Getting disk into the backup process; adding benefits of disk while supporting existing processes - Storage Networking

Computer Technology Review, Jan, 2004 by Scott Hamilton

When ADIC created its Pathlight VX disk-to-tape backup system, for example, it included in it the company's high performance data management software technology (from ADIC's StorNext Management Suite) and it configured the disk resources for high-performance write and restores. This is the technology combination that delivers disk streaming performance characteristics for supercomputer environments and for broadcast and media delivery applications around the world. When applied to backup, it ensures that the disk can provide consistent performance gains with sustained rates above a terabyte per hour.

The availability of serial ATA technology holds out the promise of increasing the performance of backup and restore, and giving it the kind of fault tolerance that we associate with RAID arrays. But users are discovering that these benefits do not come automatically from buying a SATA array. Getting real benefits from SATA disk depends on integrating it into carefully designed system-based solutions that integrate easily into existing backup environments, that retain an integrated, off-line path to real tape creation, and that are designed to get true streaming performance from the disk systems.

www.adic.com

RELATED ARTICLE: Intelligent Storage Networks

At the center of the new storage network architecture is the future envisioned for today's network switches, directors and routers. Sometimes referred to as the Storage Domain Director, an advanced, fault-tolerant storage switching architecture is unfolding, enabling centralized and outboard management of distributed computer resources finally to become a reality. A key goal for the Intelligent Storage Network is to significantly minimize the number of storage management touch points.

Many types of storage management applications now make sense for hosting on the fabric. These include controlling SAN traffic, centralized storage management, storage consolidation, SRM, HSM, backup/recovery, snapshot copy, replication, and outboard data movement between disk and tape subsystems (server-less functions). The capability to provide non-disruptive scalability and storage topology reconfiguration enables the long-awaited capability for proactive and people-transparent virtual storage management to become a reality.

In addition, the ability to perform block and file data storage operations in parallel and thus bridge the "number and name" worlds within the same storage subsystem is a strategic and valuable outcome of this advanced architecture. Emerging concepts such as IP Storage, advanced SRM, active HSM, and In-band (symmetric) or Out-of-band (asymmetric) virtualization appliances are providing valuable building blocks for advanced and intelligent storage architectures. Optimally, the virtualization and volume-management layer for simplified storage and network control will reside here.

Though a debate continues over where to locate the storage functionality, there is widespread agreement on the need to make storage management independent from the type of servers being deployed. Many companies are now delivering fundamental pieces and building blocks of the intelligent fabric, but the complete vision will take a few more years to arrive. Nonetheless, the path to the future for storage subsystems can be described using many of the components that are now becoming viable.