Storage Software

  • Scripting external elements with Site Recovery Manager

    VMware's SRM (Site Recovery Manager), which was announced this week, can accommodate a number of critical elements that are external to VMware system stuff that should be part of a system recovery at a remote site. This is another video made at our BOF last September at VMworld in San Francisco.

    This one features Kiran Ranabhor, Technical Product Manager for DR, VMware.

    <a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-SiteRecoveryManagerScripting411.flv"><img src="http://e.static.blip.tv/Marcfarley-SiteRecoveryManagerScripting751.jpg" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-SiteRecoveryManagerScripting411.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 02:14

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  • Eric Schott on VMware access mode support in SRM

    This is a video shot last September at VMworld in San Francisco.  We had a birds of feather session with Eric Schott (Director of Product Management, EqualLogic) and Kiran Ranabhor (Technical Product Manager for DR, VMware) and the question was asked what kinds of storage provisioning (or access modes) would be supported with SRM.

    The answer is that in the initial release of SRM, the access method supported is VMFS.  Raw device maps and running iSCSI software initiators in the virtual system would not be supported initially for SRM.  I suppose that's possible it could have changed since September, but I doubt it.   

    FWIW, here's a link to a bonus video of Dell EqualLogic's Will Urban at VMworld Europe talking about SRM too.     

    <a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-StorageAccessModesForVMwaresSRM606.flv"><img src="http://e.static.blip.tv/Marcfarley-StorageAccessModesForVMwaresSRM632.jpg" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-StorageAccessModesForVMwaresSRM606.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 02:36

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  • What Chuck Hollis said, but shorter

     

    I appreciate the effort that Chuck Hollis puts into his writing. But if you are like me and have either a short attention span, or way too much to do today, I thought I'd give you the Farley-Digest of his SRM announcement blog today.

    I like everything about VMware and SRM is exciting

    Remote replication lets you run your stuff somewhere else, if that ever becomes necessary.  It used to cost a lot, but its been getting cheaper and SRM makes it even cheaper still. You might want to try it.

    Remote recovery traditionally has a lot of capital and operating costs.  SRM can really reduce the capital costs because you don't need identical sets of equipment at the remote site.

    The operating costs of data transfers are thorny and there's a lot of ways to skin a cat. VMware didn't re-invent any wheels here, but works with a lot of the stuff that already exists.

    Unlike Oracle.

    Remote recovery has always been a big pain in the rear and people rarely give it the attention they deserve because it disrupts their operations. SRM should make it all a lot less disruptive, including less disruptive to ongoing operations - and that's eagle claws.

    Repeat of the pain in the rear statement above regarding DR testing.  Its far simpler now.

    EMC thinks SRM is a big deal and has been integrating it with some of their products, such as DMX, Celerra, CLARiiON, RecoverPoint.

    Not all vendors have done this sort of work.

    EMC has done testing work and developed professional services for SRM. 

    EMC has been "solutioneering" to figure out SRM with important applications.

    Start lining up to spend money on SRM.

  • Pointy headed blogger bites the hands the fed him

    We really crushed it last year @ EqualLogic and won some awards. Fearless leader Don Bulens  was the CEO of  the year.  Love and kisses, Don. 

    <a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-PointHeadBraggingAboutHowWeCrushedIt669.flv"><img src="http://e.static.blip.tv/Marcfarley-PointHeadBraggingAboutHowWeCrushedIt455.jpg" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-PointHeadBraggingAboutHowWeCrushedIt669.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 01:50

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  • Dark side of the Sun

    A few days ago, Sun announced that they were going to turn their ZFS file system and other storage software into an open source initiative.  Chuck Hollis and I both posted in our respective blogs about it, as well as taking the discussion up on The Future of Storage.

    The concern we share is whether or not the support for ZFS will get you through a "bad storage day"  

    That was all before their Sun's earnings announcement yesterday. Now I'm more inclined to wonder if there is a plan there at all or if it is just hoping for the best. Zilla-man piled on too.  Nonetheless, I'm putting him in the penalty box for sportsmanlike conduct for holding his tongue previously.

    <a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-DarkSideOfTheSun210.flv"><img src="http://e.static.blip.tv/Marcfarley-DarkSideOfTheSun868.jpg" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-DarkSideOfTheSun210.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 02:36

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  • Online demos of stuff you need

    Posted earlier today on Storage @ Work

    There's a few excellent live online events in the next couple days you might want to check out.

