs to use in
your SAN.

Vendor recommendations

When you're building a SAN, consider HBA recommendations from the vendor
of your SAN switching hardware and storage devices. Vendors typically
recommend their own HBAs for use in a SAN, but try to get unbiased opinions
from them, if possible. If not, most vendors have a list of supported HBAs on
which they've tested their equipment, which you can find on their websites or in
their support documentation.

Port speeds

While port speeds are a factor of both the HBA and the switch, you'll need to
determine what speed you'll be implementing. Often, this is a factor of pricing
for the HBA. Faster cards are more expensive, and your budget for these HBA
cards could quickly be exhausted by purchasing the fastest cards your switch
can support.

As a general rule, increase the budget for connectivity to storage devices

where many servers will be connected while maintaining the more affordable
connectivity for typical servers within a server farm.

Cabling type

As mentioned, you want to select an HBA that supports the cabling and other
infrastructure components you're using. Most vendors offer the type of card you
need for your platform. If you're using more advanced topologies, such as
server blades, or a less common server platform, however, you might need to
use HBAs from different vendors to fit your network's needs.

HBA management tools

Most HBAs include configuration and management software. If you plan to use
a single vendor for all SAN components, managing HBAs over the SAN with
the vendor's software is usually adequate. However, if you're using an
enhanced management tool, make sure it supports the HBAs you've decided to
use in your environment. The HBAs you select may offer diagnostic options
that will help keep your servers reliably connected to the SAN. These HBAs
can contact the management tools to offer a warning in case the HBA is
experiencing high error rates or memory issues.

Enhanced features
Some HBAs have enhanced features that offload tasks the main CPU might
have to perform to communicate on the SAN as described earlier in this lesson.
These offload features, such as drive virtualization and data transmission
optimizations using a high-speed CPU on the HBA can dramatically reduce the
load on a server's processors and improve its overall performance on the SAN.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned about the major networking components of a SAN:
HBAs, cabling and switches. You also learned different options for SAN
networking technology and factors to consider when selecting an HBA. No
matter what your choice for these components, make sure you consider factors
such as performance, reliability and scalability so that your SAN can serve your
organization's needs in the future. Before you move on, do the assignment and
take the quiz for this lesson. In addition, visit the message board to ask any
questions and find out what other students have to say.

Assignment #4
Review Lesson 4's list of factors to consider when selecting a networking technology for your
SAN, and then do the following:

1. Review Lesson 1's inventory to make sure you understand your network's needs.
2. Research the main networking technologies discussed in this lesson: Fibre Channel,
iSCSI and InfiniBand. As you're researching, keep in mind the important factors to
consider and your current network infrastructure and requirements.
3. Select a SAN networking technology that best fits your organization's needs, and then
write a memo to management explaining your selection.

Quiz #4
Question 1:
Which of the following is a SAN networking component? (Check all that apply.)
A) Switches
B) Host bus adapters
C) Workstations
D) Cabling
 
Question 2:
True or False: Fiber-optic cabling should always be used in a SAN for protection against EMI.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 3:
In what way does InfiniBand differ from other SAN networking technologies?
A) It can carry multiple channels of data simultaneously.
B) It uses your network's existing infrastructure.
C) It's considered the Ethernet of SANs.
D) It's been available longer than the other networking technologies.
 
Question 4:
Which of the following is a benefit of iSCSI networking technology? (Check all that apply.)
A) Wide vendor support
B) Reduced SAN implementation costs
C) Easy installation
D) Makes use of your existing LAN infrastructure
 
Question 5:
Which of the following factors should you consider when evaluating networking technologies for your SAN?
(Check all that apply.)
A) Equipment cost
B) Management cost
C) Installation time
D) Performance requirements
 
Question 6:
Which of the following might require using an HBA from a different vendor to find one that fits your network's
needs? (Check all that apply.)
A) Blade servers
B) Advanced management software
C) Enhanced HBA features
D) Less common server platform
 

Exploring topologies and switches

This lesson focuses on ways to interconnect storage network components. You'll learn about topologies and the
role of switches and the services they provide. You'll also delve into more detail on the switches that tie a SAN
together.
 

