1Storage Resource Management SRM Solutions Design Concepts - IMPACT

7/29/2019 1Storage Resource Management SRM Solutions Design Concepts - IMPACT

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Copyright 2005 EMC Corporation. Do not Copy - All Rights Reserved.

Storage Resource Management Solution Design Concepts - 1

2005 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved.

Storage Resource Management (SRM)

Solution Design Concepts

Storage Resource Management (SRM)

Solution Design Concepts

Welcome to Storage Resource Management Solution Design Concepts.

The AUDIO portion of this course is supplemental to the material and is not a replacement for thestudent notes accompanying this course.

EMC recommends downloading the Student Resource Guide from the Supporting Materials tab, andreading the notes in their entirety.

These materials may not be copied without EMC's written consent.

EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to changewithout notice.

THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED AS IS. EMC CORPORATION MAKES NOREPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS

PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY ORFITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.

Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license.

EMC, EMC ControlCenter, Navisphere, and VisualSAN are registered trademarks, and VisualSRM is a trademark of EMCCorporation.

All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners


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2005 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Storage Resource Management Solution Design Concepts - 2

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

y Describe the important technical data to be gatheredabout the use of SRM solutions

y Describe how technical data is gathered for SRM

solutions

y Describe how to interpret and comprehend the gathered

data

y Discuss the best-practices for designing andimplementing SRM solutions

The objectives for this course are shown here. Please take a moment to read them.


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What Terminology Does SRM Use?

Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

y Describe SRM concepts and terminology

y Use your knowledge of the key features of EMC Storage

Resource Management tools to choose a software

solution

The objectives for this lesson are shown here. Please take a moment to review them.


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Storage Resource Management Terminology

y Array Management (device creation, data protection) Storage array monitoring, configuring devices, RAID protection levels, local and

remote replication methodsy Storage Allocation (Masking, Zoning, LUN Masking)

Allocating array devices to ports, matching array ports to host bus adapters,establishing masking to permit hosts to access devices

y SAN Management FibreChannel switch monitoring, zone and fabric management

y Alerting Using agents to poll hardware and software devices for health, capacity, and

performance issues; monitoring through a software user interface, email, or SNMPtraps

y Reporting Using agents to collect configuration, capacity, and performance data on hardware

and software devices, collecting the data into a central location, and querying thedata to produce reports

y Management Software Security Common management software authentication methods

You should become familiar with the Storage Resource Management processes and tasks shown here.

Since customers tend to view their needs in terms of these main categories, this course will frequently

refer to these terms.


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Storage Resource Management Tools

Native Tools

EMC Navisphere

EMC VisualSRM /

StorageScope FLR

EMC VisualSAN

EMC ControlCenter

You should also have some familiarity with ControlCenter, VisualSAN, and VisualSRM (or

StorageScope FLR), since they will be the focus of this presentation.

Navisphere will be discussed occasionally as an alternative for managing CLARiiON arrays.Native tools are those produced by other vendors for control of their switches, arrays, or applications.

While you will not need any real knowledge of each native tool, you will have to be aware that they

exist as an alternative to the EMC Storage Resource Management tools.


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Determining the Storage Resource Management

Solution


y Match a customers needs to one of EMCs Storage

Resource Management tools: ControlCenter, VisualSAN,

or VisualSRM

The objectives for this lesson are shown here. Please take a moment to read them.


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Determining the Software Solution

Knowledge of Customers Storage Resource

Management Needs

Knowledge of EMC Storage Resource

Management Tools Capabilities and Limitations

ControlCenter VisualSRM VisualSAN

+

Design and

Implement

Design and

Implement

Design and

Implement

Lesson

1

Less

on

2

To determine a storage management solution, an architect must have knowledge of the customers

Storage Resource Management needs, and knowledge of the EMC Storage Resource Management

tools. Customer needs can best be determined by interviewing the customer. Information regarding

the high-level business processes as well as the low-level technical details are equally important, sincethe solution must fit into the established business flow and also be technically feasible.

An architect must also know the capabilities of the core EMC Storage Resource Management tools:

ControlCenter, VisualSRM, and VisualSAN. He or she must especially be able to differentiate the

product features to choose the best tool for the job.

Once the correct software solution is chosen, more specific planning details must be determined before

the product can be implemented. Technicalities regarding the hosts that the software can be installed

on, compatibility with existing software on the hosts, networking requirements, and other details must

be determined prior to installation.

This lesson covered the main differentiating features of the EMC tools. The next lesson goes intolower-level planning details.


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What Information is Important to Know About SRM?


y Describe the technical data that you need to gather aboutSRM needs, including:

Vendor information and compatibility

Array management

Storage allocation

SAN Management

Alerting

Reporting

y Determine the key design considerations for your

solution, and ask for data regarding them



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Storage Resource Management Needs

y What is the customers storage environment?

y What vendor and models are to be managed?

y What are the compatibility limitations?

One of the most important things to know about the customers needs is their environment - what

manufacturer and model of hosts, arrays, switches, and applications need to be monitored. While this

may seem to be a lower-level planning detail, it is essential, even at the early stages. All software

solutions have some compatibility limitations. It would not be a good idea to choose a softwaresolution that does not actually work in the customers specific environment.


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Storage Resource Management Needs (Cont.)

yArray Management

What management tasks are required: device creation, mapping,business continuity, etc.?

y Storage Allocation (Mapping, Zoning, LUN Masking)

What tasks are needed, and how what should be automated?

Some tools provide only one allocation function, such as LUN

Masking

y SAN Management

Will the fabric be managed manually or by automated StorageAllocation processes?

Shown here are some of the most important factors in choosing a Storage Management solution.

For Array Management, the tasks to be performed are the important factors. Will the customer be

creating devices and mapping devices to ports? Will local or remote business continuity functions berequired? Not every software tool can perform each of these tasks, so make sure you ask the customer

what tasks are needed.

