Best Practice Build Management Muscle with Storage Provisioning

Best Practice Build Management Muscle with Storage Provisioning Marc Farley President, Building Storage, Inc. Author, Building Storage Networks

The Building Storage Definition of Provisioning • The sequence of state changes in a storage network to achieve a different, optimal and desired operating state Checklist

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

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 Key Features

Cross-Product Scope of Provisioning • Provisioning encompasses all point-products: – Storing Storage Key Features Wiring Switches Filing Host Systems

Hypothetical Sequence of State Changes: Add a Volume to a Server • • Wiring • • Storing • • • Wiring • • • Storing • • Filing • 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 Checklist

Adding a Volume to a Server 10 8 4 5 Existing Server 6 12 Switch 9 3 10 New Volume 7 Checklist

Provisioning @ Work: Changing Zones for Multi-use Data Storage Subsystem Application 1 Systems Multi-use data Application 2 Server

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 Warning

A Storage Network as a State Machine (hundreds to thousands of variables) Key Features

This Looks Like a Job For… Automation! • Automation begets accuracy • Reliability and safety are job #1 – Storage communications must be solid – Machinery doesn’t forget or overlook • Storage networks are sufficiently complicated • Duh! Apply automation and take out the human element Tool

Automated Provisioning as a Storage Best Practice. . . Part 1 Best Practice • 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

Automated Provisioning as a Storage Best Practice … Part 2 • Fault correction – Isolate the fault – Identify the new state – Determine sequence to a target state • Redundant/ equivalent state • Preferred/improved state • Degraded/prioritized state Best Practice

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 Tip

Provisioning & SANs • Volume-orientation for block I/O • LUNs: Devices, exported volumes • Storing virtualization: Volume managers, RAID controllers, virtualization Tip

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 Tip

Pathing & Zoning Considerations • Pathing = Host software for HBA fail-over in a system x • Zoning = I/O segregation Tool

Provisioning and Pathing Tip • 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

Provisioning and Zoning • Zoning changes are network state changes – Should be verified for impact on all relationships in the state • Zoning changes shouldn’t interfere with higher priority paths and resources Best Practice

Integrating Systems Management Tools and Disciplines With Provisioning • Scripts • Schedulers • Policy engines • Process-workflow Tool

Scripts Tool • 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 + Sub. S #1 + DB #5 Sw #3, Sub. S #1, DB #5

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

Policy engines Tool • 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)

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 1 x 10 -13) Disk (hot spare) Applications (grouped data) Checklist

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 Best Practice

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

Recommendations for Attendees Best Practice • 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

Questions? Marc Farley Marc@Building. Storage. com www. buildingstorage. com 408. 210. 7931