THIS MONTH'S FEATURE
iStor Tackled Internal Network Optimization Challenge
by Implementing Its New iSCSI Storage Array
In the fast changing world of high technology, businesses are under constant pressure to develop leading-edge products faster than the competition. To succeed, it is crucial that a company's network infrastructure be optimized on numerous levels. These include fast performance which facilitates data sharing and collaboration, sufficient connectivity to data storage in order to facilitate simple and cost-effective capacity expansion, and a robust backup solution for protecting information assets. From a bottom line perspective, it is equally important for an infrastructure to minimize IT administration and support times, especially in smaller companies where IT staff is limited.
iStor Network was presented with the ideal opportunity to test its own data storage technologies in a real-world environment. The company's existing infrastructure was based on legacy direct-attached storage (DAS) systems that were several years old. Additionally, the company's 36 servers (16 Windows®-based and 20 Linux/Unix-based) were located in two different buildings. Building A houses the majority of the company's 60 employees, the engineering department, and 28 servers dedicated to corporate applications such as file sharing, Microsoft® Exchange e-mail, intranet web, and the Linux-based engineering applications. Building B houses the remaining employees and eight additional servers. The performance of the DAS systems was beginning to suffer as they neared capacity, resulting in slower response times and slower backups. Additionally, users were limited in their ability to utilize storage resources since data on the individual servers could not be accessed by other systems or by remote users. From an administration standpoint, the company's sole IT manager had to manage local storage on multiple servers and was unable to allocate time to other important projects.
The Solution: IP SAN Deployment
To meet its challenges, iStor Networks implemented two of its GigaStor ATX iS325 storage arrays in an IP SAN (storage area network) topology. Each GigaStor featured enterprise-class Serial ATA (SATA) disks and eight dedicated 1GbE ports. An IP SAN was the ideal solution for cost-effectively consolidating and upgrading the company's numerous legacy DAS systems. By utilizing iSCSI technology to transport block-level data over IP networks, the company could leverage its existing network infrastructure while still benefiting from increased performance levels, capacity and expandability. Additionally, iStor's 60 employees could now utilize more storage resources by accessing the installed base of DAS via multiple systems. Without the limitations imposed by DAS, data could be shared by seven servers using private direct gigabit network connections to the GigaStor arrays. IT management and administration costs were another decisive factor in deploying iSCSI technology. Since an IP SAN leverages ubiquitous mainstream technologies (Ethernet & SCSI) that are already supported and understood, iStor's IT manager did not have to manage a separate network or receive specialized training, as is the case with a Fibre Channel SAN.
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