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  According to SearchStorage.com expert and author of Storage Area Networks for Dummies Christopher Poelker, SANs have changed the way we think about managing storage:

"Before SANs, and with the exception of mainframe storage, most enterprise

storage management consisted of an application provider complaining to the datacenter operations staff that their system just crashed due to insufficient storage space. The application manager would try to delete as many un-needed files as possible and bring the server back up until the operations staff could add more disk space (if possible).

"Does this sound familiar to anyone?

"This is why SANs, with their centralized pools of professionally allocated storage, have been such a boon to business. No more planned downtime to add more disks, no more system crashes due to storage deficiencies. Everything is now always backed up and managed, and in some cases, even highly available or disaster tolerant. Where it used to take many operations staff with knowledge of many different OS platforms and server types, can now be done by a single SAN manager with good SAN management software. It's all about doing more with less these days."

Here are the straight FAQs about SAN management.

TABLE OF CONTENTS    SAN management planning    How should I design my SAN?    Managing switches    Policies and process    Storage management tools    Virtualization: Fact or Fiction?    Advanced management techniques    Additional information/resources    More Learning Guides

 

SAN management planning

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Managing your SANs is never easy. This chapter looks at how users are dealing with capacity growth, scaling SANs, connectivity basics and some best practices for keeping your SANs properly managed.

It's always good to know what you are getting yourself into, SearchStorage.com storage management expert Brett Cooper dives right into help you understand what it's going to take to  manage your storage network.

What makes SAN management  so difficult and why is this form of management  so different from anything you may have done in the past?

You can never have enough SAN management, or can you?  How much storage management is enough?

Webcast break:
Title: Which storage management architecture is right for you?
Speaker: Marc Staimer, Founder of Dragon Slayer Consulting
Topic: This webcast offers a critical look at the different storage management topologies specifically focusing on target storage subsystem controllers, server initiators, SAN switches and SAN appliances.
Listen now

Money, money, money, money. Implementing a SAN can save you a bunch of cash without breaking your budget. Networking allows for consolidating, the ability to utilize legacy equipment and more automated management that will ultimately lower the biggest cost of data management -- people.

• Is low-cost Fibre Channel finally here?
  
• Sub-$10,000 SANs become a reality
  
• SAN management: A growing concern amid storage consolidation
  
• Moving large amounts of data reliably
  
• How to capitalize on legacy storage investments and make room for growth
• How to set up a poor man's SAN

•  The many benefits of a SAN
  

  Webcast break:
  Title: Learning the business side of storage management
  Speaker: Norbert Haag, Independent Storage Consultant
  Topic: Join Norbert Haag, SearchStorage.com expert on storage management, as he describes the fundamental business steps and processes you need to follow to prepare your staff and infrastructure for using high-powered storage management features.
  Listen now

  Webcast break:
  Title:SAN School, Chapter 12: Approaches to SAN management
  Speaker:Alex Nikitin -- co-author, Storage Area Networks for Dummies
  Topic: This lesson shows you how to approach SAN management in a different way -- from a systems level (as opposed to a component level). Get insight on what a solid SAN framework will give you and how you can match up your management process with the goals of the business unit.
  Listen now
  
  

  It's important not to forget the "network" part of storage area networks. Here are a few links that can help you understand Fibre Channel and other SAN connectivity options.

•  The difference between SCSI and FC protocols
  
• Fibre Channel, part 1: Going the distance with SANs
  

•  Fibre Channel, part 2: Calculating data speed over distance
  

  And, before you get too deep into your SAN planning, it's important to understand where SANs are headed in the next few years. Plan accordingly with these tips and advice...

• Sane strategies for SAN growth
  
• Prepare for future trends in storage management
  
•  Scale your SAN for tomorrow
  
• iSCSI is getting better all the time
  

• The SAN SWAN trend and key expansion issues
  
  Storage magazine extras:
  "Why SANS still aren't simple" -- Jon Toigo, March, 2004
  "Slash SAN costs " -- Marc Farley, March, 2004
  "Is storage management software worth it?" -- Alan Radding, April 2003
  "Management suites come up short" -- Jerome Wendt, June 2003
  "Making sense of the bewildering amount of storage management products" -- Stephen Foskett, Oct. 2003
  "Best Practices: Review of EMC ControlCenter. Does it live up to its claims?" -- Darryl Brooks, June 2003
  "Best Practices: Review of Veritas SANPoint Control and compared with EMC ControlCenter" -- Darryl Brooks, July 2003
  "SAN holdouts" -- Jeff Moad, Sept. 2003
  "The best way to scale SANs" -- Stephen Foskett, Aug. 2003
  

  Getting started with storage management? Check out these continually updated sections on SearchStorage.com:
  

• SAN management Best Web Links
  
•  Storage management tips
  

• Discuss SAN management in with your peers in SAN management experts a question about your current management situation.
  

