TRACK: MANAGING STORAGE NETWORKS
The core of any networked storage infrastructure is the basic hardware components: storage arrays and the fabric that links them to client servers and other services. Over the past few years, the trend has been to networks built around director-class switches -- but how those directors are used is the key to whether they're just consolidation points to replace core-edge architectures or if they actually put more intelligence into the network.
Storage systems, too, have undergone considerable change. iSCSI storage arrays have steadily increased their presence in data centers and remote locations, and as iSCSI technology and implementations mature, their impact is certain to become more profound. And on the leading edge of storage are systems that eschew or greatly reduce the role of spinning disks, replacing them with solid state devices that run cool, use far less power and take up less space. In this track, we'll look at the implications of these recent developments.
Downloads included in this track: (click title to download slides)
The Five Myths of Storage Management for Distributed Systems and Mainframe Environments
Speaker: Jon Toigo, CEO and Managing Principal, Toigo Partners International, and Chairman of the Data Management Institute
Description: With increasing pressure to do more with fewer staff, renewed focus has been placed on infrastructure manageability, especially storage infrastructure. Those with mainframes may believe their management story to be superior to the distributed crowd, but changes including consolidation of X86 systems into LPARs are creating new challenges that the distributed computing administrators already know.
Bottom line: storage management remains a huge and growing problem in most organizations, contributing to cost, compliance, continuity and carbon issues.
In this presentation, Jon Toigo examines the five myths that have developed around contemporary storage management and outlines a service-oriented strategy for bringing storage under better control.
Not "Just a Switch" Anymore -- Data Center "Backbone" Architectures
Speaker: Dennis Martin, Founder and President, Demartek
Description: The leading switch vendors have revealed their visions of a unified data center network infrastructure. It sound good, but what are the ramifications for the storage networking infrastructures you have in place. This presentation covers a number of key topics, such as the technologies that are available now—and what's still needed, key protocols and standards that will make the unified data center work, the advantages—and drawbacks—of having an integrated network and more.
FCoE -- Happiness or Hype?
Speaker: Howie Goldstein, Founder, Howard Goldstein Associates Inc.
Description: Industry efforts to promote and update Ethernet have been taking shape over the last year. This includes both enhanced performance and function as Fibre Channel vendors look towards Ethernet as the physical transport for the future of Fibre Channel in the data center and the convergence to a unified data center fabric. This presentation will look at the issues surrounding the marketing and development of Fibre Channel over Ethernet as well as some viable alternatives to that approach.
Storage Network Performance -- The Weakest Link
Speaker: Howie Goldstein, Founder, Howard Goldstein Associates Inc.
Description: People often point to performance as a major benefit of a Storage Network infrastructure. But performance means many things to many people in the IT world. This presentation identifies just what aspects of performance are or are not critical to the successful deployment of these storage network technologies. Find out what is and is not important as a focus item and discover the systems, the networks and the storage involved in levying information flow requirements.
Integrating Solid State Storage
Speaker: Dennis Martin, Founder and President, Demartek
Description: In this presentation, we'll look at the advantages/disadvantages of integrating solid state drives in traditional storage systems. The presentation will also describe new techniques that solid state vendors or using to make this integration more effective.
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Other tracks
Backup Technologies Track
Disaster Recovery Track
Data Retention and Retrieval Track
Storage Systems & Storage Management Track
Management/Executive Track
