Build Management Muscle with Storage Provisioning

Marc Farley

President, Building Storage, Inc.

Author, Building Storage Networks

Best Practice

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

• Provisioning encompasses all point-products:

– Storing Wiring Filing

Storage Switches Host Systems

Key Features

Cross-Product Scope of Provisioning

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

Checklist

Adding a Volume to a Server

1 2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9ExistingServer

New Volume

Switch

10

10

Checklist

Provisioning @ Work: Changing Zones for Multi-use

DataStorage Subsystem

Application 1 Systems

Application 2ServerMulti-use data

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)

ServersSwitchesSubsystems

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• 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

Best Practice

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

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

• Zoning = I/O segregation

x

Tool

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

Tip

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

• 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+ +

Tool

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

• 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)

Tool

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)

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

• 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

Best Practice

Questions?

Marc FarleyMarc@BuildingStorage.comwww.buildingstorage.com408.210.7931