   

  How should I design my SAN?

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  Effective management of a SAN starts with a gold-star design. If you go about  architecting your SAN incorrectly from the start, you are going to run into major problems down the road. You've explored a lot of the aspects of planning, now put them to use with the information in this chapter.

  It's probably good to start understanding SAN design with the KISS cliché -- keep it simple stupid! SAN design can get a bit dicey but in the early stages, so it's often better to keep it simple. Also, to get you started here are seven steps for building and scaling SANs.

  A good place to start is by looking at the basic building blocks of a SAN, this "guide within a guide", called Building a SAN from A to Z, was assembled to help answer these questions: How large a SAN can or should you build? What overriding framework will you use to manage the SAN? Which type of switch and HBA driver is best for your environment? Should you consider a SAN/NAS hybrid? Also, which networking protocol is best for your environment? This guide can also help you learn how to ignore vendor hype.

  
  Design concepts for storage networks
  In the storage networking space today, a finite number of architectures exist. Yet few definitions exist as to the types of storage networking architectures available. In this short SearchStorage.com series, super user and Storage magazine columnist Jerome Wendt discusses six possibilities for how to design your storage networks:
  1. Introduction
  2. Out-of-band ESCON
  3. In-band ESCON
  4. Out-of-band telecom 
  5. In-band telecom 
  6. In-band ESCOM 
  
  

  Webcast break:
  Title:SATA Storage, Reliable Enclosure Design Matters
  Speakers: Mike Bell -- consulting design engineer, owner of Bell Design, J. Peter Herz -- 3ware: Senior Vice President of Business Development Gene Lee -- Advanced Industrial Computer, Inc. (AIC): Corporate VP
  Topic: 3ware and AIC examine what constitutes a properly built storage enclosure so that you can evaluate and select a storage system that meets your cost, performance, and reliability needs.
  Listen now
  

  Webcast break:
  Title:SAN School Webcast Series: Chapter 8, Tying SAN's Together
  Speakers:Christopher Poelker -- SearchStorage Expert on Storage Networking: SANs and Storage Architect, Hitachi Data Systems
  Topic: Join Christopher Poelker, co-author, "Storage Area Networks for Dummies" for a webcast on how to create a full scale network by tying SANs together. This lesson looks at how to extend the SAN, connectivity between SANs and SAN islands, IP storage, virtualization (in-band, out-of-band) and SW/HW pooling.
  Listen now
  

  Webcast break:
  Title: How to sidestep SAN implementation complexities
  Speaker: Peter Galvin, Chief Technologist, Corporate Technologies
  Topic: Learn what it takes to install a SAN, what to watch out for and how to make this transition go as smooth as possible.
  Listen now
  
  Additional design criteria:
  

• Scale your SAN for tomorrow
  
• CAD for SANs
  
• Keep your SANs from crashing
  
• Avoid maintenance problems with proper SAN design
• Configuring the SAN: Zoning, HBAs and switches
  
• Redundant vs. single fabric
  

• SAN scalability: Limit RSCNs in the SAN
  
  

  Webcast break:
  Title: Taming your e-mail data hogs
  Speaker: Michael D. Osterman , President and Founder, Osterman Research
  Topic: View this expert webcast to find out some useful tips and best practices for controlling the voracious storage appetite of your own organization's e-mail.
  Listen now
  
  Storage magazine extras:
  "Best Practices: Hackers can't get into your SAN? Baloney! Here's how to block the four paths to your data" -- Darryl Brooks, March 2003
  "Storage managers grapple with Windows" -- David Braue, April 2003
  "IP SANs take their place" -- Alan Radding, July 2003
  "CAD for SANs" -- John Vacca, July 2003
  

   

  Managing switches

  Return to Table of Contents

  It's been said that the switch is the heart of a SAN. So, it would make sense that the health of your switches would also dictate the health of your network. Managing that network is key in avoiding heart problems.

  Proper management of switches can be traced back to  selecting the right switch for your environment.

  There are two main types of switches, modular and director. Both of these have  distinct differences that you need to be aware of when designing your systems.

  This  two-part series also further explains how traffic flows in switches, directors and hubs. (Also see:  Switches and hubs, do they function the same?)

