NetApp - Storage Nuts & Bolts

SnapDrive for Windows 6.1 Update

I've talked about Snapdrive at least once the past 2 years, here , but for those not familiar with it,  I will provide a high level overview.

SnapDrive (aka SDW) is part of NetApp's Server Suite Software that simplifies provisioning and increases availability, reliability of application data by tightly integrating with our SnapManager solutions part of Application Manageability SW Suite. 

• SDW Key Features
  • Simplified provisioning and robust Snapshot™ management
  • On-the-fly LUN creation
  • File system consistent Snapshot copies
  • Instantaneous Backups 
  • Rapid restores
• Increased Storage Utilization and Efficiency
  • Dynamic LUN Expansion
  • Dynamic LUN Shrink with Windows Server 2008 (New)
  • Immediate creation of space efficient clones of application data
  • NTFS Block Space Reclamation for Physical and Virtual environments

As it is typical with any software product out there, with every release there are bug fixes and new functionality. The 6.1 release follows that rule as well. So what's new?

• Server Virtualization
  • Support for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V
    • Parent OS (Server Core, Full Install, Hyper-V Server)
  • VMware GuestOS
    • Allow creation of RDM LUN when OS vmdk resides in NFS Datastore
      • Drop down window lists Target VMFS Datastore(s) for Mapping file
• Infrastructure
  • IPv6 support
    • iSCSI over IPv6
    • HTTP/HTTPS over IPv6
    • SMTP notification over IPv6
  • FCoE support
• Security
  • Storage Access Control
• Storage Efficiency
  • Space Reclamation of Thin Provisioned volumes
  • Online shrink of NTFS and LUN

Hype-V Support Specifics

• LUN provisioning and Snapshot management
• Support for Windows Failover Clustering
• Support for Hyper-V quick Migration
• VSS auto-recovery
  • Backup and Restore
• Enables 3rd party VSS Requestors for Backup and Restore
• Integrates with NetApp's HyperVIBE solution
• MMC Changes
  • Displays details about Hyper-V VMs
  • Displays details about Physical Host

Storage Access Control

Without a doubt, one the areas that SDW needed to improve was Access Control. With previous releases, each volume, qtree, lun was available for SDW operations.

With the 6.1 release, this has been addressed, and now the functions of the Storage Admin can be separated from the functions of the Server admin for delegated environments. 

The new release uses an array base XML file to store access control information. Access control is applied at 3 levels, Volume, Qtree, LUN and there are 3 Access Control Types: Read, Write, and Delete.  

For every SnapDrive® operation, an Access Check is performed by reading the content of this file. Access Check verifies whether a SnapDrive user can perform an operation on a given storage system resource. This file is under the control of Storage Administrator.

Any attempt to create a LUN, a Snapshot, or restore without proper authorization  will fail and will be logged.

 

 

 

 

LUN Grow-Shrink

With this release we've combined the LUN Grow capability previously available with SnapDrive, with the new LUN Shrink operation now available with Windows Server 2008,  using a Single interface. Just drag the Slide Bar to either direction depending on what you want to accomplish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usability Improvements

• Select a Snapshot, click it, View the LUN(s) , and mount whichever one you'd like onto the host by selecting the "Connect Disk" option. There's no need to type the LUN Path.
• Add Volume Labels so LUNs can be identified in Disk Management and Explorer

• SnapDrive will now Auto-Populate all Microsoft Clustered Nodes

In summary, the new SDW release, enables backup and restore of Hyper-V VMs, improves upon existing VMware capabilities, addresses Storage Efficiencies by providing NTFS block reclamation for Thin Provisioned volume and LUN shrink, in Virtual and Physical environments. Additionally, it adds IPv6 support, introduces FCoE support and Storage Access Control. SDW 6.1 is scheduled to post on the NOW site within the few days.

Technorati Tags: SnapDrive,NetApp

Is the Future of Fibre Channel, Ethernet (FCoE)?

A title like this one four years ago would have been joked at. However, today, given the industry buzz, hype, and genuine excitement that FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) has generated, it seems as a very reasonable assumption and one that will, most likely, come to fruition given the support FCoE has garnered support from pretty much everyone in the industry.

What is FCoE?   

Fibre Channel over Ethernet or FCoE, is a new protocol (rather transport) undergoing standardization at the T11 committee. FCoE  transports Fibre Channel frames over Ethernet by encapsulating FC frames. Although the standard is not expected to be ratified until the end of 2008, the expectation is that no spec changes will occur between now and the then.