Application Note
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Controllers in Multiple-Bus failover mode monitor each other and automatically failover storage units
from the failed member of a controller pair. The Secure Path software detects the failure of I/O
operations to complete on a failed path and automatically re-routes all traffic to the surviving path.
Controller and path failover is completed seamlessly, without process disruption or data loss.
The Secure Path management utility provides continuous monitoring capability and identifies failed
paths and failed-over storage units. To facilitate static load balancing, storage units can be moved
between paths using simple “drag-and-drop” operations.
The integration of Secure Path, Windows NT Clustering, and StorageWorks RAID Array Fibre
Channel technology provides the maximum level of fault-tolerance, data availability, and
performance required for mission-critical environments.
Enterprise Backup Solutions
The Enterprise Backup Solution for Legato NetWorker is an integration of industry-standard
application software and hardware that provides a complete enterprise class tape solution. The
implementation combines tape and disk storage on a single SAN providing backup capabilities for up
to 7 Windows NT Intel or Tru64 UNIX servers and 2 disk storage systems using a single shared tape
library. The Legato NetWorker and SmartMedia software applications manage the backup operations
for the solution
.
Future releases will support increased capabilities.
SAN Concepts
A Storage Area Network interconnects multiple shared storage environments and servers into a
storage network. All storage can be managed from a single location or from multiple locations. All of
the storage becomes available to any server, regardless of physical location.
SAN Management
SAN management tools and product features provided with the RA8000/ESA12000 storage systems
include the following:
•
SAN Storage and Switch Management
SWCC – Utilized to manage and monitor storage systems, storagesets, and SAN fibre
channel switches including configuration, status inquiry and notification facilities.
•
SAN Enterprise Backup Management
Legato NetWorker and SmartMedia software manages and automates the backup-and-restore
process using Compaq servers, disk arrays, tape libraries and FC interconnect hardware.
•
SAN Access Management
Switch Fabric Zoning – The FC switch Zoning feature provides a means to control SAN
access at the node port level. Zoning can be used to separate one physical Fabric into many
virtual Fabrics consisting of selected server and storage ports. This capability allows you to
setup barriers between different operating environments, to deploy logical Fabric subsets by
creating defined server and/or storage groups, or to create temporary server and storage zones
for tape backup. Zones may be configured dynamically and the number of zones and zone
membership are effectively unlimited. Nodes can be in multiple zones to allow for
overlapping depending on the desired access control. Use of Zoning is supported in both
homogeneous Windows NT SAN configurations and heterogeneous mixed platform SAN
configurations.
Selective Storage Presentation (SSP) – The RAID Array SSP feature provides a means to
control access at the storageset level. SSP is an exclusive RA8000/ESA12000 storage system
feature that allows multiple servers or host bus adapters (HBA) to share access to the same
RAID array reliably, with each server or HBA's storagesets (LUNs) presented exclusively to