Storage Allocation tasks are typically defined as those required to bring array devices under the control

of a host. Device mapping, SAN zoning, and LUN masking are typically considered allocation tasks.

As with array management, the tasks must be determined, because not all tools can perform each task.

Additionally, some tools can automate some or all of the allocation tasks. For instance, ControlCenter

can perform LUN masking but not mapping on some non-EMC storage arrays.

Features are fairly similar across the EMC products that can perform SAN Management tasks.

ControlCenter and VisualSAN can both manage heterogeneous switched fabric environments, however

there are slight differences in the level of automation and scaling capabilities.


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Storage Resource Management Needs (Cont.)

yAlerting

What sort of alerting: health, capacity, performance?What resources should be monitored?

How should the alerts be delivered: user interface, email, or SNMP?

y Reporting

What sort of reporting: configuration, utilization, performance?

What resources should be reported?

For filesystem reporting, what level of detail: filesystem or file-level?

Are long-term trends needed?

All of the Storage Resource Management tools discussed in this course have some alerting

functionality. In anything but the smallest environment, the customer will be overwhelmed with alerts

if they are all enabled, so it is important to reduce their number or at least prioritize them. Customers

frequently have very specific issues that they would like alerting forfind out what kinds of alerts areof the most interest, and on what resources. Also find out how the alerts should be delivered: all the

EMC solutions can display the alert in the software user interface, or deliver it by email or by SNMP.

Reporting tasks can be loosely divided into categories of configuration, utilization, and performance.

Each tool has different reporting capabilities in each area. For instance, VisualSRM provides detailed

utilization reporting for filesystems, databases, and mail servers, but absolutely no performance

reporting.

For filesystem reporting, determine if reports should show filesystem-level details, or drill down to

report on the individual files and folders. This is one of the key differentiating points that separate

ControlCenter StorageScope and VisualSRM.


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EMC Array Management

ControlCenter can discover many

arrays, and perform limitedconfiguration on HP StorageWorks

arrays. Native tools provide better

management

Other Non-EMC array management

ControlCenter can discover and

monitor the array, but native tools

provide better management

Other EMC array management:

Celerra, Centera

Navisphere is the most complete

choice, but recent ControlCenter

versions are nearly as complete

CLARiiON management

ControlCenter is the only choiceSymmetrix management

THEN:IF the solution requires:

Here are important facts about EMC Array Management that differentiate the Storage Resource

Management Solutions.

If Symmetrix management is needed, then ControlCenter is the only choice. It is the only EMCproduct discussed here that can manage Symmetrix arrays.

If CLARiiON management is needed, then the native CLARiiON management tool Navisphere is the

most complete choice. However, it is designed to work with the CLARiiON alone, and does not

provide the wide variety of management solutions that ControlCenter does. Recent versions of

ControlCenter have added more and more capabilities for managing CLARiiON arrays, so it is now a

very good choice for general CLARiiON management.

If other EMC storage devices such as the Celerra or Centera need to be managed, the native tools are

probably the best bet. At the current time, ControlCenter provides basic monitoring of these storage

devices only.

If non-EMC arrays such as those sold by IBM, Hitachi, or HP need to be managed, their native tools

are probably the most capable choice. ControlCenter can discover and monitor any of the arrays by

these vendors listed in the Support Matrix, but can only perform limited management functions on

certain HP StorageWorks arrays.


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EMC Storage Allocation

ControlCenter can provision HP

StorageWorks XP 512 arrays

ControlCenter can LUN mask HP,

HDS and Sun arrays

Other Non-EMC array management

ControlCenter provides automated

provisioning

Navisphere provides manual device

creation, mapping, LUN masking

VisualSAN can mask and zone

existing LUNs with some automation

CLARiiON allocation

ControlCenter is the only choice

Provisioning of devices from array tohost can be automated

Symmetrix allocation


Storage Allocation tasks vary widely across the Storage Resource Management solutions.

If allocation of Symmetrix storage is needed, ControlCenter is the only choiceno other software tool

discussed here can perform the Symmetrix device mapping and LUN masking tasks. ControlCenteralso provides automated provisioning, automating the necessary tasks for mapping devices, zoning and

LUN masking them, and making them available to the host. The user only needs to organize available

devices into a pool, and then give the command to allocate some amount of storage from the pool to

a host.

If allocation of CLARiiON devices is needed, several tools are available. ControlCenter can manually

or automatically provision CLARiiON devices in the same way Symmetrix devices are managed.

Navisphere provides complete CLARiiON management, including device creation, masking, and LUN

masking, but it has no ability to zone the devices to the host.

VisualSAN has complete SAN management functionality, and can LUN mask CLARiiON devices that

have already been created. A certain amount of automation is also available.

Some allocation of devices on non-EMC arrays can be done with ControlCenter. StorageWorks XP

512 arrays can be completely provisioned, while LUN masking only is available for the other arrays

listed here.


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EMC SAN Management

VisualSAN with Configuration

Manager module is the best choice

Detailed SAN configuration change

reporting

ControlCenter is the best choice

VisualSAN preferred size: under 128

ports

Native tools provide complete

management but do not scale well

Large environment management


ControlCenter, VisualSAN, and switch native tools all have significant SAN management features.

Native tools do not scale up to large environments well, and often can not manage heterogeneous

environments.

VisualSAN is an excellent tool for SAN management, but the preferred managed environment is one

that has less than 128 ports. Larger environments can be managed, but it becomes increasingly harder

to use the necessary views as the number of ports grows.

This leaves ControlCenter as the best choice for large SAN environments. ControlCenter can manage

a large number of heterogeneous switches and fabrics, and of course provides alerting, reporting, and

other functions.