  Discuss switch management with your peers in ITKnowledge Exchange.

  Additional switch management advice and tips:
  

• Why should I virtualize inside a switch?
  
• Networking questions about servers and switches in a SAN, Part 1
  
•  Networking questions about servers and switches in a SAN, Part 2
  
• SAN topologies, part 1: Know your switch options
  
• SAN topologies, part 2: How to design your SAN
  
• Hurrah! Interoperability for SAN switches
  
• SAN scalability, part 1: Account for fabric reconfigurations in the SAN
  
• SAN scalability, part 2: Limit RSCNs in the SAN
  
  Storage magazine extras:
  Next-gen switches -- Arun Taneja, Oct. 2004 SAN switch smarts -- Jerome Wendt, Aug. 2004 Bridging SAN islands -- Jerome Wendt, May 2004
  "The pitfalls of smart switches" -- Jeremy Wendt, December 2003
  "Is there a need for more speed?" -- Jeff Moad, December 2003
  "New directions for switches" -- Jeremy Wendt, November 2003
  "Intelligence sprouts in the storage network " -- Alex Barrett, April 2003
  "The case for network smarts" -- Alex Barrett, June 2003
  "Intelligent switches to get common API" -- Alex Barrett, Aug. 2003
  
  

  ---

  For all your SAN needs, attend SAN School...

  Storage area networks have proven themselves a boon to IT managers, but mastering the nuances of SAN implementation and troubleshooting is often another story.

  Until now...

  SearchStorage.com is excited to announce the most comprehensive online storage area network (SAN) learning tool -- SAN School. But, unlike advanced college courseware, you can forget about taking out a second mortgage or waking up early for a final exam. Heading back to our school for an advanced SAN degree is free and available at any time.

  The curriculum:
  SAN School is a series of 14 short webcast lessons that mirror the chapters in Christopher Poelker and Alex Nikitin's book, Storage Area Networks for Dummies. After exposing pupils to the fundamentals of a SAN, each lesson gets progressively more advanced -- touching on tuning techniques, advice on linking SAN islands and the most effective techniques for managing SANs today.

  For a syllabus, click here.

    

  Policies and process

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  Good SAN management is not all about hardware and software. Policy and procedure are key in maintaining quality management. But, first you need to define your storage management process, policy and priorities.

  Webcast break:
  Title:Building a Storage Management Group
  Speakers:Stephen Foskett, Senior Consultant at GlassHouse Technologies
  Topic: Stephen Foskett of GlassHouse Technologies discusses what it takes to set up an effective storage management department.
  Listen now
  

  Webcast break:
  Title:How PBS deployed IP SANs in its storage infrastructure
  Speakers:Bob Boggan, VP Marketing, StoneFly Networks and Ken Walters -- Senior director enterprise platforms, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS)
  Topic:Integrating an IP SAN into your existing IT infrastructure -- learn how PBS successfully deployed an IP SAN to meet increased storage demands.
  Register now
  

  Webcast break:
  Title: Improve your actual storage utilization
  Speaker: Stephen Foskett, Senior Consultant at GlassHouse Technologies
  Topic: This webcast gives you an overview of the current tools and best practices for measuring and improving storage utilization.
  Listen now
  Storage magazine supplement:
  Integration: Stephen Foskett takes a real-world look at how storage is being utilized and  the answers are shocking.
  
  Additional policy and procedure advice and tips:
  

• Increasing uptime, performance with SANs
  
• Five rules for safe SAN migration
  
• Defining your storage management process
  
• The best practices of storage management
  
• Hierarchical storage management
  
•  How do I document my SAN, Part 1
  

•  How do I document my SAN, Part 2
  Storage magazine extras:
  "SAN pioneer: Start small, but smart" -- Eric Ihde, Jan. 2003
  "The best way to scale SANs" -- Stephen Foskett, Aug. 2003
  "The networked storage project: moving ahead" -- Jeff Fritz, Jan. 2003
  

   

  Storage management tools

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  To understand which tools are best for your environment, GlassHouse Technologies Senior consultant Stephen Foskett believes it makes more sense to look at storage management from a different perspective and really evaluate the requirements of your business. One way to do so is to ask such questions as, "What tasks do I need to perform?" and "How will this product help me?" Esentially, Foskett thinks it's crucial to align storage management tools with operational processes. These questions will also help you choose the right storage management console.