Understanding basic topologies

In Lesson 4, you learned about the networking components of a SAN, such as
host bus adapters, cabling and switches and the options you have for
networking technologies. In this lesson, you explore some options you have for
designing your SAN.
»  NAS file and print
solution storage servers
A topology is a physical layout diagram showing how network devices are
connected with each other. Figure 5-1, for example, shows how servers and
storage are connected.

Figure 5-1: A topology diagram showing interconnectivity.

When designing your SAN, you can select one of the following topologies:

Ring
 Cascade
Mesh
Core/edge

Each topology has benefits, but the preferred design for building a SAN is
usually the core/edge topology. You learn more about these options in the
following sections.

Ring topology

As shown in Figure 5-2, devices in a ring topology are connected in a closed

loop, with the last device connected to the first. This topology was prevalent in
the early 1990s with IBM's Token Ring technology. However, problems with
one device on the network can affect all other devices. Data being sent through
the network could stop at the device having problems, or errors might be
propagated to the other devices on the network.

Figure 5-2: A ring topology.

A similar technology called Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) uses two
counter-rotating rings to improve reliability. If a device on one ring failed, data
could be re-routed over the other ring. With the introduction of new topologies,
however, ring and FDDI have become less common.

Cascade topology

In the cascade topology, devices are connected in a branching configuration to

make network expansion easier. As you can see in Figure 5-3, however, if
switch A fails, the devices behind it (labeled B and C) are isolated from the rest
of the network and lose connectivity. Therefore, this topology doesn't work well
for connecting storage devices.

Figure 5-3: A cascade topology might isolate devices behind a failed switch.

Mesh topology

The mesh topology, shown in Figure 5-4, is an excellent design for small SANs.
By connecting each device to all other devices, device or link failures don't
isolate any device. However, as a network grows, this topology can be
expensive to expand and could become unwieldy to manage.

Figure 5-4: A mesh topology works well for a small SAN.

Core/edge topology

The core/edge topology is the most flexible and cost-effective option for
building a SAN system. As Figure 5-5 shows, it consists of a partial mesh
between devices on the SAN; it's not a full mesh because not all devices are
connected to each other. Devices at the edge of the SAN are connected to
edge switches, which are connected to core switches. Because each edge
switch is connected to at least two core switches, a link or core switch can fail
without isolating devices on the network. When you need more connectivity
between devices, this design can be expanded easily by adding edge switches
to core switches.

Figure 5-5: A core/edge topology.

In addition to selecting a physical layout for connecting SAN device, you need
to consider other factors in your design. As you learn in the next section, one
important consideration is incorporating redundancy into your SAN to make
sure you don't lose critical data after a network failure.

Continuity management options

Organizations sometimes overlook the need to consider operational continuity,
which is the capability to resume operations after a disaster. One way to ensure
operational continuity is to build redundancy (also called resiliency) into your
SAN. Although adding redundancy increases costs, being able to maintain your
organization's operations after a network failure is essential. To help you
determine how much redundancy you need, ask management the following
questions: »  HP Storage software
portfolio
What's the organization's cost per hour during normal operations?
How does storage downtime affect the organization's operations?
How long can the organization tolerate unplanned downtime?
How much is the organization willing to spend to avoid unplanned
downtime?

With this information, you can better estimate the financial impact of unplanned
downtime and budget for a redundancy solution. The following table compares
costs and redundancy features of the major topologies to help you make a
decision.

Factor Ring Cascade Mesh Core/edge

topology topology topology topology
Tolerance to Poor Poor Good Good
failures
Performance Good Good Better Best
Scalability Some Some Poor Good
Cost Low Low High Medium

Table 5-1: Comparing topologies.

Redundancy within a topology permits individual failures to reduce the

likelihood that connectivity to one or more components are lost. If your
organization has a low-tolerance for unplanned downtime due to its expense or
criticality, spending more on a topology that offers good redundancy would offer
a way to reduce the amount of unplanned outages. Obviously, the more
redundant the connectivity is, the more components that need to be purchased,
installed and maintained over time.