If detailed SAN configuration change reporting is needed, then VisualSAN is the best choice. The

Configuration Manager module can regularly record hardware, fabric, and LUN masking details. A

user can then compare the current configuration with any past configuration to see what components

have been added, deleted, or changed. While ControlCenter can snapshot SAN configuration, it cannot compare different versions in this way.


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Scenario A

Customer has a large number of Symmetrix and IBM

ESS arrays and would like to manage the arrays andSAN, as well as perform whatever automated

provisioning is available.

What Storage Resource Management solution meets this

need?

9

What Storage Resource Management solution meets the needs presented in this scenario? Your

answer might include one or more of the software tools we have discussed. When you have considered

your answer, go to the next slide.


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Scenario A Solution

ControlCenter is the best solution for this scenario,

because all the arrays can be monitored, although theESS arrays can not really be managed.

Complete storage provisioning is available for the

Symmetrix arrays, but not the ESS arrays.

9

The most complete solution is provided by ControlCenter, since both Symmetrix and ESS arrays must

be monitored. However, no EMC tools will completely fit the requirements. The customer should be

made aware that only the IBM native tools can provide complete management and provisioning of the

ESS array.


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Scenario B

Customer has a small environment containing CLARiiON

arrays and Connectrix switches, and would like a budget-conscious solution for basic array and SAN

management.


need?

9





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Scenario B Solution

Navisphere and VisualSAN are probably the best

solutions for this scenario. Navisphere is a good,complete array management solution for CLARiiON,

while VisualSAN is complete SAN management solution

for small environments.

9

A good solution for this situation is a combination of Navisphere and VisualSAN. Navisphere

provides complete management for the CLARiiON arrays, while VisualSAN can manage the SAN and

do CLARiiON provisioning. It is somewhat inconvenient to use two tools to perform the management

tasks, but the cost for the solution will be low.

ControlCenter can also provide the needed management features all in a single interface, but might be

too expensive a solution for a small environment.


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EMC Alerting

ControlCenter has moderate

application alerting for Oracle,

minimal for other databases

VisualSRM can do simple database

file and mail server mailbox capacity

threshold alerting

Application alerting

ControlCenter or VisualSAN can

provide switch alerts

SAN alerting

ControlCenter is the best choice,

detail of alerting varies by array

Array alerting


SNMP alerting Many arrays and switches can send alerts by

SNMP to management framework tools

If a customers solution requires array alerting, ControlCenter is the best choice as it is the only tool

(besides native tools) that can capture alerts from a variety of arrays. The level of detail in the alerts

varies by array, with Symmetrix arrays having the most detail.

Both ControlCenter and VisualSAN can provide switch alerts. Both have a wide variety of health and

performance alerting capability.

Application alerting is not well covered by the EMC solutions discussed here. ControlCenter has some

alerting for Oracle databases, but only simple active or inactive alerting for the other supported

databases.

VisualSRM has some alerting for the databases and mail servers that it supports, but only regarding

capacities. No alerting is provided by VisualSRM for application health issues.

Another important issue regarding alerting in the EMC product line is the use of SNMP alerts. All of

the non-Symmetrix arrays that EMC sells and all of the EMC switches can be configured to deliver

SNMP alerts or traps. SNMP traps can be generated for Symmetrix alerts if the ControlCenter

Integration Gateway Agent is deployed. If the customer is using an appropriate SNMP management

framework tool, they might prefer their alerting be delivered there instead of being handled by EMC

software.


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EMC Reporting

ControlCenter or VisualSANSAN configuration or performance

details

ControlCenterArray configuration or performance

details

VisualSRMFile-level, database table-level, mail

server mailbox-level details

ControlCenter or VisualSRMApplication-level, host-level,

filesystem-level configuration and

utilization


All three of the Storage Resource Management tools provide some amount of reporting on the things

they monitor. ControlCenter is the best bet for monitoring array configuration and performance

details. Configuration details of all of the supported arrays can be reported by StorageScope, and

performance data can be reported for Symmetrix and CLARiiON arrays by Performance Manager.

SAN reporting can be done by both ControlCenter and VisualSAN. Both show detailed configuration,

zoning, and complete path (host to SAN to storage) details. If SAN reporting alone is the issue, both

products would provide a good solution.

Reporting about the high level of user data objects such as applications, hosts, and filesystems can be

done with ControlCenter or VisualSRM. Both tools show basic configuration and storage utilization at

this level.

Lower level reporting of user data objects such as files, database tables, and mail server mailboxes can

only be done with VisualSRM. VisualSRMs main function is to report on these details, so extensive

reporting and filtering is available.

StorageScopes File Level Summary reports can also produce some file-level details, but in summary

format.


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EMC Management Software Security

ControlCenter has extensive role

authorization

VisualSRM has only two roles:

administrator, and reporting (can only

view reports)

Explicit roles to limit user access

ControlCenter, VisualSRM, and

VisualSAN can all use Windows

authentication

Windows Authentication


All of the EMC solutions can use Windows authentication to limit access to authorized users. This

makes it simple for administrators, since long user lists do not have to be incorporated into the

software, and simple for users who can just log in using their regular Windows login and password.

ControlCenter has extensive role authorization. Users can be given access to only certain tasks if

needed. VisualSRM has only two roles: the administrator, and a reporting role that can only view

generated reports.


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Scenario C

Customer has a large number of Symmetrix and IBM

ESS arrays and would like reporting on the array andSAN device configuration, as well as trend reporting on

the amount of configured array space. Alerting for array

and SAN health is also needed


need?

9





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Scenario C Solution

ControlCenter is the best solution for this scenario,

because configuration details can easily be reportedusing StorageScope. Configured array space trending is

also available. Alerting can also be handled for the array

and SAN devices.

9

ControlCenter is a good solution for this scenario, because it can meet nearly all of the needs.


