SNIA Europe Tutorials

STORAGE MANAGEMENT

Introduction to Storage Management
This session will discuss managing the storage infrastructure. It will describe the basic of storage management, describe how SMI-S helps with managing diverse storage networks, and provides approaches that can be undertaken to get answers to many storage questions.   This presentation will explain ways to get started, where you can get some help, and outlines goals and objectives that can assist you in obtaining sponsorship from your storage management project.

High Availability Fault Tolerance in the SAN
This session will appeal to those seeking a fundamental understanding of the role fault tolerance plays in High Availability (HA) configurations. Modern SANs have developed numerous methods using hardware and software fault tolerance to assure high availability of storage to customers. The session will explore basic concepts of HA, move through a sample configuration from end-to-end, and discuss some of the challenges faced in testing HA configurations.

Help!  My User Base Eats Storage for Lunch!  How Does a Storage Manager Show Cost Transparency?
In today’s data center storage is the fastest growing component, this as storage managers are faced with the daunting task of reducing cost while keeping up with service levels.  The DBAs insist their applications need to have the high end storage devices because their application is the most important to the success of the business.  While the accountant down the hall has saved no less than 10 copies of last month’s ledgers because he/she wants to make sure they don’t lose it.   How does a storage manager manage its user base?  By making the financial costs of storage transparent to the user population.  This presentation is designed to help you get started on creating TCO for your storage systems as well as tips on how to communicate the storage costs to your user base.

SRM:  Can You Get What You Want?
Storage resource management tools are now maturing and becoming more of a “must have” capability. However, a broad range of products, each with many different options now confront the potential buyer. Therefore, using the Request for Information (RFI) and Request for Proposal (RFP) processes to differentiate the vendors and their offerings is highly recommended. This tutorial starts with some RFP basics, then moves to a discussion of the important things to look for in storage management applications. It will also include an elucidation of the various standards at play including SMI-S.

VIRTUALIZATION

Storage Virtualization - Effective Use of Virtualization
This Storage Virtualization tutorial covers practical issues of block virtualization in order to make most effective use of it. Among other topics it describes the implementation step by step and aspects of availability, performance and capacity improvements. The material discusses the role of storage virtualization within policy-based management and describes its integration in the SNIA Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S).

Best Practice in Managing Virtualized Environments.
Today the data center environments are getting increasingly complex with virtualization at all layers of IT stack, including network, server, SAN and storage.  IT professionals are often challenged in diagnosing application performance issues, optimizing infrastructure resource utilization, and planning for future changes.  The best practices for managing complex data center environments include cross domain management orientation, watch the infrastructure response time for performance and capacity management, look for application contention and contention-based latency in the storage layer, best fit analysis of workloads to storage resources, and work toward infrastructure performance SLAs.  The key requirements for the new-breed management software include agent-less discovery and SMI-S support.

Storage Considerations for Virtual Servers
Server virtualization has transformed the data center. There are many new developments and considerations in storage to optimize processes and utilization of virtualized server environments. Learn about the major considerations for storage deployments today and tomorrow.

DATA PROTECTION

Introduction to Data Protection:  Backup to Tape, Disk and Beyond.
Extending the enterprise backup paradigm with disk-based technologies allow users to significantly shrink or eliminate the backup time window.  This tutorial focuses on various methodologies that can deliver an efficient and cost effective disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) solution.  This includes approaches to storage pooling inside of modern backup applications, using disk and file systems within these pools, as well as how and when to utilize deduplication and virtual tape libraries (VTL) within these infrastructures.

Trends in Data Protection and Restoration Technologies.
Many disk technologies both old and new are being used to augment tried and true backup and data protection methodologies to deliver better information and application restoration performance.  These technologies work in parallel with the existing backup paradigm.  This session will discuss many of these technologies in detail. Important considerations of data protection include performance, scale, regulatory compliance, recovery objectives and cost. Technologies include contemporary backup, disk based backups, snapshots, continuous data protection and capacity optimized storage.   Detail of these technologies interoperate will be provided as well as best practices recommendations for deployment in today's heterogeneous data centers.

Understanding Data Deduplication
Data deduplication is a space saving technology that is being used to dramatically improve storage efficiency in the datacenter.  This technical session will address the question of what data deduplication is, how it is performed, and the architectural choices available today. The topics covered include source and target deduplication, inline and post-processing, fixed length and variable length segmentation, as well as the availability and integrity of deduplicated data, and the complementary use of replication and removable media.  It will also explore the factors affecting space reduction ratios relative to specific deduplication techniques.