   

  One major slice of the tools available to you will be SRM tools. According to Norbert Haag, "this software will help you gather the data, identify it and get a report detailed enough to take action. However SRM software only reveals the information but doesn't take any automated action like deleting or moving files, so you need to either write some scripts or make it a manual task." But, which SRM tools  are right for your organization? And where are the SRM tools in the  storage industry headed? SRM can also help ease capacity planning pain. But, watch out for some new  pricing models.

  
  

  Webcast break:
  Title: How to select storage management tools that fit your needs
  Speaker: Jamie Gruener , Yankee Group Senior Analyst
  Topic: Join Jamie Gruener in this expert webcast to learn methodologies for selecting and evaluating your company's own storage management strategies, tools/processes and vendors.
  Listen now
  
  Tool time!
  

• Choosing the right provisioning solution
  
• Ease capacity planning pain with SRM
  
• Finding SRM tools
  
• Using SRM tools
  
• Tools for mapping and scanning the SAN
  
• Storage area management, part 1: Supporting open management standards
  
• SAN management: A growing concern amid storage consolidation
  
• SD2003: Aligning storage management tools with operational processes
  
• Managing user quotas, a touchy subject
  
•  Storage assessment tools
  
• A tool showing uptime
  

• Storage management software for offline, nearline and online storage
  
  Storage magazine extras:
  "Get control of capacity" -- Jerome Wendt, April 2004
  "Management suites come up short" -- Jerome Wendt, June 2003
  "The case for network smarts" -- Alex Barrett June, 2003
  "Best storage products of 2003" -- SearchStorage.com and Storage magazine editors, Jan. 2004
  "Can tools streamline provisioning?" -- Jerome Wendt, Aug. 2003
  "Firm sees the storage automation light" -- Alex Barrett, March 2003
  "Can tools streamline provisioning?" -- Jerome Wendt, Aug. 2003
  "The trouble with measuring SAN performance" -- Jerome Wendt, Oct. 2003
  "Best Practices: Keeping your eyes on your devices" -- Darryl Brooks, May 2003
  "SRM vendors set sights on secondary storage" -- Alex Barrett, Aug. 2003
  
  

   

  Virtualization: Fact or fiction?

  Return to Table of Contents

  There are a few unanswered questions hanging out there. What is the Matrix? How do they figure out expiration dates on milk? And, of course  what is virtualization? More and more virtualization is being defined and actually implemented by storage managers. So, how do you go about  choosing a good SAN virtualization solution? You also need to know what  types of virtualization are available and who the  players are in the virtualization space.

  
  Additional virtualization tips:
  

•  File virtualization tackles NAS management woes
  
•  Four trends changing virtualization
  
•  How to select a virtualization vendor
  
• Why and how to virtualize within a switch
  
•  How do I pick a good SAN virtualization solution?
  
•  Taking a good look at storage virtualization and its players part 1
  
•  Utility computing: Get ready to charge for storage
  
•  Despite its age, virtualization lauded as next best thing
  
• Narrow your virtualization options
  
• Know the tradeoffs in storage virtualization
  
• Staking a claim to global namespace
  
• Expert: How virtualization can work for you
  

• Learning Center: Can virtualization make your job easier?
  
  Storage magazine extras:
  Servers meet storage, virtually -- Alex Barrett, July 2004 "Virtual SANs put to the test" -- David Braue, July, 2003
  The case for network smarts -- Alex Barrett, June, 2003
  "Honestly, do you really know what storage virtualization is?" -- Charles T. Clark, June 2002
  "Ten things you can do with virtualization" -- Alex Barrett, Jan. 2003
  "Virtualization in the switch? Not so fast" -- Marc Farley, Feb. 2003
  

   

  Advanced management techniques

  Return to Table of Contents

  Now that you have traversed the rest of the SAN Management fast guide you are ready for your black belt. To bring your SANs to the next level take a look...

  Get in the zone:
  

• Tech roundup: Mirroring, zoning and imaging
  
• Tech roundup: DR planning, LUN zoning, ATA vs. SATA
  
• Configuring the SAN: Zoning, HBAs and switches
  
• What hard and soft port zoning means
  
• Why port zoning is more secure
  
• How LUN zoning comes into play
  
• Changing zone settings
  
• Unix and Windows. To zone or not to zone
  
• Zoning, part 2: Hard zoning vs. soft zoning
  
• Zoning part 3: Zoning schemas
  
•  Masking and zoning for SAN security
  
• Zoning switches
  
• Zoning a large-scale SAN
  

• Changing zone settings
  

  Webcast break:
  Title: Designing your SAN for mission critical OLTP applications
  Speaker: Marc Farley , Independent Storage Author and Consultant
  Topic: Join Marc Farley in this expert webcast and learn the best practices for designing your storage network to support your mission critical applications with an emphasis on OLTP business continuity.
  Listen now
  
  SearchStorage.com tips on advanced technologies:
  

•  Serial Attached SCSI gains momentum
  
•  Where SAS will play out
  
•  All aboard the 4 Gb Fibre Channel bandwagon
  
•  Will RFID strain your storage?
  
