Storage vendors to bolster security, fault-tolerance
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LAS VEGAS -Storage vendors will show a slew of management and troubleshooting tools at NetWorld+Interop 2001 this week that will let IT professionals fix, secure and build fault-tolerance into their storage infrastructures.
DataCore, Finisar and Nishan Systems are introducing software and hardware that secures storage-area networks (SAN) against data intrusion and creates fault-tolerant configurations for protecting data.
DataCore is announcing the next version of its storage resource management software, SanSymphony 4.0, which handles local and remote replication, mirroring of data and storage pools.
DataCore's storage virtualization software is being enhanced to include local and remote replication, and mirroring of data over IP, letting customers configure fault-tolerant storage networks and increase the availability of applications. In addition, the software will let users create a single storage pool from storage in geographically separate locations that can be managed from a single, consolidated management interface.
IT professional Bill Manning has an immediate use for SanSymphony's new features.
"We have three major projects coming up this year," says Manning, associate director for technical services for the Plumber's and Pipefitter's National Pension Fund in Alexandria, Va. "We are going to build a remote SAN at headquarters for disaster recovery. There, we'll be able to use IP mirroring over our existing T-1 to do that, as opposed to having to install ATM or dark fiber. It will be a tremendous cost savings to us."
Manning will also be building a redundant SAN on-site, which will be mirrored with the existing SAN to provide a real-time backup of data. In mirroring, changes are written to each disk concurrently, thus protecting against failure of one disk.
SanSymphony can also let data be mirrored from one location to another and replicated from the target destination to another location.
DataCore's SanSymphony 4.0 will be available immediately for $20,000.
Manning, when called on to troubleshoot a traffic or link problem on his network, brings in a systems integrator who is trained in protocol and link analysis to help. He wishes there were more easy-to-use troubleshooting tools for his SANs.
"It's hard to staff for this type of position because it's a specialized area," Manning says. "It's not something you need all the time, so to keep your skills on staff up is almost impossible."
Finisar's QoS
Finisar will roll out SAN QoS, a real-time monitoring, traffic analysis and troubleshooting product specifically designed for managing distributed, enterprise SANs. SAN QoS consists of portal software called Portal; Probe FC, which monitors Fibre Channel and SCSI devices such as storage arrays and servers; and ViewsFC, a remote interface that makes long-distance browsing possible.
The Finisar SAN QoS supports Fibre Channel arbitrated loop SANs and switched fabrics, and 1G bit/sec Fibre Channel, as well as the upcoming 2G bit/sec specification. The portal software gathers, aggregates and records statistic from all available probes and makes it accessible to the ViewsPC. The Probe lets customers monitor access to a server or storage device, and gather statistics they can use to analyze exactly which devices are communicating through specific links. The Finisar Probe FC and Portal products are available for $9,000 each, while the ViewsFC costs $1,000.
Nishan targets security
Now that storage-over-IP networks are available, securing the data that flows over the IP link is a priority. Nishan is expected to announce SecureSAN, a mixture that combines its Nishan 1000 and 3000 Storage Switches with firewalls from CheckPoint, NetScreen, RapidStream or SonicWall.
In a typical configuration, the Fibre Channel storage array and host would connect to a Nishan 3000 and 1000 switch for transport over the network, which is protected from intrusion with a firewall. An IP router would connect to the firewall to the WAN. On the other side, an IP router would connect to a firewall, which would similarly connect to Nishan equipment. Available now, the Nishan IPS 3000 Series IP Storage Switch costs $16,000 while the IPS 1000 Series IP Storage Switch costs about $10,000.
DataCore: www.datacore.com; Finisar: www.finisar.com; Nishan: www.nishansystems.com
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