Hosted by Aligning Storage Management Tools with Operational Processes Stephen Foskett GlassHouse Technologies

Hosted by Introduction The wide array of storage management tools have overlapping features, confusing names Make sense of it by looking at storage management from a different perspective - what tasks do I need to perform? How will this product help me? I will present a matrix of management tasks and technologies

Hosted by Confusing Terms There are no standard category names: Storage Resource Management (SRM) usually analyzes host storage contents (number, type, attributes of files) but not always Different Storage Management Suites have different functions

Hosted by Overlaps and Gaps Many “suites” do not offer SRM functionality. 114 storage management packages! >12 offer accounting, device management, SAN management. <5 offer SAN design, process management, asset management. None offers configuration management.

Hosted by Package-Based Approach Software packages are purchased arbitrarily: Sales rep’s suggestions Media coverage Advertising Hit or miss coverage of business needs

Hosted by A Different Perspective Select tools that fill your needs: Understand the tasks to be performed Determine which tasks require software Prioritize requirements Match required functionality to available products Select a few products for maximum coverage

Hosted by Storage Management Tasks Types of tasks: Engineering – Making things work Operations – Watching things work Management – Control Analysis – Validation Task Process Policy Tool

Hosted by A Storage Management Lifecycle 4 phases - 67 discrete tasks in total

Hosted by Sample Tasks – Provisioning

Hosted by Storage Software Framework Basic functional categories for storage management software Each product has varying levels of coverage in different categories

Hosted by Software Categories Accounting Measures the use of storage resources Allows reporting and chargeback Application Management Integrates application-specific functions Some limited to usage visibility, others integrate backup or replication Asset Management Records hardware deployment and usage information

Hosted by Software Categories (continued) Capacity Planning Metrics, forecasts future usage, recommends upgrades Configuration Management Records configuration of devices Automated change control for the architecture Device Management Manages end devices (storage arrays) Information Lifecycle Management Migrates data over time Some (HSM) move data, others measure requirements

Hosted by Software Categories (continued) Performance Management Measures performance of components, including devices and interconnects Provisioning Automates presentation of storage to hosts SAN Design Automates the design of SANs SAN Management Manages the interconnection of devices

Hosted by Sample Tools – Provisioning

Hosted by Sample Tools – Storage Activation

Hosted by Selecting Storage Management Software Look for software offering just what you need Minimize number of tools: Lack of integration options Complexity = Confusion Look beyond “suites”

Hosted by Final Thoughts on Storage Management Software More and more hardware supporting SMI-S More software using standard database back- ends Often limited configurability – reporting, cost accounting Some can read but not write to certain hardware