IBM and Cisco: Together for a World Class Data Center


Book Description

This IBM® Redbooks® publication is an IBM and Cisco collaboration that articulates how IBM and Cisco can bring the benefits of their respective companies to the modern data center. It documents the architectures, solutions, and benefits that can be achieved by implementing a data center based on IBM server, storage, and integrated systems, with the broader Cisco network. We describe how to design a state-of-the art data center and networking infrastructure combining Cisco and IBM solutions. The objective is to provide a reference guide for customers looking to build an infrastructure that is optimized for virtualization, is highly available, is interoperable, and is efficient in terms of power and space consumption. It will explain the technologies used to build the infrastructure, provide use cases, and give guidance on deployments.




Green Information Technology


Book Description

We are living in the era of "Big Data" and the computing power required to deal with "Big Data" both in terms of its energy consumption and technical complexity is one of the key areas of research and development. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that centralized computing infrastructures (data centres) currently use 7 giga watts of electricity during peak loads. This translates into about 61 billion kilowatt hours of electricity used. By the EPA's estimates, power-hungry data centres consume the annual output of 15 average-sized power plants. One of the top constraints to increasing computing power, besides the ability to cool, is simply delivering enough power to a given physical space. Green Information Technology: A Sustainable Approach offers in a single volume a broad collection of practical techniques and methodologies for designing, building and implementing a green technology strategy in any large enterprise environment, which up until now has been scattered in difficult-to-find scholarly resources. Included here is the latest information on emerging technologies and their environmental impact, how to effectively measure sustainability, discussions on sustainable hardware and software design, as well as how to use big data and cloud computing to drive efficiencies and establish a framework for sustainability in the information technology infrastructure. Written by recognized experts in both academia and industry, Green Information Technology: A Sustainable Approach is a must-have guide for researchers, computer architects, computer engineers and IT professionals with an interest in greater efficiency with less environmental impact. - Introduces the concept of using green procurement and supply chain programs in the IT infrastructure. - Discusses how to use big data to drive efficiencies and establish a framework for sustainability in the information technology infrastructure. - Explains how cloud computing can be used to consolidate corporate IT environments using large-scale shared infrastructure reducing the overall environmental impact and unlocking new efficiencies. - Provides specific use cases for Green IT such as data center energy efficiency and cloud computing sustainability and risk.




IBM System Storage Solutions Handbook


Book Description

The IBM® System Storage® