Interoperability Issues: The Hot Spots for 2002 John Webster Senior Analyst Illuminata, Inc.
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Transcript of Interoperability Issues: The Hot Spots for 2002 John Webster Senior Analyst Illuminata, Inc.
You can’t always get what you want
But if you try sometime
(You just might find)
You get what you need
Interoperability 2002: The Hot Spots
• Fibre Channel SAN– Hardware– Operating System– Management Software– Support
• NAS– Backup/restore– RDBMS
• iSCSI– Version control out of control
• The role of users
DAS vs. Networked Storage
Attribute DAS NASEase of data management Harder Easier
Cost to manage equivalent amounts of data
Higher Lower
Total utilization of storage assets
Lower Higher
Risk of unavailability of data
Higher Lower
Fibre Channel Hardware Hot Spots
• Nirvana– My SAN components come from multiple
vendors, work together out of the box (plug and play) and my SAN works with everything in my shop that I want it to.
• Fall-back position 1:– I can make “best of breed” components work
together somehow and make my SAN work with the important stuff in my shop.
Fibre Channel Hot Spots
• I can make it work provided that. . . – I have the resources (time, $$$)– I have the expertise– I can identify and use information support
sources
. . . And then Go.
Operating Systems Hot Spots
• Nirvana
– My SAN is operating system agnostic Day 1
• Fall-back Position 1
– I can support all of the present and planned operating systems in my shop
• Fall-back Position 2
– I can choose one from column A, and maybe one from column B
• Fall-back Position 3
– One Operating System only
SAN Management Software Hot Spots
• Nirvana– I can buy a package that gives me a
single console, unified view of my SAN• Fall-Back Position 1:
– I can patch things together• Fall-Back Position 2:
– A console here, a console there
SAN Management Software Hot Spots
SAN management “state of the state”• No unified console view
Because. . .
– No common DB for reporting– Some proprietary APIs, but no open
standards
SAN Support Hot Spots
• Nirvana– OTTC (One Throat To Choke) from Day 1 and
Day 1 + Year 1, Day 1 + Year 2 . . .• Fall Back Position 1:
– I can point with two fingers at once at two vendors
• Fall Back Position 2:– I’m not exactly sure where to point
Make my SAN — Vendor X• Vendor X — The “vendor-specific” solution Hardware
– Day 1 plug and play + multi-vendor interop with legacy possible
• Operating System Support
– One from column A, maybe one from column B
• Management Software
– Patchwork possible
• Support
– OTTC possible
Make My SAN — SIs and SSPs
• Storage Integrators and Storage Service Providers Hardware:
– Day 1 plug and play + multi-vendor interop with legacy possible
• Operating Support
– Best chance for One from column A, one from column B
• Management Software
– Patchwork possible or single multifunction console possible with SSPs
• Support
– OTTC Possible
Make My SAN — DIY (do it yourself)
• Hardware– Day 1 plug and play + interop with legacy impossible
• Management Software– Patchwork possible but more likely console here,
console there
• Support– OTTC possible with SSF. Otherwise, impossible
IP Alternatives — NAS
Its plug and play so no interop issues here. . .right?
• Areas to research– Interoperability with other management software
applications– Backup and restore software integration — NDMP
here?– RDBMS (yes, RDBMS) support and certification– Microsoft certification (NOT. . .yet)
IP Alternatives — iSCSI
The iSCSI value proposition is no interop issues here either . . .right?
• Developments to monitor and research– The IETF standard — what’s in Version 1
– To IP Sec or not to IP Sec
– Two variants of iSCSI now probable
Can Virtualization Help?
Interop and Virtualization
• Masking operating systems differences in the way they handle storage
• Bridging management software interop gaps But:– Architectural change means that getting to simplicity is not
necessarily simple
– Adds one more layer of overhead that must be understood
Interoperability Challenges 2002
• Change the connotation of “Interoperability” from negative to positive
• Link CO-operability with INTER-operability
• Use the RFP and don’t be shy
• Can you become more directly involved in the process?