After selecting a topology, you have other options for adding disaster recovery
features. For example, if you use a core/edge topology, you could design a
multi-building SAN that can isolate switch failures to a specific building or floor,
as shown in Figure 5-6. Being able to isolate switch failures improves
performance and redundancy because a single failure doesn't affect the entire
network. Also, if you plan thoroughly, you could expand your SAN to favor local
hosts based on their proximity. By adding storage devices that are connected
to local edge switches rather than connected to a switch on the other side of a
core switch, you could reduce the amount of traffic flowing over the core
switches, which allow more throughput for connections that have to traverse
the core switches.
Figure 5-6: A multi-building SAN that incorporates core and edge switches.

Networking technologies haven't been mentioned because they usually

have no effect on the SAN topology you select. If you're creating an iSCSI
SAN on top of your existing LAN, however, you might need to consider
whether your current LAN topology is capable of handling the extra SAN
traffic.

Now that you understand how to select a topology, keep reading to learn what
features to look for in SAN switches to create your network topology.

Exploring switches
Because SANs in a core/edge topology with Fibre Channel networking
technology are the most common, this section uses this setup to explain switch
features you should consider for your SAN. SANs that are built on a LAN using
iSCSI would have similar topology considerations. In addition to the SAN traffic,
the LAN switch design would also need to incorporate heavy usage internet
and intranet traffic as well as printers and workstations. The same core/edge
switch design would apply to an iSCSI SAN. »  HP Vmware

Basic switch features

SAN switches have several basic features that provide connectivity for edge
devices, such as servers and storage, as well as core switches. Each
connection, or link, to a switch is made over a copper or fiber-optic cable. One
end connects to the network device, and the other connects to the switch port.
You can set the connectivity speed on a switch port manually or configure it to
negotiate the highest possible speed automatically.

In addition, other integrated components are used to report the status of a port
and manage ports remotely by using desktop or web-based management
software. Typically, high-end switches have more management and reporting
features, but many entry-level switches incorporate these helpful features, too.

Web-based management software is a convenient alternative to desktop

software but might not offer as many features such as auto-discovery or
real-time statistics.

Environmental factors have become a concern lately, so reducing power

consumption and cooling requirements is an important consideration. Most
vendors now offer energy-efficient switches with reduced power consumption
and cooling. In addition, look for power supply redundancy options to increase
your network's capability to withstand electrical fluctuations or outages. Even
entry-level switches now offer redundant power supplies that can be plugged
into two different circuits in the data center.

Zoning

You can set up zones for switches that enable you to segment traffic for
improving security and conserving bandwidth. If you create a zone for financial
data, for example, only servers added to the financial zone have access to
storage in that zone. With this setup, you can help prevent unauthorized access
to financial data, which improves security.

In addition to creating zones to secure data, adding zones can reduce the
likelihood that any one storage device gets overloaded. By creating multiple
zones and assigning devices and servers to each zone, you can break up the
traffic going to each of the devices so that requests are services more quickly
and the traffic within that zone is managed. If your organization created only
one zone for all devices, it may be possible that the servers within the SAN
could saturate the bandwidth to the storage devices.

Devices can be a part of more than one zone, too. For example, if you want all
devices in your SAN to share the backup system, you could configure all
devices to be part of the backup zone to give them access to the tape backup
unit. Zoning is a powerful tool for managing servers and data and is discussed
in more detail in Lesson 6.

ISL trunking

Interswitch links (ISLs) are another option for connecting SAN switches. Switch
links are combined to create a "trunk" or bundle of links that act as a single
connection. This option increases bandwidth, so it can handle more traffic.
Also, it improves redundancy because if one link fails, other links in the trunk
can continue transmitting data. Figure 5-7 shows an ISL trunk in a topology
diagram.

Figure 5-7: ISL trunking combines several switch links.

Enlarge image

If you're building a SAN that uses a different technology (such as 10 Gigabit

Ethernet with iSCSI), make sure you look for the same types of features
discussed in this section. Many major vendors support these features in iSCSI
products to give you the same flexibility and capability of Fibre Channel SANs.
Your current LAN switches may already be capable of some of the features
listed in this section which would allow your organization to more easily
implement an iSCSI solution.

