build management muscle with storage provisioning
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Best Practice. Build Management Muscle with Storage Provisioning. Marc Farley President, Building Storage, Inc. Author , Building Storage Networks. Checklist. The Building Storage Definition of Provisioning. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Build Management Muscle with Storage Provisioning
Marc Farley
President, Building Storage, Inc.
Author, Building Storage Networks
Best Practice
The Building Storage Definition of Provisioning
• The sequence of state changes in a storage network to achieve a different, optimal and desired operating state
Checklist
Binding Versus Provisioning
• Some vendors use provisioning to describe the process of matching an internal block address space with a specific subsystem port.
• How about if we call this a bind?Ports
Controller
Disks
Cross-Functional Scope of Provisioning
• Provisioning should encompass all components:– Wiring
• HBAs, drivers, switches/routers/bridges/gateways, cabling, zoning, addressing/routing, flow control, naming services
– Storing• Devices, subsystems, LUNs, volume managers, virtualization, SCSI drivers, data movers, mirroring
– Filing• File systems, databases, volume managers, backup, replication, HSM
Key Features
• Provisioning encompasses all point-products:
– Storing Wiring Filing
Storage Switches Host Systems
Key Features
Cross-Product Scope of Provisioning
Hypothetical Sequence of State Changes: Add a Volume
to a Server• 1. Identify available switch port
• 2. Create new zone in switch to isolate new storage volume
• 3. Create new volume in disk subsystem
• 4. Configure a disk subsystem port
• 5. Bind the volume to the port
• 6. Login bound-port to the fabric (isolated zone)
• 7. Add server to port zone
• 8. Allocate storage volume to server HBA driver
• 9. Format volume with file system
• 10. Copy data and/or install applications
•Wiring
•Storing
•Wiring
•Storing
•Filing
Checklist
Provisioning @ Work: Changing Zones for Multi-use
DataStorage Subsystem
Application 1 Systems
Application 2ServerMulti-use data
Provisioning for Minimal Interruption
• Status of products should be verified• Cross-functional relationships need to be
analyzed• The shortest sequence is not always the
best• Spare resources can provide substitution
– Especially useful for network operations
Warning
A Storage Network as a State Machine (hundreds to thousands of
variables)
ServersSwitchesSubsystems
Key Features
This Looks Like a Job For…
Automation!• Automation begets accuracy• Reliability and safety are job #1
– Storage communications must be solid
– Machinery doesn’t forget or overlook
• Storage networks are sufficiently complicated• Duh! Apply automation and take out the human
element
Tool
Automated Provisioning as a Storage Best Practice ... Part
1• Installation
– Automated initialization of the storage network
• Change management– Safe automation of changes to a ‘live’ network– Identify service interruptions by analyzing
state changes in advance
Best Practice
Automated Provisioning as a Storage Best Practice …
Part2
• Fault correction– Isolate the fault– Identify the new state– Determine sequence to a target state
• Redundant/ equivalent state
• Preferred/improved state
• Degraded/prioritized state
Best Practice
Provisioning & NAS
• Application-orientation for file I/O• Multiple network mount points: C:\ D:\ E:\ F:\ • File-level virtualization: similar to HSM systems but
with file links instead of migration• Client link segmentation, trucking, prioritization
– network traffic management
• Cross-functions may be contained in a single system
Tip
Provisioning & SANs
• Volume-orientation for block I/O
• LUNs: Devices, exported volumes
• Storing virtualization: Volume managers, RAID controllers, virtualization
Tip
Beyond SAN-NAS
• Distributed file-system technology– Load balancing across file system nodes– File system node specialization
• Matching file systems with volume characteristics– Block size definitions– Solid-state disk substitution
Tip
Pathing & Zoning Considerations
• Pathing = Host software for HBA fail-over in a system
• Zoning = I/O segregation
x
Tool
Provisioning and Pathing
• Automated provisioning should not effect standby paths and path resources
• Pathing solutions manage fail-over within a system– Fast-path to resuming I/O operations– Pathing is a ‘micro-provisioning’ system
• Provisioning reacts to pathing changes as a network state change– A shift in resources may trigger other secondary
changes
Tip
Provisioning and Zoning
• Zoning changes are network state changes
– Should be verified for impact on all relationships in the state
• Zoning changes shouldn’t interfere with higher priority paths and resources
Best Practice
Integrating Systems Management Tools and Disciplines With
Provisioning• Scripts
• Schedulers
• Policy engines
• Process-workflow
Tool
Scripts
• Job scripts automate point-product managers
• Scripts may provide point-product state changes
• Multiple scripts can be assembled as a provisioning sequence– Switch script #3 + Subsystem script #1 + Database
script #5
Sw #3, SubS #1, DB #5
Sw #3 SubS #1 DB #5+ +
Tool
Provisioning on Schedule
• Provisioning sequences can be scheduled
• Regular time, day, week, month
• Run-once for single execution
• Trial or partial runs
Tool
Policy engines
• Measurable characteristics & compliance ranges– Measure, collect, compare
• Relationship impact projections against policies• Policy engine triggers
– Non-compliance with administrator notification• Manual decision to invoke provisioning
– Non-compliance with automated actions• Scripting for limited scope scenarios (redundant fail-over)
Tool
Examples of Policy Definitions
• Disk capacity (percent free) • Latency (end-to-end maximums)• Link (standby)• Bandwidth utilization (between 15% and 25%) • Error rates (less than 1x10-13)
• Disk (hot spare)• Applications (grouped data)
Checklist
Storage Process Workflow• Automated provisioning sequences can
impact other systems and data access
• Disruptive processes cannot go unchecked
• IT process-disciplines may be required
– Managers who need notification
– Management approval & review
Best Practice
Storage Process Automation Software
• Storage management modules/scripts
• Provisioning sequences
• Notification, approval
• Staff skills, certifications
• Order processing
• Maintenance schedules
Tool
Recommendations for Attendees
• Start thinking about storage network management in terms of provisioning and management processes
• Get experience with – Point management tools– Creating scripts for them– Assembling them into provisioning sequences
• Check out companies with automation technologies– Invio Software, EMC, Veritas, BMC
Best Practice
Questions?
Marc FarleyMarc@BuildingStorage.comwww.buildingstorage.com408.210.7931