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Scenario D

Customer has a small environment containing CLARiiON

arrays and Connectrix switches, and would like hostvolume-to-array device relationship reporting.

The customer is also interested in finding files that have

not been accessed in some time so that they might be

migrated to tape storage.


need?

9





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Scenario D Solution

The functions can be performed with a combination of

Navisphere, VisualSAN, and VisualSRM.

Navisphere provides complete array management

functionality, and VisualSAN can be used to display host

volume and array device mapping.

VisualSRM can be used to report on the files that have

not been accessed in some time, and can even perform

actions that will migrate them to tape storage.

9

A good fit for this scenario is a combination of Navisphere, VisualSAN, and VisualSRM.

Navisphere and VisualSAN can manage the CLARiiON arrays and SAN environment. VisualSAN can

display the host volume and array device mapping, but it can not really export it into a report filetheuser will have to view the interface. VisualSRM can be used to report on the files that have not been

accessed in some time. When such files are detected, VisualSRM agents can automatically run scripts

to migrate them to tape storage.

Alternatively, ControlCenter might be used in place of Navisphere and VisualSAN, since it too can

perform all of the indicated functions. However, StorageScope File Level Reporterthe

ControlCenter-branded version of VisualSRMwould still have to be used to report and act on the un-

accessed files.


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Best Practices When Designing SRM Solutions


y Describe best practices for ControlCenter design

y Describe best practices for VisualSRM design

y Describe best practices for VisualSAN design



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Designing the Solution

Knowledge of Customers Storage Resource

Management Needs

Knowledge of EMC Storage Resource

Management Tools Capabilities and Limitations

ControlCenter VisualSRM VisualSAN

+

Design and

Implement

Design and

Implement

Design and

Implement

Lesson

1

Less

on

2

Having determined which tools are best suited for the situation, an architect must now design the

solution for optimum results in the specific customers environment. Specific details about how the

customer will be implementing and using the software are now needed. This module will present the

most common of these details, and suggest questions to be raised with the customer to find theanswers.


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ControlCenter

ControlCenter

Design and

Implementation

This section discusses questions that you should ask regarding ControlCenter design.


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ControlCenter Design Considerations

y What Objects are to be managed by ControlCenter?

Check ControlCenter Support Matrix: not all hosts, switches, arrays,or applications are supported

y What Operations will be performed by ControlCenter?

Correct licensing determines ControlCenter functionality

y Where will Agents be installed?

Some agents can only be deployed on a few types of servers

Some agents must have network or direct connectivity to the object

they manageSome customers will not allow agents to be installed on production

hosts

How many agents to deploy? Agent Load considerations

What objects are to be managed by ControlCenter? Not all hosts, switches, arrays, or applications are

supported by ControlCenter, so be sure to find out what the customer is interested in managing and

check the answer against the ControlCenter Support Matrix.

What operations will be performed by ControlCenter? Many licenses are used to enable the different

features of ControlCenter. Some of the licenses enable just a few features, while others enable many.

To find the correct licenses, it is important to find out exactly what features the customer is interested

in.

Where will agents be installed? While there is a lot of flexibility in the deployment of agents, there are

some restrictions. Some agents can only be deployed on a few types of servers. For instance, the

Storage Agent for NAS can only be deployed on a Windows server. Some agents must have network

or direct connectivity to the object they manage. For example, the Symmetrix SDM Agent must have

direct Fibre Channel connectivity to the Symmetrix that it is managing (specifically, it must have

access to the VCM database device).

Agent restrictions might also come from the customer. In many sites, the customer will prohibit agents

from being deployed on business production hosts. In this case, non-production hosts will have to be

found or purchased to run many of the agents.

The Performance and Scalability guidelines gives recommendations on the maximum number of

objects that each agent can manage without adversely affecting the performance of ControlCenter.

Hence the number of agents of a particular type that are deployed is a very important consideration.

The design should ensure that an agent is not overloaded.


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ControlCenter Infrastructure Configurations

y How many Objects, what size?

Infrastructure configuration depends on numbers of mediumobjects managed

Object size (small, medium, large) depends on number ofcomponents: devices, ports, etc.

Single-Host Distributed

One Store

CC ServerRepository

Store

Distributed

Two Store

Store

CC ServerRepository

Store

Distributed

Three Store

Store

Store

CC ServerRepository

Store

CC Server

StoreRepository

How many objects, and what size are they? Performance of a tool like ControlCenter can degrade as

the number of managed objects grows. The key factor that affects the ControlCenter infrastructure

design is the number of managed objects and their size. An objects size is dependent on the number of

components within the device that must be cataloged and monitored. The Performance and ScalabilityGuidelines lists the sizing rules for each type of managed objects.

The smallest ControlCenter environments can be managed by the single-host infrastructure

configuration, shown at the left. At certain thresholds of managed objects, distributed infrastructures

must be implemented instead by moving the Store component to one or more other hosts. The

distributed three-Store environment is the largest generally supported configuration, though even more

Stores might be implemented in carefully analyzed and planned customer environments.


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Example Infrastructure Sizing Chart

128 (8192)9101525100Distributed, 3 Store



24 (1530)19036045Single Host

Switches

(Ports)

Oracle

DBs

HostsArraysConfiguration

Dual 3.0 GHz processors, 2 GB RAM on each host

EMC ControlCenter Performance and Scalability Guidelines, 5.2 SP3

The Performance and Scalability Guidelines has many tables which show the object thresholds for

each ControlCenter configuration. This example is used when the infrastructure hosts all have dual 3.0

GHz processors and a minimum of 2 GB of RAM. Other tables in the document show the thresholds

for servers that have 1.0 GHz or 2.4 GHz processors. If the customers environment exceeds thenumbers of medium arrays, hosts, Oracle databases, or switches (or ports) on any row, the next larger

configuration must be deployed.

