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Storage virtualization: Key to reduced TCO and improved performance
Interoperability Hurdles
An important objective for storage virtualization is to overcome vendor interoperability issues. Storage array manufacturers comply with the appropriate SCSI and Fibre Channel standards for basic connectivity to their products. Each, however, also implements proprietary value-added utilities and features to differentiate their offerings to the market and these, in turn, pose interoperability problems for customers with heterogeneous storage environments. Storage virtualization products can be used to provide data replication across vendor lines and replicate data from higher-end storage arrays with much cheaper disk assets thus addressing both interoperability and economic issues.
In addition to streamlining storage management tasks, the right storage virtualization solution can make management of multi-tiered storage systems practical as uniform, non-disruptive procedures replace point-to-point, disruptive procedures. Without virtualization, moving data sets from one tier of storage to another is challenging. It is a disruptive process, demanding some amount of scheduled outage, plus the risk of unscheduled outage if something goes wrong. Some degree of virtualization is necessary to make multi-tiered storage systems practical and functional.
Typically, tiered storage solutions based on a networked storage controller foundation can make storage tasks simpler, particularly in complex multi-tiered, multi-vendor storage environments. Networked storage controllers make it possible to extend many of the capabilities of individual high-end storage systems to a pool of diverse storage systems without sacrificing performance or availability. Functions desirable from the perfect solution include, robust and well-integrated port aggregation, volume management, and common data replication functions; flexibility in deployment options without sacrificing consistency and commonality of functions; the ability to scale quickly with minimal disruption to ongoing operations, including the ability to partition resources to meet variable requirements; rapid and painless data migration services across existing and future storage systems from a wide range of other storage systems suppliers and last, but not the least, integration with overall storage resource management systems.
Solutions that support comprehensive set of storage and data services, including large-scale virtualization of internal and external heterogeneous storage for application-centric storage area management and simplified and unified data replication and enable enterprises to deploy applications within a new framework, add value to current investments, and closely align IT and business initiatives would help derive the true benefits of storage virtualization.
The author of this article is Regional Director, Hitachi Data Systems India Pvt. Ltd.
Have you virtualized your conmpany's storage infrastructure? What are the pros and cons you faced? Let us know.
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