Storage Subsystem/Device Evaluation


Benchmarks, Current Activity, Definitions, Devices, General, Introduction, Newsletters, Research, Subsystems


GENERAL

This project will develop incrementally a set of tools that will support on-line and off-line storage subsystems and device evaluations in which various attributes will be graded, e.g., errors, operability, performance, reliability and availability. Successive evaluations will be tracked over time allowing further analysis and forecasting.

A subset of the tools developed will focus on the supported subsystems and devices while the remainder will focus on how storage interacts with specific applications, thereby measuring the interaction between storage and the computing environment. The project will de-emphasize where possible tuning for specific subsystems and/or devices.


INTRODUCTION

This project will develop a tool that will perform measurements on storage subsystems and/or devices, incorporate historical data, and formulate related evaluations. Software agents will apply the tool when directed and feasible minimizing impacts upon ongoing operations.

This project will initially be focused upon developing a:

and

A primary goal is to enhance the competitive position of Linux in the storage marketplace by providing a tool that will support basic evaluations of storage subsystems and devices.


SUBSYSTEMS

Storage subsystems can be locally attached, e.g., a disk array, or network attached, e.g., NAS or SAN.


DEVICES

These targets are initially restricted to single-host, locally attached devices.


CURRENT ACTIVITY

This project is currently building an inital set of design/development documents. Prototypes will be added when available.

Accumulated tools will be added when available.

Links to related web sites will be added.


DEFINITIONS

Evaluation

Webster

evaluate

1. to find the value or amount of

2.to judge or determine the worth or quality of; appraise

Cambridge to judge the quality, importance, amount or value of (something)
WordNet 1.7 measure, valuate, assess, appraise, value

NAS - Network Attached Storage

whatis.techtarget.com

"Network-attached storage (NAS) is hard disk storage that is set up with its own network address rather than being attached to the department computer that is serving applications to a network's workstation users. By removing storage access and its management from the department server, both application programming and files can be served faster because they are not competing for the same processor resources.

The network-attached storage device is attached to a local area network (typically, an Ethernet network) and assigned an IP address. File requests are mapped by the main server to the NAS file server."

Lycos "A network-attached storage (NAS) device is a server that is dedicated to nothing more than file sharing. NAS does not provide any of the activities that a server in a server-centric system typically provides, such as e-mail, authentication or file management. NAS allows more hard disk storage space to be added to a network that already utilizes servers without shutting them down for maintenance and upgrades. With a NAS device, storage is not an integral part of the server. Instead, in this storage-centric design, the server still handles all of the processing of data but a NAS device delivers the data to the user. A NAS device does not need to be located within the server but can exist anywhere in a LAN and can be made up of multiple networked NAS devices."

SAN - Storage Area Network
whatis.techtarget.com "A storage area network (SAN) is a high-speed special-purpose network (or subnetwork) that interconnects different kinds of data storage devices with associated data servers on behalf of a larger network of users. Typically, a storage area network is part of the overall network of computing resources for an enterprise."
Lycos "Storage Area Network (SAN) is a high-speed subnetwork of shared storage devices. A storage device is a machine that contains nothing but a disk or disks for storing data. A SAN's architecture works in a way that makes all storage devices available to all servers on a LAN or WAN. As more storage devices are added to a SAN, they too will be accessible from any server in the larger network. In this case, the server merely acts as a pathway between the end user and the stored data. Because stored data does not reside directly on any of a network's servers, server power is utilized for business applications, and network capacity is released to the end user."

Storage Virtualization
Aberdeen Group "Storage Virtualization: It Pays to Be Informed"
infoworld.com "Storage virtualization," Dan Neel and Mark Jones, October 12, 2001
datacore.com "Storage Virtualization: Its Changing Definition"
crossroads.com "The Case for Storage Virtualization Using Intelligent Routers"
Fibre Channel Industry Association "Storage Virtualization"


Tools


NEWSLETTERS

Enterprise
NWFusion Storage in the Enterprise
storageadmin.com Independent technical data storage information for IT professionals


RESEARCH

Technology
Lawrence Livermore Lab Network-attached peripherals (NAP) for HPSS/SIOF
Almaden Research Center Storage Systems and Technology
MEMS-Based Storage New storage technology
Storage Research Group High Performance Research Systems
Computerworld Storage Research Links
Oak Ridge High performance Storage Systems