This table is used only when a maximum of two agents are deployed on each distributed Store. If more

agents are required on the infrastructure components, a different table should be used.


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Design Considerations

y What sort of Firewalls separate the ControlCenter

components?

Dynamic firewall rules are not allowed; static rules are

Network Address Translation (NAT) is allowed only with version 5.2

SP3 with some restrictions

DHCP not allowed for Infrastructure and Agents; static IP addresses

are

y How many Sites, at what distance?

Network latency is an important factorin ControlCenter performance

There can only be one Infrastructure

site, but agents can monitor from

multiple sites

200msAgent

50msWeb Console

15ms(8ms preferred)

Console

8msInfrastructure

Max LatencyInfrastructure to:

EMC ControlCenter Performance

and Scalability Guidelines, 5.2 SP3

How many sites, and at what distance? Network latency is a critical design factor for ControlCenter,

since large latencies can cause significant performance problems. This often presents challenges for

designing a solution that will manage objects at more than one site. As you can see from the table,

infrastructure-to-infrastructure latencies must be kept very low. This means that infrastructurecomponents will nearly always have to remain at the same siteon the same network segment if

possible. However, since agents can function even at very high latencies, they can frequently be

deployed to collect information at remote sites.

What sort of firewalls separate the ControlCenter components? Firewalls employing dynamic rules are

not allowed, but static rules firewalls are. Firewalls or other components that perform Network

Address Translation (NAT) are allowed only if the ControlCenter version is 5.2, service pack 3. Some

additional restrictions apply when using Network Address Translation, so see the ControlCenter

Planning and Installation Guide for further details. Port Address Translation (PAT) is not permitted.

DHCP is not allowed on the infrastructure and agent servers; they must have static IP addresses.


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Design Considerations (Cont.)

y Is more than one network used?

Multihoming is supported: separate network for production andmanagement

yAre fully qualified domain names (FQDN) used?

Infrastructure servers should be known by fully qualified domain

names

y What user rules are needed?

Is more than one network used? Customers will often segregate their production traffic on to a

separate network from the management software traffic. This often means that an agent will require

connectivity to the production network to collect data, and also the management network where the

infrastructure components are installed. This sort of connectivitycalled multihomingissupported by ControlCenter, but it can introduce some complexity in the placement of components.

Make sure you find out if multihoming is required before submitting the parameters to the designer.

Are fully qualified domain names (FQDN) used? Infrastructure servers should always be known by

their fully qualified domain names.

What user rules are needed? A ControlCenter administrator has a great deal of control over the tasks

that users can perform. Users can be limited to just performing a handful of tasks on specified objects,

if necessary.


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y How will users access the software?

Java Console has strict network latency requirementsJava Console can not be used to access through a Network Address

Translation or Port Address Translation

Web Console has higher latency requirements, but monitoring

functionality only

Should not exceed 10 simultaneous Java or Web Consoles

How will users access the software? ControlCenter is accessed by either the Java Console (or just

Console) or the Web Console. Two networking issues make it difficult to use the Java Console from

outside of the infrastructure network. First, the network latency between the infrastructure and

Console must remain below 15 ms (preferably below 8 ms), and second, the Java Console can not beused to access ControlCenter through a Network Address or Port Address Translation (even in version

5.2 SP3).

Another Console consideration that the customer should be made aware of is the maximum number of

simultaneous active consoles. Only ten active consoles of any kind should be used at once. An active

Java Console is one that is displaying dynamically changing data: a Performance View, Alerts View,

or anything else that requires frequent updates. Most users will use the Java Console specifically for

monitoring this type of data, so you can assume that any open Java Console is in fact active. An active

Web Console is one that is in the process of displaying or refreshing a view.


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Using Remote Login to Access a Console

CC ServerRepository

Metaframe XP

Terminal Services

ConsoleFirew

all

8 ms long latency

Use Citrix Metaframe XP or Microsoft Terminal Servicesto overcome long latency or firewall issues

Remotely connect to a server next to the ControlCenter

Server where the Console has been installed

Metaframe XP

Terminal Services

A common solution to the latency and firewall issues is to use Citrix or Terminal Services to access a

local Console host from outside the network. In this way, the remote login software deals with the

high latency and address translation issues, and not the Console itself.Note however that the

Performance and Scalability Guidelines prohibit using remote access software to run a Consoleinstalled on an infrastructure host. The Console will have to be installed on a non-infrastructure host

within the firewall.

Another solution is to use the Web Console, which can tolerate a 50 ms latency, and can work through

firewalls that allow HTTP access. Unfortunately, the current version of the Web Console only

provides monitoring functionality, not management.


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y What off hours are available for data collection?

Daily data collection can affect performance when agents are onproduction hosts

Short off hours windows can affect ControlCenter design

y How current must data views be?

Some data collection policies regularly collect data according to a

schedule

Longer schedules are better for performance, but cause data views

and alerts to be less current

What off hours are available for data collection? ControlCenter data collection policies that collect

data once per day can be scheduled for any time. The least intrusive time to perform these daily

collections is when there is little activity in the production environment, and no maintenance tasks are

being conducted on the infrastructure (export, backup, etc.). If this off hours time is at least as longas the time required to run all the daily collections, there will be no problem. However, if the off

hours window is short, the architect may have difficulty scheduling the collection tasks. Make sure

you find out when the best times for data collection are, and whether the customer can be flexible

about short off hours windows.

How current must data views be? Many ControlCenter data collection policies poll for data at

regular intervals measured in minutes. This means that some event such as a failure or change in status

will be detected much quicker than by the daily collections. The schedules can be made shorter or

longer than the defaults. Longer schedules are sometimes recommended for large environments; with

less polling, the CPU demands on the agent and the infrastructure are lower. However, longer data

collection policy schedules mean the data views and alerts will be less current. For instance, with a 30minute polling schedule, ControlCenter may take as long as 30 minutes to detect some critical error.


