On the bright side, clustering the appliances is a simple matter of selecting the clustering option during configuration; the rest of the process is automated. Each appliance in the cluster is aware of your configuration for encryption and restoration functionality--the appliance automatically obtains this information as each appliance is added to the cluster.
Once we were connected, we configured our IP information through a serial console, then did all additional configuration over an SSL-enabled connection to a Web interface on the appliance. The interface was straightforward--we created users and defined roles as we would in any backup environment. However, before the appliance could take over, we had to create at least one CryptoStor rule to define which traffic should be encrypted. CryptoStor rules are essentially wild-card-friendly pattern matches for either specific devices or source hosts that will be sending backup data through the appliance. The necessity of this becomes clear when a loop-type implementation is considered--that is, when many FC devices share the same network segment. You don't want the appliance encrypting all traffic, only that destined for the tape drives. The appliance communicated with our tape library, which was displayed on the network in the same manner as before we installed the appliance. If a host performing a backup must disable and then rediscover the tape library, it will appear the same as it did without the appliance in place, as if it were still the old unencrypted connection.
We were pleased with performance; there was no noticeable slowdown in total time to transmit data from host to tape after adding the appliance.
CryptoStor Tape FC704, starts at $45,000 for one appliance and two SCSI or Fibre Channel ports. NeoScale Systems, (408) 473-1300. www.neoscale.com
Marisa Mack is a security consultant for Neohapsis, a Chicago-based security consulting firm. Write to her at [email protected].
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