A Crash Course in Wide Area Data Replication
Replicating data over a WAN sounds pretty straight-forward, but it turns out that there are literally dozens of different approaches, each with its own pros and cons.  Which approach is the best?  Well, that depends on a wide variety of factors! This tutorial is a fast-paced crash course in the various ways in which data can be replicated and the pros and cons of each major approach.  We trace the data path from applications to disk drives and examine all of the points along the way wherein replication logic can be inserted.  We look at host based replication (application, database, file system, volume level, and hybrids), SAN replication (disk arrays, virtualization appliances, caching appliances, and storage switches), and backup system replication (block level incremental backup, CDP, and de-duplication).

NETWORKING
Fibre Channel Technologies:  Current and Future
The objectives of this tutorial are: to provide the user with a Primer on Fibre Channel  standards and technologies; project the market outlook and roadmap of Fibre Channel and share what is new in Fibre Channel standards for protocols APIs, and management.

Fibre Channel Over Ethernet (FCoE)
FCoE is a concept that encapsulates Fibre Channel frames into Ethernet Frames and amalgamates these technologies into a network fabric that can support Fibre Channel protocols and other Ethernet based protocols (such as TCP/IP, UDP/IP etc.).   The presentation will show the general FCoE concept and describe how it might be exploited in a Data Center environment and its position with regards to FC and iSCSI.  The requirements on the Ethernet Fabric for support of FC protocols will also be shown.   The benefits of converged I/O (storage messaging, clustering, etc.) to the Data Center will be discussed.  The state of the FCoE protocol (Standards position, probable adoption projections, etc.) will also be presented.

Ethernet Storage: Standards, Deployments and Futures
This presentation delivers an overview of Ethernet-based storage networking technologies and solutions. It examines the relevant storage protocols, features and benefits of storage systems using those protocols, and where they are deployed in a typical IT environment today. The presentation goes on to examine the latest developments in Ethernet standards, and storage protocols, including Data Center Bridging, FCoE and pNFS, and how they may change the storage landscape over the next few years.

Ethernet Enhancements for Storage:  Deploying FCoE
A key challenge that the network and storage industries are now facing is the abundance of new high speed interconnect protocols proposed for future data center applications. What customers really want is to reduce the number of disparate networks and minimize the complexity surrounding the management of their data centers. In this presentation we take a peek into what the future may hold for high speed fabrics and investigate the potential for their unification. We will provide a market and technical overview of the competitive landscape for next generation 10GbE technologies with particular focus on the operational characteristics and implementation aspects of Ethernet.  The audience will learn how hardware, software, standards and innovations driving the vision of a unified fabric utilizing 10GE for the data center of the future. Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is a key technology that allows IT managers to transport Fibre Channel (Storage) traffic over a standard 10GbE network. There are tremendous benefits for implementing FCoE in terms of reducing cost and power of deployed networks. The session will provide an end-to-end view of implementing FCoE and evaluate its benefits from a host and switch perspective.

Server and Storage Consolidation with IP Storage
This presentation, a major update to a popular SNIA Tutorial, outlines the benefits of networked storage, contrasting the different options. It then goes into detail on iSCSI-based SAN configurations, capabilities and options. It goes on to examines how the technology is deployed as a consolidation solution alone, and in conjunction with server consolidation and virtual server environments - examining typical configurations and best practices. It then illustrates via customer case studies how these capabilities deliver benefits to IT organizations.

pNFS, Parallel Storage for Grid and Enterprise Computing
This session will appeal to data center managers, cluster/grid/compute server administrators, and those that are seeking a fundamental understanding pNFS. This session will cover the four key reasons to start working with NFSv4 today.  Explain why pNFS is a great parallel storage option for grids and enterprise computing, unlocking hidden potential in clustered storage.  We'll conclude the session with an overview of the storage layouts for parallel NFS; NFSv4.1 Files, Blocks and T10 OSD Objects.

Panel Discussion:  pNFS - Parallel Storage for Grid and Enterprise Computing
This is a complimentary panel to the presentation on pNFS, Parallel Storage for Grid and Enterprise Computing.  In this panel you'll have an opportunity to ask detailed questions about technology.