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Data Gathering

y ControlCenter Qualifier

Catalogs managed objects for submission to Solutions ValidationCenter (SVC)

Download from the SVC website: http://gig.corp.emc.com

An important document in the ControlCenter design data gathering process is the Qualifier. This

document catalogs the managed objects and servers in the customers environment. While it does not

cover all of the questions discussed in this module, it does list a large number of the technical facts that

an architect will need to know. A Qualifier is mandatory for all ControlCenter installations andupdates that are submitted to the Solutions Validation Center.


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Best Practices

y ControlCenter Reporting Know What You Have

Implementation case study for installing ControlCenter and usingreporting features

y ControlCenter Configuration and Control Manage What

You Have

Implementation case study for installing ControlCenter and

managing resources

y ControlCenter Performance and Scalability Guidelines

One of the most important documents for a designerStrict, complicated rules for proper ControlCenter design

The two implementation case study documents listed here present best practices for reporting and

managing with ControlCenter. The documents present a fictional business environment, and then

describe the ControlCenter features that address the fictional customers needs.

The Performance and Scalability Guidelines have already been mentioned as an important best

practice document for ControlCenter design. Although reading this complicated set of rules will be

difficult, it is worthwhile for anyone involved in ControlCenter planning, design, implementation, or

troubleshooting.


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TS Service Offerings - ControlCenter

y ControlCenter Planning and Design Service

Consultative engagement that provides the Customer an in-depthunderstanding of the storage management processes and

procedures required to maintain a highly efficient information

infrastructure, and how EMCs Open Storage strategy reduces

complexity and automates storage management

y ControlCenter Custom Implementation

Consultative service that installs ControlCenter 5.2 software into a

new data center or upgrades an existing ControlCenter 5.x data

center infrastructure to ControlCenter 5.2. Focuses on the

customer's current Storage Resource Management (SRM) practices.

ControlCenter related service offerings are listed. Details and services related documentation can befound on Powerlink (Home > Services > EMC Technology Solutions > Open Storage SoftwareOfferings).

The services listed in this course are a partial listing of all the available service offerings.

ControlCenter Planning and Design Service: The EMC ControlCenter Planning and Design Serviceis a multi-phased, on-site consulting service including facilitation and interview sessions. The serviceconsists of five phases performed over a five-day period. Upon completion of the service, the customergains an in-depth understanding of the storage management processes and procedures required tomaintain a highly efficient information infrastructure, and how EMCs Open Storage strategy reducescomplexity and automates storage management. The ControlCenter Planning and Design Servicedelivers a detailed roadmap to implement a highly efficient and cost effective Open Software andIndustry Standard Process Documentation infrastructure, based on the client's priorities for a totalbusiness solution.

ControlCenter Custom Implementation: The EMC ControlCenter 5.2 Custom Implementation is aconsultative service that installs ControlCenter 5.2 software into a new data center or upgrades anexisting ControlCenter 5.x data center infrastructure to ControlCenter 5.2. This implementationfocuses on the customer's current Storage Resource Management (SRM) practices.


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TS Service Offerings ControlCenter (Cont.)

y ControlCenter Health Check Assessment

Comprehensive, consultative assessment of a customer'sControlCenter infrastructure, business, and operational environments

emphasizing their storage resource management (SRM) practices

y SRM Custom Reporting

Comprehensive, consultative assessment of SRM reporting

requirements

Extends the value of StorageScope by delivering reports based on

EMC Technology Solutions best practices

EMC Technology Solutions installs and customizes the CrystalReport software and builds custom reports to meet the customers

business needs

ControlCenter Health Check Assessment: The EMC ControlCenter Health Check Assessmentservice provides a comprehensive, consultative assessment of a customer's ControlCenterinfrastructure, business, and operational environments emphasizing their storage resource management

(SRM) practices. The service includes a discovery phase including one-on-one interviews withcustomer subject matter experts combined with detailed discovery scripts. EMC Technology Solutions(TS) personnel examine the customer's SRM infrastructure, operational, and business requirements,then develop a detailed Project Plan mapped to the customer's ControlCenter storage infrastructure.

SRM Custom Reporting: The SRM Custom Reporting Service addresses a customers particularstorage resource management (SRM) reporting requirements, targeting areas that provide the greatestfinancial and operational benefits. This service leverages StorageScopes reporting foundation throughcustomized reporting and system integration based on their business requirements. It gives customersthe views and information they need in formats and forms they define. Once this service is complete,the customers IT team will be able to execute reports more productively, and their end customers willreceive information in a format that matches their requirements. This service offering is a

comprehensive, consultative assessment of SRM reporting requirements and extends the value ofStorageScope by delivering reports based on EMC Technology Solutions best practices. We workwith the customer's staff and end users to identify specific SRM reporting priorities and requirements.EMC automates collection and reporting of key storage management metrics, which helps thecustomer align storage management reporting with business and application drivers. Upon completionof this assessment, EMC Technology Solutions installs and customizes the Crystal Report software andbuilds custom reports to meet the customers business needs.


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y ControlCenter Alerts and Monitoring

Assesses, identifies, and deploys critical alerts from the three alertcategories in an existing ControlCenter (software version 5.1.2 and

later) infrastructure based on the Customers business priorities

ControlCenter Alerts and Monitoring: The EMC ControlCenter Alerts and Monitoring Custom

Implementation service assesses, identifies, and deploys critical alerts from the three alert categories in

an existing ControlCenter (software version 5.1.2 and later) single data center based on the customers

infrastructure and business priorities. Two custom service tier options are available for the customer toselect from:

Tier 1 - Deploys and customizes up to 40 critical ControlCenter Alerts based on the customers

specific ControlCenter data storage environment and critical business/functional priorities. This

service tier provides a ControlCenter Alert foundation created by EMC Technology Solutions (TS)

personnel using EMCs best practices, which customers can leverage to deploy the remaining alerts at

a future date.

