Deduplicating data may have a valid


use in reducing the volume of data that needs to move across a WAN link, but it doesn’t make traffic move any faster over the gridlocked arteries of the information highway.


3. Mirrors are Difficult to Test Whether you’re replicating data


across a WAN or mirroring it over a LAN, another challenge inherent in these data protection schemes are the impediments they present to ad hoc testing. Testing is the long-tail cost of disaster recovery planning, so administrators should be looking to reduce the workload in annual testing events by enabling ad hoc testing of data protection schemes throughout the year. If you’re seeking to verify that


failover is possible in a mirrored configuration, you need to “break” the mirroring process and check the contents of the primary and backup data stores. In a LAN, this is usually a painful process requiring that (1) the production application process be stopped or temporarily be redirected; (2) that all cached data be written to continuity volume (the disk being replicated); (3) that this data be fully replicated to the remote disk; and (4) the mirroring process itself be stopped. A (5) comparison is then performed between the contents of the primary site and the recovery site volumes to determine the differences between them. All the while, (6a) new data from the application (if it hasn’t been stopped) must be buffered, and (6b) when the mirror connection is re-established, the (7) data stores must be resynchronized. The difficulty associated with this


process helps to account for why it’s rarely performed. And an untested mirror is a career-limiting recovery problem waiting to happen.


4. Balance Your Costs As a practical matter, mirroring


and WAN replication are expensive. Array vendors seem to have conspired to create lock-ins around their gear by limiting the possible mirroring relationship to only two (or three) identical arrays, all bearing the same logo. In heterogeneous storage infrastructures, this introduces complexities in everything from


addressing and cabling “matched pairs” of rigs, to monitoring and managing infrastructure and data placement change over time. It also increases the cost of data


protection. For example, embedding proprietary deduplication and replication software on one popular virtual tape appliance has already produced an acquisition price of $410,000 for 32 TB of 1 TB SATA disk drives worth approximately $4,000. To replicate this appliance, a second copy of the identical system is required. Add in the cost of the WAN link, and the need for a permanent and fixed recovery facility to host the target system, and to paraphrase the late Sen. Everett Dirksen, “Pretty soon, you’re talking real money.” This illustrates another practical


reason why mirroring and WAN-based replication isn’t the be all and end all of data protection: high cost. To achieve data protection efficiency, cost needs to be in acceptable proportion to the measure of protection provided and the criticality of the data itself. Senior management, which holds the purse strings, needs to see this proportion and balance it clearly, or funding may be denied.


5. Get Defensive Truth be told, contemporary


data protection guidelines require defense in-depth. Data must be protected against corruption or loss due to application/user errors and malware/virus attacks. Then, like concentric circles, defense is required


against a machine failure (Google “Commonwealth of Virginia storage array failure in 2011”) and against facility outages or disruptions. These three layers of data defense


may be provided by three distinctly different technologies, all of which must be manageable and ideally avail them of ad hoc testing throughout the year. This goal can only be reasonably achieved by moving data protection services off hardware and into a common storage virtualization layer. Virtualizing your storage infrastructure enables you to create layers of data replication and mirroring without the impediments and obstacles of hardware vendor lock-ins, reducing cost and increasing manageability. A good storage virtualization engine will also enable the selective assignment of data protection services to application data based on the requirements and criticality of that data and the business process it serves. Whichever “storage hypervisor” you


select, you should ensure that it would also enable you to integrate tape into your overall solution. Remember the old Sony advertisement: “There are two kinds of disk: those that have failed and those that are going to.” Integration and management of multiple protection technologies is the key to improving data protection efficiency.


Protect Your Data and Prepare


for Future Growth We have the expertise to design and implement a backup and recovery plan that is optimized for your organization. We take a consultative approach to understand your environment before implementing a solution. Innovations in backup technologies are driving changes in how backups are being managed, and we can help you evolve with technology and get the most out of your infrastructure.


Backup and Recovery Services Highlights: • Execute software implementation • Modify hardware as needed • Plan and complete a successful backup and recovery • Skills transfer and training


Call your Account Manager today for more information about our Backup and Recovery Services. 1.800.800.0014 www.pcconnection.com/backupservices


CONNECTION/BUSINESS IT 2012.Q3 25


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36