1. Data Center Infrastructure
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Data Center Infrastructure
Module 1.3

2. Data Center Infrastructure
Copyright © 2006 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.
Data Center Infrastructure
Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:
List the five core elements of a Data Center infrastructure.
Describe the role of each element in supporting business activities.
Describe the requirements of storage systems for optimally supporting business activities.
Describe the challenges and activities in managing the storage systems of a data center.
So far, we’ve looked at
The importance of data and information to the business (competitive advantage).
The proliferation of data that needs to be stored efficiently.
The storage alternatives (tape, optical and disk).
Disk solutions (DASD, JBOD) and
Interconnected disk systems (DAS, NAS, SAN).
Now, we will discuss the elements of the Data Center and the challenges of managing a complex storage systems environment.
Data Center Infrastructure

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The Core Elements
Applications
Databases – Database Management System (DBMS) and the physical and logical storage of data
Servers/Operating Systems
Networks
Storage Arrays
The five core elements include:
Applications – specialized and dedicated software to manipulate data typically stored in databases.
Databases – more commonly, Database Management Systems (DBMS), provide a structured way of storing data in logically organized tables with an interrelation between them. They optimize the storage and retrieval of data.
Servers/Operating Systems – provide the computing platform required to run the applications and databases.
Networks – provide the data communication paths between clients and servers or between servers and storage.
Storage Arrays – this is where data and information lives.
Data Center Infrastructure

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An Example
Storage Array
Server
Client
Storage Area Network
Local Area
Network
Application User Interface
Database
Consider an order processing system consisting of:
Application for order entry.
Database Management System (DBMS) to store customer and product information.
Server/Operating System on which the Application and Database programs are run.
Networks that provide
Connectivity between Clients and the Application/Database Server
Connectivity between the Server and the Storage system.
Storage Array.
This example identifies the 5 core elements of a data center and how they may relate to an actual business activity.
Data Center Infrastructure

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An Example ..Closer Look
Storage Array
Server
Client
Storage Area Network
Local Area
Network
Application User Interface
A customer order is entered via the Application User Interface on a client.
A customer order is entered via the Application User Interface, typically from a Client machine on the order processing personnel’s desk.
An Application accesses the Database to update the relevant information – Customer name/address/payment method, products ordered, quantity ordered etc.
Data Center Infrastructure

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An Example ..Closer Look
Storage Array
Server
Client
Storage Area Network
Local Area
Network
A customer order is entered via the Application User Interface on a client
The client accesses the Server over a Local Area Network.
A customer order is entered via the Application User Interface, typically from a Client machine on the order processing personnel’s desk.
The client accesses the Server over a Local Area Network.
Data Center Infrastructure

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An Example ..Closer Look
Storage Array
Server
Client
Storage Area Network
Local Area
Network
O/S and DBMS
A DBMS uses the operating system on the server to read and write this data to the physical location on a disk.
A DBMS uses the Operating System to read and write this data to the physical location on a disk.
A Network provides the communication link between the Client and the server, and transports the read/write commands and data between the Server and the Storage Array.
A Storage Array receives the read/write commands and data from the Server and performs the necessary operations to store the data on physical disks.
Data Center Infrastructure

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An Example ..Closer Look
Storage Array
Server
Client
Storage Area Network
Local Area
Network
A DBMS uses the operating system on the server to read and write this data to the physical location on disk.
A Network provides the communication link between the server and the storage array, and transports the read/write commands and data between the server and the storage array.
A DBMS uses the Operating System to read and write this data to the physical location on disk.
A Network provides the communication link between the Client and the server, and transports the read/write commands and data between the Server and the Storage Array.
A Storage Array receives the read/write commands and data from the Server and performs the necessary operations to store the data on physical disks.
Data Center Infrastructure

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An Example ..Closer Look
Storage Array
Server
Client
Storage Area Network
Local Area
Network
Database
A DBMS uses the operating system on the server to read and write this data to the physical location on disk.
A Network provides the communication link between the client and the server, and transports the read/write commands and data between the server and the storage array.
A storage array receives the read/write commands and data from the server and performs the necessary operations to store the data on the physical disks.
A DBMS uses the Operating System to read and write this data to the physical location on disk.
A Network provides the communication link between the Client and the server, and transports the read/write commands and data between the Server and the Storage Array.
A Storage Array receives the read/write commands and data from the Server and performs the necessary operations to store the data on the physical disks.
Data Center Infrastructure

10. An Example.. Optimal Order Processing
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An Example.. Optimal Order Processing
The Application should be optimized for fast interaction with the DBMS.
The tables in the Database should be constructed with care so that the number of read/write operations can be minimized.
The Server should have sufficient CPU and memory resources to satisfy Application and DBMS needs.
The Networks should provide fast communication between Client and Server, as well as Server and Storage Array.
The Storage Array should service the read/write requests from the Server for optimal performance.
If any one of the five elements is not available, the order entry process cannot be completed. For example, if the data is not available due to a disk failure, the order cannot be completed. The speed with which the order entry process can be completed depends on optimizing each of the five elements.
Data Center Infrastructure

11. An Example.. A Final Look at Data Access
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An Example.. A Final Look at Data Access
When the DBMS receives a request from the Application:
It first searches the Server memory. If data is found there, the operation takes, perhaps, a millisecond.
If not, it then uses the Operating System to request the data from the Storage Array.
Dedicated high speed networks transport this request to the Storage Array.
Intelligent Storage Arrays can deliver the requested data within a few milliseconds. They are also typically configured to protect data in the event of drive failures.
Data Center Infrastructure