•  Clustering, going beyond the usual distributed storage arrangement
  
  Provision that:
  
• Six requirements for successful provisioning
  
•  Best practices for provisioning storage
  

• Using provisioning tools
  
  Our experts get advanced
  --Prepare for future trends in storage management
  --What is masking?
  --iSCSI, FC, zoning and speed
  --SAN storage configured and attached
  --Is not the time to invest in storage automation products?
  --Can you use normal LAN IP switches as the SAN layer using iSCSI
  
  Storage magazine extras:
  SATA II Doubles Disk Speed to 3Gb/sec -- Alan Radding, Oct.2004 "Best practices: How Brocade's XPath Technology can change your life" -- Darryl Brooks, Jan. 2004
  "The pitfalls of smart switches" -- Jerome Wendt, Dec. 2003
  "Make HSM work for open systems" -- Ed Palmer, March 2003
  "Integration: Is HSM ready for open systems or has is it had its day?" -- James Damoulakis, May 2003
  "Virtual SANs bring order to chaos" -- Marc Farley, April 2003
  "Virtual SANs put to the test" -- David Braue, July 2003
  "Shared file systems: a mixed blessing" -- Benjamin Kuo, May 2003
  "Best Practices: Keep your SAN secure through zoning" -- Darryl Brooks, April 2003
  "Process and infrastructure to safeguard your pooled data" -- Stephen Foskett, June 2003
  "Clustering tapped to solve storage challenges" -- Alex Barrett, Oct. 2003
  "Best Practices: Four protocols for long-distance SAN traffic" -- Darryl Brooks, Oct. 2003
  
  

   

  Additional resources

  Return to Table of Contents

  You've come this far, why not go a little further? This section highlights some of the important peripheral aspects of SAN and storage management that may have an impact on how you buy, implement and configure your systems.

   Where storage management standards stand:
  

• 2004 predictions: Low-cost storage, standards take shape
  
• SAN management and the continued importance of CIM/SMI-S
  
• Sun signs deal for standards-based management
  
• HP sees SMI-S as 'key enabler' of SAN market
  
• SNIA leader upbeat on open management standards
  
• SNIA takes open management to the next level
  
• iSCSI specs complete, market waits for Microsoft offering
  
• NetApp loses voting rights in storage standards group
  
• HP sees SMI-S as 'key enabler' of SAN market
  
• Storage management standards become a reality
  
• AppIQ puts a new face on file-level SRM
  
• Storage vendors pledge CIM products by 2003
  
• New SNIA forum to support SMI
  
• SMI-S: What's in it for storage managers?
  
  Storage magazine standards extras:
  The state of standards -- Johanna Ambrosio, Oct. 2004
  "SNIA members plug away at management spec" -- Alex Barrett, May 2003
  "Will you favor standards-based storage?" -- Alex Barrett, June 2003
  
  Additional advice from SearchStorage.com experts:
  
•  Interoperability is key: Vendors better be listening
  
• The problem, believe it or not, is the speed of light
  
  Additional tips from SearchStorage.com:
  
• Spotlight on SAN/NAS convergence
  
• SAN/NAS convergence: proceed with caution
  
• SAN/NAS convergence: proceed with caution, Part 2
  
• SAN/NAS convergence: proceed with caution, Part 3
  
• Shared file systems: a mixed blessing
  
• Part 2: Shared file systems: a mixed blessing
  

• Tapping the SAN for file storage? 
  
  

  Getting started with storage management? Check out these continually updated sections on SearchStorage.com:
  

• Standards Best Web Links
  
• SAN management Best Web Links
  
• Storage management tips
  
• Ask our SAN management experts a question about your current management situation.
  
  

  ---

  We're interested in your feedback. Are we missing any SAN Management subjects? Would you like to see additional articles on a particular technology? E-mail us and let us know what you think of the guide and what you'd like to see added.

  What do you think of this guide? Would you like to see more guides like this? Is anything missing from this page that you'd like to see added? E-mail us your thoughts and comments.

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