SECURITY

Information Risk Management – Storage Security Best Practices
With data breaches making headlines and new and growing threats coming from disgruntled insiders, viruses, corporate espionage, cyber-terrorism, and information warfare, there is a heightened concern over information assurance. Today, largely invisible enemies launch daily attacks on computer systems worldwide, and rapidly adapt their tactics to address countermeasures.  As the threat model evolves, traditional “perimeter" security measures are no longer adequate to protect sensitive information. It's time for enterprises to consider a number of time-tested principles to prepare for such electronic warfare. This session will present the newest techniques that help address evolving computer security threats. Attendees will learn: How to apply time-tested techniques to address evolving computer security threats, including multi-level security, compartmentalization, need-to-know, cryptography, layered defence, concentration of data flow, role separation, two-factor authentication, key rotation etc. How to evaluate security infrastructures to identify the most appropriate protection measures How to deploy a security model that ensures that mission-critical data is backed up, replicated, and accessible, and enables organizations to completely retrieve data after such unplanned events as system failures, operational outages, and cyber threats. A list of common vulnerabilities and the newest attack techniques along with recommendations on addressing these issues to effectively protect sensitive information.

SNIA Storage Security Best Practices
With the increasing importance and emphasis on security in mind, the SNIA had developed and published a set of storage security best current practices (BCPs). This vendor neutral guidance has a broad scope, covering both storage systems and entire storage ecosystems. Specific elements include, but are not limited to, storage management, protocols, compliance, encryption, key management, and long-term archive.   As with many aspects of security, a balance must be struck between mitigating risks and minimizing the impacts, which may take the form of cost, complexity, throughput, availability, scalability, etc. Each organization must make its own trade-off decisions based on its unique situation (e.g., deployed infrastructure, legal and regulatory requirements, and due care expectations) and the importance of its data. This session provides an introduction to the BCPs as well as information that that will help organizations exploit the BCPs in their environments.

Self-Encrypting Drives
Self-encrypting storage (e.g. hard drives) integrates the AES encryption hardware and strong access control directly into the drive electronics and thus avoids many of the vulnerabilities of software-based solutions, providing protection against computer loss or theft and facilitating computer re-purposing and end-of-life. By deleting the cryptographic key under strong administrative access control, the drive can be instantly "sanitized."

Storage Security in Light of PCI DSS Compliance and EU Privacy Directive
Both the Payment Card Industry - Data Security Standard and EU Privacy Directive have implications for storage planning, deployment, and administration worldwide. This session highlights the current best practices for storage security and their applications with regard to being in compliance with PCI-DSS and ePrivacy. In particular, the session will focus on sections of the standard and directive that should be considered in deploying technologies like encryption and key management. In this session attendees will learn: * What implications are there for storage in the PCI-DSS standard * What implications are there for storage in the EU Privacy Directive and the ePrivacy sections *What best practices are there for storage security which related to the standard and directive *What encryption and key management implications are there from the standard and directive *What information is there available from storage management and instrumentation to prepare for a PCI-DSS audit.

Securing the Cloud – Using storage services without risking corporate data security.
Abstract to follow.

SOLID STATE STORAGE

Overview and Current Topics in Solid State Storage.
This tutorial provides introductory material and discussion of solid state storage. A comprehensive overview of the technology, from components to devices to systems is provided, along with an overview of several current topics surrounding the integration, deployment, use and application of solid state storage. The material is intended for those who are not familiar with solid state storage in the enterprise and wish to develop a working understanding of the technology and its usage.

Storage Class Memory - the Future of Solid State Storage
This tutorial describes ten new technologies currently under development in research labs around the world that promise to replace today's NAND Flash technology. These new technologies - collectively called Storage Class Memory (SCM) - provide higher performance, lower cost, and more energy efficient solutions than today's SLC/MLC NAND Flash products. In this tutorial we extrapolate SCM technology trends to 2020 and analyze the impact on storage systems. The material is intended for those people that are closely watching the impact to the storage industry - brought about by NAND Flash - and want to understand what's next.

Economics of Solid State Storage: Perception and Reality
This tutorial will explore how solid state storage (SSS) when appropriately deployed and configured offers cost benefits that will accelerate into the future. The presentation will introduce the application-based Return on Investment (ROI) formula that has driven SSS deployments until recently. Though this formula is still operative in many enterprise environments, the falling price of Flash SSS is driving ever increasing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)-based SSS deployments. The tutorial will review SSS value vectors, overview server workloads and usage models where SSS can yield lower TCO, and introduce a user-oriented TCO model allowing enterprise assessment using end user specifications and input.

