Track 4: How to build trouble-free large SANs up to thousand(s) of ports

Dragon Slayer ConsultingMarc Staimer, President & CDS marcstaimer@earthlink.net 26 April 2004

AgendaSAN Definition 2004Current Large SAN Architectures Issues w/current architecturesEliminating SAN Scaling painSummary

Dragon Slayer Background

7 yrs sales7 yrs sales mgt10 yrs marketing & bus

dev• Storage & SANs• 6 years consulting

Launched or participated• 20 products

Paid Consulting• > 70 vendors

Unpaid Consulting• > 200 end users

Known Industry Expert• Speak ~ 5 events/yr• Write ~ 3 trade

articles/yr

SAN Definition 2004T he interconnection of multiple server initiators across a

high speed switched fabric to one or more target storagedevices.

Audience Response

Raise your hand if you now have or plan to have within 12 months an all-encompassing SAN infrastructure into the thousands of ports.

Large SAN ArchitecturesTraditional (a.k.a. Victorian)Planned/Gated Communities Urban Sprawl

Audience ResponseBy a show of hands, what SAN architecture have you

implemented?

1. Core-to-edge

2. Mesh

3. SAN Islands

4. Not sure

Traditional: a.k.a. VictorianMesh

• Switch-switch interconnectCore-to-edge

• Guaranteed hop count & latencyDual fabric typical for both

Issues with Traditional ApproachesChange managementGuaranteed bandwidthFabric disruption propagation

Change ManagementChange “No” management

• Lot of coordination Servers, storage, SAN, cables & facilities

• Re-architecting Switch ports have to be reallocated for ISLs Zones, cabling, and LUN masking must be redone

• Followed up with shakedown & troubleshooting Sometimes requiring back out of the change

Guaranteed BandwidthLack of user definable QoS

• Some applications have higher priorities than others

Fabric Disruption PropagationFabric disruptions anywhere…

• …propagate throughout the fabric everywhere• RSCNs

Zone changes, add switches or HBAs

Traditional Approaches have led to Urban Sprawl: a.k.a SAN Islands

IT is dynamic• Most organizations do not plan well

Minimizes disruption effects of change• Doesn’t eliminate disruptions

This becomes…

…this

Issues with SAN Islands

Limits SAN benefits• Storage consolidation limited by island• Management touches expand

Eliminating SAN Scaling Pain: The Market Requirements

Fabric disruptionsLarge fabric latency

• Intra-fabric switch ASIC hopsDatabase bloatQoSChange managementCorrelating storage provisioning, SANs, & policiesTroubleshooting

Fabric DisruptionsRSCNs

• Switch, HBA, ZoningChangesMarket requirement

• < fabric disrupts

Intra-Fabric Switch ASIC hopsHop number affects latency

• Latency is cumulative• Affects end user response times

Users demand predictability• Mesh and/or SAN islands = unpredictable

Locality = predictability again• Core-edge = predictable

Market requirement• Minimize latency

SAN Database BloatAs fabrics get larger

• FSPF databases get larger…and slower• Name services get larger…and slower

Market requirement• Keep databases small

QoSPolicy based bandwidth matching

• Providing each application bandwidth based on• User defined requirements and thresholds

Market requirement• Optimize bandwidth• Not to waste it

Change ManagementMarket requirements include

• Automation• Negative impact minimization• Audit trail• Change simulation, planning, & validation • Correlation of LUN maps, zones, pathing policies• Work plans for all of the departments involved• Simple, “brain dead” trouble shooting

Correlating Storage Provisioning, SANs, & policies

Efficient storage mgt = < SANMarket requirements include

• One interface for both storage &and SAN mgt• Policy based• Enforcement capable

TroubleshootingMarket requirements include

• Make it brain-dead simple• Make it quick• Make it easy AND cheap

Audience ResponseBy a show of hands, which is your worst SAN scaling pain?1. Fabric disruptions2. Large fabric latency3. Database bloat4. QoS5. Change management6. Storage, SANs, policies correlation7. Troubleshooting

Solutions that Eliminate SAN Scaling PainHBA RSCN switch suppressionAutomated change mgt softwareSAN Masking-a.k.a. SAN routingSAN segmentation

• Planned communitiesQoS SAMTroubleshooting tools

HBA RSCN Switch SuppressionStops unimportant HBA RSCN disruptions

• From disrupting other HBAs• Significantly < zoning requirements

Vendors include• QLogic• McDATA RSCNRSCN

RSCNRSCNRSCNRSCN

Automated Change Management Software

Plan ChangePredicts Impact Implements ChangeValidates ChangeLogs Change History

Correlates • Storage & SAN

changes• LUNs• Zones• Pathing Policies

Vendors include• Onaro

SAN Masking-a.k.a. SAN Routing Analogous to LUN masking Routes specific data

• Between SAN islands• Visibility between specific WWNs

Eliminates disruptions• Between SAN islands

Increases SAN scalability• > switches from 239 to 57,121

Simplifies management• Both ongoing & change mgt.• Heterogeneous SANs• Address translation (domain & WWN)• Eliminates ATL forced fabric merges• Increases availability SAN Fabric C

SAN Fabric BSAN Fabric A

VSAN 2

VSAN 1

SAN Masking continued Works over FC

• And IP networks• iFCP and FCIP

Vendors include• McDATA

Eclipse/IPS• Cisco

MDS:VSAN Routing• Brocade

Multiprotocol Router• LightSand

8100SAN Fabric C

SAN Fabric BSAN Fabric A

VSAN 2

VSAN 1

SAN Segmentation: a.k.a. Planned Communities

Analogous to large storage controller• Start large & subdivide

One physical fabric• Many logical ones

Vendors include• Cisco

MDS:VSANs• McDATA

Dynamic Partitioning• CNT (04)

Quality of Service: QoS SAN throughput allocation Based on IT priorities Policy based Recognizes App performance

• Requirements differ• OLTP > than data migration, etc.

Vendors include• SANdial: Shadow 1400

Inter & intra-switch• Cisco: MDS

Intra-switch• McDATA (04)• CNT (04)

QoS

OLTP 100MB/s

Migration 25MB/s

Warehouse 35MB/s

Email 30MB/s

System Area Management: SAMSRM + SAN mgt

• Storage Provisioning• Block & File• Heterogeneous• Policy based mgt• Policy enforcement tools• One look & feel

App performance mgtOptimizes ecosystem

Vendors include• EMC• Softek• AppIQ• HP• IBM• Creekpath• VERITAS• Storability• TekTools• CA

Easier Troubleshooting ToolsSimplified

• Problem isolation• Problem resolution• Performance issues

Vendors include• Cisco

SPAN, rSPAN• SANdial

Network Performance Analyzer

How Big Can SANs Grow? Switches

• Currently up to 256 ports Up to 1024 2H 2004

Fabrics• Traditional

239 switches • 239 x 256 = > 61K ports

• Theoretical (new technologies) 239 switch domains 239 switches/domain 256 ports/switch = > 14M ports

ConclusionSAN Scaling today is painfulNew generation software & hardware

• Provides pain relief

Test & verify

Thank you. Questions?

Mr. Staimer will be available in the Ask-the-Expert booth in the Exhibit Hall:

Monday 5-6 PM