Long-distance storage networking applications
Join the storage networking world and get a crash course on how to deliver IP storage networking in the following collection of excerpts from Chapter 10, 'Long-distance storage networking applications,' from the Addison-Wesley book IP Storage Networking: Straight to the Core by Gary Orenstein. It covers IP storage data replication technologies, how to size link bandwidth for long-distance storage networking applications, network latency effects on application performance and TCP effects on application performance.
Impressive forces of nature continually shape our planet. Over the ages, earthquakes have formed mountain ranges and floods have carved huge canyons that today attract tourists and sports enthusiasts. However, when people and buildings -- and data centers -- are in their path, these forces can be devastating.
In the early 1990s, Hurricane Andrew flooded more than three dozen major data centers. Since that time, we have become even more dependent on quick access to stored data. Most IT managers now have remote data replication systems for disaster recovery, but those systems can be costly and cumbersome to manage.
Remote data replication consists of archiving or mirroring. Archiving is a commonly used process in which data is written to portable media, such as optical disks or magnetic tapes. For disaster recovery purposes, the disks or tapes are physically transported to an offsite location and stored. Depending on the regulatory or self-imposed replication requirements, the data may be transported across town or hundreds of miles away.
Data mirroring operates over a metropolitan or wide-area storage network and can be fairly bandwidth-intensive, as it requires either continuous replication using synchronous mirroring of disk arrays or batch processing for asynchronous mirroring. Mirroring enables two sites to share the same set of data so that either can continue to operate on that data in the case of a site outage. Due to the distance and performance limitations of the conventional Fibre Channel switch technology, mirroring had, until the advent of IP storage networking, been used mainly for critical applications and had been limited to relatively short distances.
Long-distance storage networking applications
Home: Introduction
IP storage networking expands remote data replication
IP storage data replication technology
Sizing link bandwidth for long-distance applications
Network latency effects on application performance
TCP effects on application performance
About the book: Whether you're a technical or business professional, IP Storage Networking: Straight to the Core will help you develop storage action plans that leverage innovation to maximize value on every dime you invest.
About the author: Gary Orenstein has been active in the IP storage networking industry since its inception with a career spanning multiple network storage companies and industry efforts. He was an initial governing board member of the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) IP Storage Forum where he helped develop, promote, and deliver educational information furthering market growth. Gary is currently vice president of marketing at Compellent Technologies, a network storage company.
