SANs are powerful and can be set up in hundreds of ways--that is, if you can overcome the aforementioned complexity. To do this, you'll need help in the form of SAN-management software, which is touted as simplifying administration while retaining the underlying flexibility and power of the storage hardware. We examined SAN-management software, determining what it can do for you and how to choose and implement a solution. We're not saying these tools will let your interns run your storage network--a SAN will never be as easy to use as a safety razor. However, there are efficiencies that can be gained by using SAN-management software effectively.
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Companies and institutions spend billions of dollars each year for faster and more plentiful storage. The rise of NAS (networked-attached storage) devices and the SAN have fomented a revolution in storage (for more on where we see the storage market going this year, see our 2002 Survivor's Guide to Data Management and Storage Technology).
The problem is, we're still in the dark ages when it comes to managing our storage assets: The tools to administer SAN architectures are significantly behind those to control Ethernet networks. And whenever we take a leap forward in the storage-management arena, there is confusion, not to mention fear, uncertainty and doubt. Key causes of FUD include a lack of interoperability and standards; SNMP is about the closest thing SANs have to a management standard, and it's woefully inadequate (for more on standards--or lack thereof--see "Open Standards for SAN Management"). Many companies will want one mechanism to control the backbone of their entire infrastructures, both network and SAN. In those cases, SAN software must integrate with Ethernet network-management systems. Packages such as Computer Associates International's Unicenter, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP OpenView and IBM's Tivoli are beginning to fully integrate SAN management.
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Another issue is the closed nature of some SANs. Because the SAN is a somewhat new technology, it is just leaving what we like to call the "proprietary phase," where companies in the sector attempt to create a Microsoft-like lock on the market. Some people define this as each vendor creating its own "open" standard. The majority of SAN-management software, with the exception of that in the data-management sector, is sold as proprietary software for a specific hardware system. Some view such tactics as an attempt to lock the consumer into one brand of hardware. The reality is that the lack of interoperability and hardware-diagnostic standards has made it difficult for vendors to present a truly heterogeneous software solution, even if they wanted to.
Of course, from a vendor's point of view, a happy side effect is that the proprietary nature of the software makes it difficult to move from one brand of hardware to another. Adding a hardware switch from a new vendor means also adding a second tool to manage that new switch. Who needs that aggravation? Apparently, 47 percent of you. That's the percentage of readers polled who said their SAN equipment comes from more than one vendor.
Feeling depressed yet? Well, don't be: The situation is changing. Even proprietary storage monolith EMC Corp. is beginning to see the light. In October 2001, amid a barrage of cynicism from other storage vendors, EMC launched WideSky, an initiative to get its proprietary management software to run on other vendors' storage systems. In mid- November, EMC followed this up by saying it would share programming interfaces with Compaq Computer Corp., another large vendor of proprietary SAN systems .
These developments, while heartening, are just the beginning. We believe that as SAN architectures move forward, you will see more openness among software and hardware vendors. Really. The promised land of Ethernet-like interoperability is on the horizon. It is coming in the form of initiatives from Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA), Fiber Channel Industry Association (FCIA) and other standards bodies.
What's spurring this openness? That most basic of motives: self-preservation. Market conditions are driving Fibre Channel players to greater compatibility and standards so the advent of iSCSI (Internet SCSI) and 10 Gigabit Ethernet does not kill them stone dead. But that's a whole separate article (see Internet Week's "Why IP Storage Makes Sense").
Another market condition that will affect SANs is the increased demand for products in the storage-management sector. These products achieved only modest growth in the last year, but the demand for storage is continuing. With the downturn in the economy, you would expect that the rate of storage growth would decrease, but it has not--it has increased.
Therefore, we expect that when the economy recovers, the growth rate for the storage sector in general, and the storage management sector in particular, will be truly amazing. In fact, Gartner Dataquest forecasts that the market will grow to $16.7 billion by 2005. The digitization of video and book content continues at a phenomenal rate and will only fuel the storage frenzy. The continued widespread use of the SAN and new upcoming technologies that will make the SAN easier and cheaper to implement will combine to fuel the need for heterogeneous, pervasive tools to manage that storage at all levels.
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