12. Key Requirements of Storage Systems
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Key Requirements of Storage Systems
Availability
Data Integrity
Security
Capacity
Scalability
Performance
Manageability
While the requirements listed here are applicable to all elements of the Data Center Infrastructure, our focus is on Storage Systems. This course explores how Intelligent Storage Arrays meet these critical requirements. The various techniques and technology solutions to ensure these requirements are met will be extensively examined later in the class.
Availability – ensure that data is accessible at all times when needed. As seen earlier, loss of access to data can have significant financial impact on businesses.
Security – prevent unauthorized access to data. Mechanisms to allow servers to access only their allocated resources on Storage Arrays.
Capacity – ability to add storage capacity “on-demand”, without interruption to the business. If a Database runs out of space on physical storage, it comes to a halt, thus impacting the business.
Scalability – The Storage solution should be able to grow with the business. As the business grows, more Servers will be deployed, new applications/databases will be developed.
Note: Continued on next page…
Data Center Infrastructure

13. Key Requirements of Storage Systems, continued
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Key Requirements of Storage Systems, continued
Availability
Data Integrity
Security
Capacity
Scalability
Performance
Manageability
Performance – Service all the I/O requests at high speed. With the Centralized model, several Servers connect to one Storage Array. The intelligence of the Array, the Processors and architecture should enable optimal performance.
Data Integrity – throughout the I/O chain checks have to be in place to ensure that data is not corrupted along the way. The Storage system has to “guarantee” that the data that was sent to it was indeed the data that was written to disk and is available for retrieval when requested.
Manageability – the operations and activities required to meet all of these requirements should be performed seamlessly and or with minimal disruption to business activity.
Data Center Infrastructure

14. Some Constraints to Meeting the Requirements
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Some Constraints to Meeting the Requirements
Constraints include:
Cost
Physical Environment
Maintenance and Support
Compliance – Regulatory & Legal
Hardware and Software infrastructure
Interoperability and Compatibility
The requirements are ‘tempered’ by the reality of business. These constraints put pressure on achieving the technology requirements.
Data Center Infrastructure

15. Management Activities
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Management Activities
Data Center management activities include:
Provisioning/Capacity/Resource Planning
Monitoring
Reporting
These activities are relevant to all elements of a Data Center Infrastructure. Our focus is on Storage systems and the Storage environment. Managing a modern, complex Storage environment involves many tasks. Key management activities include:
Provisioning/Capacity/Resource Planning
Monitoring
Reporting
These activities are interdependent. For example one has to monitor the utilization of storage space of a database. When the utilization reaches a critical value, more capacity has to be added or provisioned. Reports on utilization will help in understanding the business growth and anticipate future capacity requirements. The objective is to be predictive and proactive rather than reactive.
Data Center Infrastructure

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Monitoring
Performance
Security
Data Protection
Utilization
Continuous monitoring is critical to ensure uninterrupted business activities.
Performance – monitoring the performance of the array will help in identifying bottlenecks in the I/O chain. It gives clues for better data layout to improve performance.
Security – ensure that unauthorized access of devices is not taking place. Proper security measures will leave an audit trail of any changes to the configuration and will ensure that only authorized users are performing the configuration changes.
Data Protection – ensure that the data is continually protected. Monitor drive failures or other component failures.
Utilization – if any component in the I/O chain reaches a saturation point, application response times will slow down. Adding new applications or servers when the existing components are already saturated will slow everybody down.
Data Center Infrastructure

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Reporting
Utilization
Performance
Internal Chargeback system for cost recovery
Reports help in trend analysis. For example, periodic reporting on disk space utilization enables predicting storage capacity requirements in the future. Many organizations use reporting as a chargeback system to recover cost of providing IT infrastructure services to their internal customers. In turn, the users may be held accountable for the resources they consume.
Data Center Infrastructure

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Provisioning
Capacity
Security
Performance
With the data available from Monitoring and Reporting activities, data center managers can reserve required resources to meet anticipated growth. These also help in justifying budgetary levels for ongoing data center operations.
Data Center Infrastructure

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Module Summary
Key points covered in this module:
The five core elements of a Data Center Infrastructure.
The role of each element in supporting business activity was explained with an example of an order entry process.
The importance of an Intelligent Storage Array.
Key requirements of storage systems to support business activities as well as some of the constraints.
Management activities in a data center operation with focus on storage systems.
This module described:
The five core elements of a Data Center Infrastructure including:
Applications
Databases
Operating Systems
Networks
Storage
The role of each element in supporting business activity was explained with an example of an order entry process.
The importance of an Intelligent Storage Array was explained in the context of
High-speed servicing of I/O requests from the Server
Protecting data in the event of disk failures
Seven key requirements of storage systems to support business activities as well as some of the constraints.
Management activities in a data center operation with focus on storage systems:
Provisioning/Capacity Planning/Resource Planning
Monitoring
Reporting
Data Center Infrastructure

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Check Your Knowledge
What are the five core technology elements of the Data Center Infrastructure?
What are the seven requirements of storage technology?
What are the common management activities in a Data Center?
Data Center Infrastructure