Aligning Storage Management Tools with Operational Processes Hosted

Aligning Storage Management Tools with Operational Processes Hosted by Stephen Foskett Glass. House Technologies

Hosted by Introduction l The wide array of storage management tools have overlapping features, confusing names l Make sense of it by looking at storage management from a different perspective - what tasks do I need to perform? How will this product help me? l I will present a matrix of management tasks and technologies

Hosted by Confusing Terms l There are no standard category names: • Storage Resource Management (SRM) usually analyzes host storage contents (number, type, attributes of files) but not always • Different Storage Management Suites have different functions

Hosted by Overlaps and Gaps l Many “suites” do not offer SRM functionality. l 114 storage management packages! l >12 offer accounting, device management, SAN management. l <5 offer SAN design, process management, asset management. l None offers configuration management.

Hosted by Package-Based Approach l Software packages are purchased arbitrarily: • Sales rep’s suggestions • Media coverage • Advertising l Hit or miss coverage of business needs

Hosted by A Different Perspective l Select tools that fill your needs: • Understand the tasks to be performed • Determine which tasks require software • Prioritize requirements • Match required functionality to available products • Select a few products for maximum coverage

Hosted by Storage Management Tasks l Types of tasks: • Engineering – Making things work • Operations – Watching things work • Management – Control • Analysis – Validation Process Task Policy Tool

Hosted by A Storage Management Lifecycle l 4 phases - 67 discrete tasks in total

Hosted by Sample Tasks – Provisioning

Hosted by Storage Software Framework l Basic functional categories for storage management software l Each product has varying levels of coverage in different categories

Hosted by Software Categories l Accounting • • Measures the use of storage resources Allows reporting and chargeback l Application Management • • Integrates application-specific functions Some limited to usage visibility, others integrate backup or replication l Asset Management • Records hardware deployment and usage information

Hosted by Software Categories (continued) l Capacity Planning • Metrics, forecasts future usage, recommends upgrades l Configuration Management • • Records configuration of devices Automated change control for the architecture l Device Management • Manages end devices (storage arrays) l Information Lifecycle Management • • Migrates data over time Some (HSM) move data, others measure requirements

Hosted by Software Categories (continued) l Performance Management • Measures performance of components, including devices and interconnects l Provisioning • Automates presentation of storage to hosts l SAN Design • Automates the design of SANs l SAN Management • Manages the interconnection of devices

Hosted by Sample Tools – Provisioning

Hosted by Sample Tools – Storage Activation

Hosted by Selecting Storage Management Software l Look for software offering just what you need l Minimize number of tools: • Lack of integration options • Complexity = Confusion l Look beyond “suites”

Hosted by Final Thoughts on Storage Management Software l More and more hardware supporting SMI-S l More software using standard database backends l Often limited configurability – reporting, cost accounting l Some can read but not write to certain hardware