Tier 2 - Designs and deploys a customized ControlCenter Alert infrastructure identifying the critical

ControlCenter Alerts based on the customer specific data storage environment and critical

business/functional priorities.


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y ControlCenter Framework Planning, Design and

IntegrationAssesses, identifies, and integrates ControlCenter (software version

5.1.2 and later) alerts and critical traps for Symmetrix, CLARiiON,

Celerra, Centera and SAN switches with the customer's existing 3rd

party framework software

EMC can address customers unique infrastructure and business

priorities integrating their Storage Management infrastructure into

their existing framework

The EMC ControlCenter Framework Planning, Design and Integration custom service assesses,identifies, and integrates ControlCenter (software version 5.1.2 and later) alerts and critical traps forSymmetrix, CLARiiON, Celerra, Centera, and SAN switches with the customer's existing 3rd party

framework software. The customer can select from two custom service tier options:Tier 1 - This service tier is delivered by EMC Technology Solutions personnel, this service is focusedon customers who have an existing 3rd party framework infrastructure in place and operational, andwould like EMC to integrate the Storage Management infrastructure into their framework.

Tier 2 - This service tier is delivered jointly by EMC Technology Solutions (TS) personnel leveragingour partnership with Bearing Point. This option is delivered as a 2 phased approach to frameworkintegration.

In phase one, Bearing Point and EMC perform an in-depth assessment of the customer's frameworkand storage infrastructure. They determine the maturity and capability of the framework environment,provide recommendations for improvement, and establish the architecture to integrate the storagemanagement infrastructure.

In phase two, they perform the integration of the framework with the managed storage infrastructure,along with any process improvements associated with the current operational efficiency of the

framework environment.

Note: EMC assumes responsibility for both ControlCenter and trap customization. Bearing Point

assumes responsibility for the framework tuning and process improvements as defined in phase one.


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VisualSRM

VisualSRM

Design and

Implementation

In this section, we will present questions regarding VisualSRM design. Think of these as questions to

ask a customer who has purchased VisualSRM or is thinking of doing so. Since StorageScope FLR

(File Level Reporter) is identical in design and function to VisualSRM, the issues presented in this

section also pertain to StorageScope FLR.


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VisualSRM Design Considerations

y What Objects are to be managed by VisualSRM?

Check VisualSRM Support Matrix: not all hosts or applications aresupported

y Where will Agents be installed?

Only Windows agents can scan database or mail server resources

Not every OS supported for cluster install

Some customers will not allow agents to be installed on production

hosts

Any database, mail server, or share can be scanned over the

network, but at a performance cost

What objects are to be managed by VisualSRM? Not all hosts, databases, or mail servers are

supported by VisualSRM, so be sure to find out what resources the customer is interested in managing

and check the answer against the VisualSRM Support Matrix.

Where will agents be installed? There are several design considerations related to agent installation.

Scanning of database and mail server resources can currently only be done from a Windows agent,

even though agents exist for UNIX, Linux, and Novell. Agents are currently supported on only one

type of clustered environment: Microsoft Cluster Services 2000. Also, since VisualSRM agents

consume significant CPU resources when scanning filesystems, customers might not allow agents to

run on production hosts.

These issues can often be overcome by scanning the resource remotely. If needed, any database, mail

server, or shared filesystem can be scanned over the network by a remote agent. However, this will

impose a performance cost: the scan will take longer to run, and it will put much more traffic on the

network.


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y What Repository will be used?

Customer must purchase license

most expensive and robust option

Oracle

Customer must purchase licenseMicrosoft SQL Server

Free license

Max. 2 GB data sizetoo small for

production environments

Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE)

IssueRepository Database

If MSDE or SQL Server is used, database can be shared with VisualSAN

What repository will be used? Three possibilities exist: Microsoft Data Engine (MSDE), Microsoft

SQL Server, or Oracle. MSDE is free and can be installed directly from the VisualSRM installer, but

its 2 GB data size limit is too small for production environments. It should be used only when

demonstrating the product. Customers will have to purchase a license for the other two databases, oruse one they already own.

As an added benefit, a SQL Server database can be shared between VisualSRM and VisualSAN, if

both products have been purchased. VisualSAN does not support an Oracle database.


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y How many Objects, what size?

Management System size and Repository depends onTotal number of files and folders scanned (assume 3 million per TB)

Numbers of medium databases and mail servers scanned

2 x 3.0 MHz

2 x 3.0 MHz

CPU

3 GBEvery 2 Days2840200 Mil

3 GBDaily281675 Mil

MemData Coll Freq# Mail# DB# Files

Using Oracle Repository (single host)

2 GB2 x 1.0 MHzDaily28611 Mil

2 GB2 x 1.0 MHzEvery 2 Days28923 Mil

2 x 3.0 MHz

2 x 3.0 MHz

CPU

3 GBEvery 2 Days281136 Mil

3 GBDaily28819 Mil

MemData Coll Freq# Mail# DB# Files

Using SQL Server Repository

EMC VisualSRM Performance and Scalability Guidelines 1.6.2

How many objects, and what size are they? The VisualSRM software must have adequate

performance capabilities to collect data and report on the managed objects. As the number of objects

becomes larger, a more powerful server and database is required. The specifications are determined by

the number of files and folders, the number of medium databases, and the number of medium mailservers to be scanned. It is often impossible to count the files and folders in a large environment, but

you can assume that an average customer environment contains 3 million files and folders per

Terabyte. The size of a medium database or mail server can be found in the VisualSRM Performance

and Scalability Guidelines.