FILES SYSTEMS & MANAGEMENT

The File Systems Evolution
File Systems impose structure on the address space of one or more physical or virtual devices.  Starting with local file systems over time additional file systems appeared focusing on specialized requirements such as data sharing, remote file access, distributed file access, parallel files access, HPC, archiving, security etc.. Due to the dramatic growth of unstructured data files as the basic units for data containers are morphing into file objects providing more semantics and feature-rich capabilities for content processing.    This presentation will categorize and explain the basic principles of currently available file systems (e.g. local FS, shared FS, SAN FS, clustered FS, network FS, WAFS, distributed FS, parallel FS, object FS...). It will also explain technologies like NAS aggregation, NAS clustering, scalable NFS, global namespace, parallel NFS, storage grids and cloud storage.     All of these files system categories are complementary. They will be enhanced in parallel with additional value added functionality. New file system architectures will be developed and some of them will be blended in the future.

Find and Select the Right File Storage for Your Application.
Many businesses are linked to file storage technologies as many of these new, recent and even existing applications morph now, rely and support file based data. At the same time, the volume of data explodes especially the file data type which now represents by far the larger portion of enterprise data. With the complexity and variety of market solutions, the challenge for IT buyers and storage managers is to choose and adopt the most adapted solutions aligned to their business and IT needs to address their current and future challenges with a special attention to compliance and data retention regulations, Backup and Archiving, ILM and Tiering. This session covers the most common deployed applications, their attributes in term of file storage needs and maps these to file storage solutions available in the industry with technologies details and advantages. Among the various technologies presented in this session are: Clustered, SAN-based, Distributed, Parallel File Storage and the very last approach is Cloud Storage.

Exploiting Multi-Tier File Storage Effectively.
In the past 12 months, a wave of solid state disk introductions has made storage   administrator life more interesting. There is now literally a 10-15x cost   differential in enterprise storage technologies, and a greater than 100x   performance differential. It has become all the more critical to place the right   files on the right storage media.  This tutorial will survey the various technologies available for file placement and   relocation for best effect in a multi-tier storage environment. It will compare   HSM, multi-tier file systems, FAN switches and front ends, and manual file   placement techniques in terms of efficacy and effort, and contrast them with block   level storage tiering strategies.  The tutorial should be of interest to storage administrators and others concerned  with optimizing online data storage cost and quality of service.

Using Classification to Manage File Servers
As data growth is exploding; IT departments are struggling to manage the increasing amounts of files stored on their file servers. Traditionally, data management application use a directory based approach to manage file servers. This session introduces the concept and opportunities for using classification to manage file servers.  The guiding concept is that an organization can classify files on file servers and then apply data management policies based on this classification.  Given the right file server infrastructure, IT administrators should be able to use in-house tools or available classification products to apply classification to files on their file servers and data management applications such as backup or HSM application can then apply policy based on this classification

Massively Scalable File Storage
With the fast evolution of the Internet, the explosion of data volume and growing online services, massively scalable file storage is a reality today. We all use P2P applications which finally use workstation private storage space to enable an almost infinite space. Compliance and archiving also put high pressure on file storage, and many solutions use innovative approaches such as that around RAIN architecture. High Performance applications must run and use high performance file storage infrastructure and many proprietary developments were made to address these needs. Some standard work was also done by many vendors to propose some new parallel mode such as pNFS. This session covers only the high-end part of network file storage with high performance, reliability and huge capacity and presents P2P, CAS, Distributed, Parallel and Cloud file storage with important number of servers and clients such as Google FS, Apache project named Hadoop, PVFS, Lustre, pNFS and a few proprietary ones to illustrate industry answers.

OTHERS

The SNIA Cloud Initiative
SNIA has created the Cloud Storage Technical Work Group (TWG) for the purpose of developing SNIA Architecture related to system implementations of Cloud Storage technology. The Cloud Storage TWG acts as the primary technical entity for the SNIA to identify, develop, and coordinate systems standards for Cloud Storage.  It also produces a comprehensive set of specifications and drives consistency of interface standards and messages across the various Cloud Storage related efforts. In addition the TWG documents system-level requirements and shares these with other Cloud Storage standards organizations under the guidance of the SNIA Technical Council and in cooperation with the SNIA Strategic Alliances Committee.  This session will provide an update and overview of the current status of the association’s activities.

SAS and SATA Changes the Storage Market Landscape
Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) allows systems to be built that accommodates large numbers of either SAS and/or SATA hard disk drives.  This presentation, intended for OEM, System Builders and End-Users, describes the capabilities of the SAS interface, how’s designed to interoperate with SATA drives and when combined, how these technologies can be combined to deliver some very compelling storage solutions.