    April 30 (Today) 12:30 PM Eastern: De-dupe for Dell EqualLogic iSCSI arrays - featuring Exagrid's new iSCSI De-dupe gateway product.

    April 30 (Today) 1:00 PM Eastern: VMware's Site Recovery Manager and Dell EqualLogic storage. I know a lot of people are going to be interested in this one - integrating intelligence into the recovery side of VMware DR!

    May 1st 3:00 PM Eastern: Dell EqualLogic iSCSI SAN array live demonstration

    May 2nd 10:00 AM Central European Time: In German: Live Dell EqualLogic PS Series array product demonstration

    May 2nd 1:00 PM Eastern: VI3 (VMware Infrastructure 3) and Dell EqualLogic demonstration. Our online events calendar

  • Is Sun giving up or changing the game?

    Sun, the perennial also ran in the storage business is making a very bold move.  If they succeed, it could change the storage industry forever.  If they don't, it will just be "same old Sun".EqualLogic already did something similar with its priceless (free) software business model.

    Sun's gambit, of course, is different. I imagine that Sun will attempt to support its revenue-less software.  That could work, or....

    A teaser quote-cap:

    Sun has this litigation going with Netapp right now and that does involve open sourcing software......All of a sudden that litigation is becoming a lot more interesting for the whole industry because what Sun is doing here could have an impact on everybody else in the industry and now everybody else has to pay a lot closer attention to it. 

    <a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-SunsOpenStorageAnnouncement508.flv"><img src="http://e.static.blip.tv/Marcfarley-SunsOpenStorageAnnouncement337.jpg" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-SunsOpenStorageAnnouncement508.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 04:04

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  • the iSCSI downlow on crash consistent Exchange snaps

    I'm stoked.  Yesterday Dell EqualLogic announced Exchange integration with the Auto Snapshot Manager for PS series iSCSI SAN arrays. The Smart Copy for Exchange functionality joins the Smart Copy for SQL Server functionality that we already have in the product. 

    Smart Copy is crash-consistent, application-aware data protection. A quick explanation of how it works is in Darren Miller's discussion of VDS/VSS integration in this blog post from a couple weeks ago.  Exchange admins are going to like this for the flexibility and time savings it has. Smart copy for Exchange is a storage software power tool that will make backups, recoveries, remote replication, backup validation and volume cloning much easier.

    Of course, one of the best things about it is that it will be available to our customers as a free download as part of a new release of our Host Integration Toolkit (we call it the hit kit), to be released in May. If this isn't the best deal in storage software I don't know what is. Customers get incredible software without having to make an additional purchase and the technical support behind it is excellent.

    Also yesterday, Lucid8 announced a new Outlook snap-in that allows end users to restore deleted mailbox and item data that resides on PS Series snapshots - without having to bug admins for help.  How cool is that?  Years ago when I worked at Palindrome we developed end user restores of files from data stored in tape libraries. This is much more useful because email discovery is becoming such a common occurrence. Things just keep coming together.

  • Nice unsolicited post by a customer: VMware, SQL

     Here's a quote from a new blog post by minuk talking his success with Dell Equallogic iSCSI SAN arrays.

    There’s a lot of things we use that I think we didn’t need — but the SAN is worth its weight in gold. The fact that the entirety of our SQL, network files and development data sits on a fully redundant RAID 10 array allows me to sleep a little more soundly at night.

    Thanks for the kind words and enjoy the Server Room

  • Visit the Server Room and Give Blood

    This post also appears here on the Storage@Work blog. 

    The Server Room has to be one of the best forums I've seen.  So if Dell EqualLogic people go there, lets make sure we don't trash it. Put the Name Dell in your sign on to avoid being poachers and don't pimp our stuff.  It's fine to talk about experiences and what we know and all that, but its a tech forum not a drop box for hype - perbole.

    And the rest of you too.  Do your thing and back up your blood type. Somebody might need it for the ultimate restore. 

    <a href="http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-VisitTheServerRoomAndGiveBlood178.flv"><img src="http://e.static.blip.tv/Marcfarley-VisitTheServerRoomAndGiveBlood574.jpg" border = "0" width="300" height="225"></a><br /><a href = "http://blip.tv/file/get/Marcfarley-VisitTheServerRoomAndGiveBlood178.flv">View Video</a><br />Format: flv<br />Duration: 02:45

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