Once you have determined the number of objects, use the tables in the Performance and Scalability

Guidelines to determine the management system capabilities and type of database used. Abbreviated

versions of the tables are shown here. You can see that the maximum supported number of files tops

out at 200 million if using an Oracle database, but only 36 million if using SQL Server. You will also

notice that if the number of objects becomes large for a particular database, data collection must be

done every other day.


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y How much data space available on Repository and

Agents?Repository rough estimate: 1% of the scanned resource size

Agent rough estimate: 2 GB per TB scanned (min 4 GB)

y What off hours are available for scanning?

File scans can consume a lot of CPU power on agent hosts

Some scans can take hours to finishExchange mail server scans

can take an especially long time

How much data space is available on the Repository and agents? The millions of pieces of information

that VisualSRM components scan and store require an extremely large amount of space. While

detailed calculations appear in the Performance and Scalability Guidelines, you can estimate that the

space consumed by the Repository is approximately one percent of the scanned resource size. So if 10Terabytes are being scanned, you can assume that 100 Gigabytes are needed. This estimate includes

the default 30 days of trend collection, and a 20% growth factor.

Agents require some temporary space to process the scans before sending them to the Management

Server. Use a rough estimate of two Gigabytes per Terabyte scanned, with a minimum space of four

Gigabytes.

What off hours are available for scanning? File scans can consume a lot of CPU power on agent hosts,

and can sometimes take a long time to finish. If possible, this should be scheduled during off hours.


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Data Gathering

y VisualSRM Qualifier

Catalogs managed objects for submission to SVCDownload from: http://gig.corp.emc.com

The VisualSRM Qualifier catalogs the filesystems, mail servers, and databases to be managed. It also

prompts for many important questions such as the type of Repository database to be used, scanning

schedules, and other issues we have discussed in this course. Be sure to use it when gathering

information from the customer.


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Best Practices

y Storage Management Best Practices using VisualSRM

Scenarios for Reporting, Chargeback, Thresholds, and IntelligentActions

y Benefits of an Integrated Mid-Tier Storage Management

Offering using VisualSRM and VisualSAN

Using both products in conjunction to manage a SAN environment

Two best practices documents are available. Each gives common scenarios and usage of VisualSRM.


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TS Service Offerings VisualSRM

y VisualSRM Basic/Advanced Storage Assessment

Delivers an examination of the customer's current storage utilizationand makes recommendations for future storage needs

VisualSRM Basic Storage Assessment : The VisualSRM Basic Storage Assessment is a limited-

scope service that performs a high-level and storage-centric assessment of customer storage

environments. This service is targeted towards the Pre-Sales market. This service delivers an

examination of the customer's current storage utilization, and makes recommendations for futurestorage needs.

VisualSRM Advanced Storage Assessment: The VisualSRM Advanced Storage Assessment is a

limited-scope service that offers a competitive assessment of a customer's current storage environment.

This service delivers an examination of the customer's current storage utilization and makes

recommendations for future storage needs. The VisualSRM Advanced Storage Assessment provides

mid-market customers with a very informative storage utilization assessment and a directional path for

future storage allocation needs.


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VisualSAN

VisualSAN

Design and

Implementation

In this section, we will present questions regarding VisualSAN design. Think of these as questions to

ask a customer who has purchased VisualSAN or is thinking of doing so.


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VisualSAN Design Considerations

y Which objects are to be managed by VisualSAN?

Check VisualSAN Support Matrix: not all hosts, switches, orapplications are supported

y How many Switch Ports?

128 switch ports is maximum recommended for performance and

visualization reasons

Can (and frequently is) be exceeded

y What Repository will be used?

Customer must purchase SQL Server if usedCan share database with VisualSRM

Which objects are to be managed by VisualSAN? Once again, make sure you compare the customers

needs against the VisualSAN Support Matrix.

How many switch ports? The recommended limit of the number of managed switch ports is 128. Thetopology display becomes difficult to view, and some performance issues may arise if this limit is

exceeded. However, it is not a hard limit; many customers are successfully using VisualSAN in larger

environments.

What Repository will be used? VisualSAN requires either Microsofts MSDE or SQL Server database.

MSDE is free, but if the customer wants to use SQL Server, they will have to purchase it separately.

The same database can be used for both VisualSAN and VisualSRM to save costs.


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y Which Agents will be used?

None: VisualSAN has minimal switch scanning without using agentsVisualSAN Host Agents: Volume configuration and capacity

VisualSAN Application Agents: Map applications to volumes

VisualSAN SMI Agents: Better HBA discovery and association of

HBAs to hosts

Navisphere Agents: CLARiiON discovery, pathing and LUN masking

Which agents will be used? VisualSAN can monitor with no agents, its own agents, and using EMC

Navisphere agents. Each agent retrieves slightly different information from the environment, so the

most information is available if each type of agent is deployed.


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Best Practices

y Benefits of an Integrated Mid-Tier Storage Management

Offering using VisualSRM and VisualSANUsing both products in conjunction to manage a SAN environment

y Managing the CLARiiON SAN Through its Lifecycle

Using Navisphere and VisualSAN together to manage arrays, SAN,

and applications

These best practice documents give examples of VisualSAN functionality in typical customer

environments. Please take a moment to review them.


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Course Summary

Key points covered in this course:

y The important technical data to be gathered about theuse of SRM solutions

y Gathering technical data for SRM solutions

y Interpreting and comprehending the gathered data

y Best practices for designing and implementing SRM

solutions

These are the key points covered in this training. Please take a moment to review them.

This concludes the training. In order to receive credit for this course, please proceed to the Course

Completion slide to update your transcript and access the Assessment.

Documents

1Storage Resource Management SRM Solutions Design Concepts - IMPACT