Moving on

In this lesson, you learned some topology options for connecting SAN
components. In addition, you learned the importance of incorporating
redundancy into your SAN topology and reviewed some features to consider
when purchasing a switch. Lesson 6 puts together what you've learned in
previous lessons and reviews management options for your SAN. Before you
move on, do the assignment, 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 #5
For this assignment, do the following:

1. Review your organization's needs by looking over your assignments for previous
lessons—selecting a RAID level, networking technology and so on.
2. Using paper and pencil or a drawing program, design a SAN topology that satisfies your
 organization's needs for cost, scalability, performance and redundancy (capability to
tolerate failures).
3. Write a memo to management explaining your selection of a SAN topology.

Quiz #5
Question 1:
Which topology can be unwieldy to manage when the network expands?
A) Mesh
B) Cascade
C) Core/edge
D) Ring
 
Question 2:
True or False: Devices can be part of only one zone in a SAN.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 3:
To plan for incorporating redundancy into your SAN design, what information should you get from
management? (Check all that apply.)
A) How long unplanned downtime can be tolerated
B) Effect of downtime on the organization's operations
C) Cost per hour of normal operations
D) Budget for preventing downtime
 
Question 4:
How can you expand a core/edge topology easily?
A) Add edge switches to core switches.
B) Add more ISL connections.
C) Add core switches to edge switches.
D) Set up more zones.
 
Question 5:
ISL trunking offers which of the following advantages? (Check all that apply.)
A) Increased bandwidth between switches
B) Shorter distances between switches and end devices
C) Improved redundancy
D) All of the above
 
Question 6:
Which of the following is a disadvantage of web-based management software for switches?
A) Difficult to learn
B) Inconvenient to use
C) Usually offers fewer features
D) Available only for high-end switches
 

Managing and administering SAN software

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.
 

Exploring SAN management software

In Lesson 5, you explored SAN topologies and learned more about switches,
which provide connectivity for your SAN. To take advantage of all the power a
SAN offers, in this lesson you learn how to select the best management
software for your solution and explore other options for managing your SAN.
»  HP SAN product &
solution portfolio
Most SAN vendors have different packages of management software with
features for administering and reporting on SAN resources. These packages
can be divided into three major categories:

Web-based software
Low-functionality workstation software
Premium-functionality workstation software

The following sections explore features of each category.

Web-based software

Web-based software usually has fewer features than workstation-based

software. It can perform simple tasks and basic reporting but typically isn't used
for an enterprise-level SAN system. Web-based software does offer the
following benefits, however:

No software to install
Can be used from any workstation or even a remote location
Performs simple tasks easily
Typically free or included with equipment purchase

For a small or highly mobile organization, web-based software can be the

perfect management solution.

Low-functionality workstation software

Low-functionality workstation software generally offers more resource-

allocation functions than web-based software. In addition, some low-
functionality software can generate a topology map of your SAN and reports for
every device. The software must be installed from a CD/DVD and is usually run
from an administrative workstation. Some vendors will include this type of
software for a modest fee. Other vendors may even freely distribute a limited
version of their premium-functionality software. Even if there is a cost to this
software, the added benefits are often worth the small cost. Most low-
functionality software also includes the following features:

Produces a complete picture of your SAN resources for better visualization

Manages multiple switches
Automates tasks for efficient use of staff time
Uses industry-standard interfaces to manage multi-vendor platforms

Premium-functionality workstation software

Premium-functionality workstation software adds more enterprise-level features

for capacity, performance and reporting. This software is typically more
expensive than the low-functionality software discussed previously. But the
added costs for the premium-functionality can often provide a great deal of
added benefit in terms of efficiency. Software in this category enables you to do
the following:

Plan for allocating storage capacity

Support storage infrastructure lifecycle management
Monitor performance of your SAN components
Get notifications for events such as low disk space or high resource use

Keep in mind that vendors release updated software versions constantly to stay
competitive, so you might be able to find some high-end features in a less
expensive low-functionality package. Make sure you do your homework on
which features are important to your organization when evaluating
management software for your SAN. If you decide to purchase a premium-
functionality package, make sure your organization really needs the features
that it's paying for.

