Build Management Muscle with Storage Provisioning

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Build Management Muscle with Storage Provisioning

• Marc Farley
• President, Building Storage, Inc.
• Author, Building Storage Networks

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The Building Storage Definition of Provisioning

• The sequence of state changes in a storage
  network to achieve a different, optimal and
  desired operating state

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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
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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

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Cross-Product Scope of Provisioning

• Provisioning encompasses all point-products
• Storing Wiring Filing

Storage
Switches
Host Systems
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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

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Adding a Volume to a Server
10
8
4
5
9
ExistingServer
10
3
6
New Volume
1
2
Switch
7
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Provisioning _at_ Work Changing Zones for Multi-use
Data
Storage Subsystem
Application 2Server
Application 1 Systems
Multi-use data
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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

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A Storage Network as a State Machine (hundreds to
thousands of variables)
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This Looks Like a Job ForAutomation!

• Automation begets accuracy
• Reliability and safety are job 1
• Storage communications must be solid
• Machinery doesnt forget or overlook
• Storage networks are sufficiently complicated
• Duh! Apply automation and take out the human
  element

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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

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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

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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

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Provisioning SANs

• Volume-orientation for block I/O
• LUNs Devices, exported volumes
• Storing virtualization Volume managers, RAID
  controllers, virtualization

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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

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Pathing Zoning Considerations

• Pathing Host software for HBA fail-over in a
  system
• Zoning I/O segregation

x
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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

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Provisioning and Zoning

• Zoning changes are network state changes
• Should be verified for impact on all
  relationships in the state
• Zoning changes shouldnt interfere with higher
  priority paths and resources

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Integrating Systems Management Tools and
Disciplines With Provisioning

• Scripts
• Schedulers
• Policy engines
• Process-workflow

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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
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Provisioning on Schedule

• Provisioning sequences can be scheduled
• Regular time, day, week, month
• Run-once for single execution
• Trial or partial runs

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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)

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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)

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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

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Storage Process Automation Software

• Storage management modules/scripts
• Provisioning sequences
• Notification, approval
• Staff skills, certifications
• Order processing
• Maintenance schedules

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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

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Questions?

• Marc Farley
• Marc_at_BuildingStorage.com
• www.buildingstorage.com
• 408.210.7931