Now that you know what to look for in management software, keep reading to
find out other management options you have for your SAN.

Managing resource access

Managing resource accessibility is critical to maintaining SAN security. You can
manage resource access by designating device zones and LUN masking.

Designating device zones

»  HP All-in-One storage
As you learned in Lesson 5, you can divide your SAN devices into zones to solution
make sure data is accessible only to resources allocated to a zone. A small
SAN might have only one zone, but larger SANs could have many zones.
Zones are useful for simplifying management and increasing security.

You can compare using SAN zones to setting up groups to manage user rights.
When you're assigning permissions to users for network resources, often you
set up user groups to make this task easier. That way, you don't have to assign
permissions separately to each user. You assign permissions to a group you
create, and then add users to the group as members.

The same is true of SAN zones. You can assign devices to zones as an easier
method of managing rights to storage resources. As with users who can be
members of more than one group, devices can be placed in more than one
zone so that they can access several different storage resources. Tape backup
systems, for example, are typically given rights to all, or many, zones to make
the backup process more efficient. Figure 6-1 shows a switch assigned to both
Zones A and B.

Figure 6-1: A device can be assigned to more than one zone.

You can create the following types of zones, explained in more detail in the
following sections:

Hard zoning
Soft zoning
World Wide Name zoning

Hard zoning

Hard zoning, the strictest type of zoning, is configured in the device hardware
and actually prevents devices from communicating and accessing resources
outside their zones. Because it's implemented in hardware, it's fast and secure.
Consider hard zoning for highly confidential information, such as financial data
or personnel records. one drawback of hard zoning is its lack of flexibility. After
you've configured zoning for device hardware, changing zones can be more
time consuming than with other zoning types.

Soft zoning

Soft zoning, as the name implies, is configured in device software as a filter for
accessing resources. With this type of zoning, when a device "sees" the SAN, it
can see only the resources it has allowed to access in its zone. Therefore,
modifying your setup to add or overlap zones is easier than with hard zoning.
Soft zoning is less secure because servers or devices in other zones might be
able to guess device addresses (discussed in the next section) and access
resources outside their zones. However, most SANs aren't open to network
devices outside the SAN, so this disadvantage isn't major for most
organizations.

Worldwide naming zoning

An even more flexible zoning type is World Wide Name (WWN) zoning. A
WWN is a unique identifier assigned to the HBAs of SAN devices, and resource
access is then filtered based on WWN. With this zoning, you can recable a
SAN if needed without re-assigning ports and devices to the correct zone.
Management is easy with this zoning type, but a rogue HBA could be added to
the SAN and use a valid device's WWN to access sensitive information.

Next up, you learn about another option for streamlining management: LUN
masking.

LUN masking

Another useful option for easing SAN management is logical unit number (LUN)
masking. You give each device in a SAN a unique LUN identifier for addressing
and allocation purposes.

So why would you need to hide, or mask, a LUN address? Contrary to what its
name implies, LUN masking isn't done for security reasons. Mainly, it's used to
prevent Windows servers from trying to write their own volume labels on non-
Windows devices, such as Linux or UNIX. This attempt to write over LUNs on
other devices can cause corruption of data stored on them. In addition, if a LUN
is written over with a Windows volume label, you might not be able to use that
device on another platform besides Windows.

If you mask a device's LUN address, Windows servers don't recognize the
device as non-Windows and don't attempt to overwrite the address. You can
then unmask the LUN as needed for other non-Windows systems using that
LUN. Premium-functionality management software and some low-functionality
versions can handle LUN masking automatically for you.

Implementing policy management

As you've learned throughout this class, you have several SAN components to
manage, both physical and virtual: zones, addresses, ports, links, switch
connectivity, bandwidth, storage allocation and more. All these management
tasks can be overwhelming for SAN administrators.

Using aliases »  HP Storage software

portfolio

To simplify these management tasks, you can use policy-based management

tools to handle many functions automatically. For example, instead of allocating
storage or zones only by using WWNs or LUNs, which are usually strings of
letters and numbers, you can create an alias, such as Sales Server, that's
easier to remember. In other words, your management software keeps track of
WWN or LUN addresses so that you don't have to.

Giving devices easy-to-remember aliases makes SAN management easier.

Using policies

You can also set up policies, or rules, that automate which resources are
assigned to certain zones or perform routine configuration checks to make sure
resources are allocated correctly.

Additionally, policies can help manage alerts to conditions that may affect the
servers or the storage on the SAN. For example, you could set a policy that
sends alerts based on when a volume approaches some capacity threshold.
Typically policies can be set on the following general types of conditions:

Availability: Setting the number of redundant paths to data within the SAN
Backup: Specifying how often to back up certain volumes
Capacity: Alerting when a volume becomes too full
Interoperability: Alerting when devices may not work with other devices on
the SAN
Performance: Monitoring application-level response times to ensure service-
level agreements
Security: Setting the permissions on which servers have access to particular
storage resources using zones and LUN masking

Because SAN management software enables you to abstract and consolidate

resources, you can manage more resources with fewer people. The reporting
features in this software are also useful for auditing your SAN to ensure
consistency and monitoring performance.

Now that you understand the options for managing a SAN, you're ready to build
a SAN for your organization's storage. The next section reviews what you need
to know to be successful.

Starting smart with your SAN

This section wraps up the class by reviewing guidelines for setting up and using
a SAN solution. With these guidelines, you can start smart and create a SAN
that serves your organization for years to come:

Assess your overall storage needs for the organization, not just by
department.
Plan for storage growth to make sure you're purchasing cost-effective »  HP Tape, disk-based
storage devices. backup
Review your options for networking technologies, and then pick one that
provides the performance and support you need.
Determine how you're going to migrate data to your new SAN, and then plan
for how your server resources will be affected during the transition.
Select a SAN solution that's the right size for your organization but is
capable of growing to meet your storage expansion needs.
If your organization doesn't need a high-end solution, remember that an all-
in-one solution might be a good fit.
Select a RAID level that protects your data yet offers the performance your
applications need.
Use a backup solution that can read data directly from the SAN.
Select a SAN topology that offers the growth, performance and redundancy
options your organization needs.
Use SAN management software to streamline access to common functions
and make configuring security and storage capacity easier.
 Document your network by using the management tools you've selected.
Review your growth and capacity planning objectives often to make sure you
have storage ready when your organization needs it.

Moving on

In this lesson, you've learned how SAN management software can ease the
administrative burdens associated with a SAN and reduce the personnel
needed to manage your storage infrastructure. As always, take the quiz and do
the assignment before moving on. If you haven't signed on to the message
board for this course, now is a great time to do so. Ask questions and interact
with the instructor and other students to get feedback on the solutions you're
considering. See you there!

Assignment #6
Now it's time to put together everything you've learned in this class. Review the guidelines at the end of
Lesson 6 to help you determine the best SAN solution for your organization. Then starting with the
topology diagram you've created for Lesson 5's assignment, expand this diagram to illustrate your entire
SAN system. Label all hardware components, such as cabling, switches, backup devices, HBAs and
storage units, and then include the model and make for each device. Finally, put together a proposal for
management that specifies the networking technology, redundancy features and SAN management
options you're using and then include a cost estimate for your overall SAN solution.

Quiz #6
Question 1:
Reconfiguring zones is easy with which type of zoning? (Check all that apply.)
A) Hard zoning
B) WWN zoning
C) LUN zoning
D) Soft zoning
 
Question 2:
True or False: Low-functionality workstation software is the best solution for a small or highly mobile
organization.
A) True
B) False
 
Question 3:
Why should you use LUN masking?
A) To improve security
B) To create an easy-to-remember identifier for devices
C) To prevent Windows servers from overwriting LUN addresses with their own volume labels
D) To allow Macintosh and UNIX devices to work together
 
Question 4:
Which of the following is the most restrictive type of zoning?
A) WWN zoning
B) Soft zoning
C) Strict zoning
D) Hard zoning
 
Question 5:
True or False: Policy-based management tools handle certain tasks automatically, so you can manage more
resources with fewer people.
A) True
B) False
 

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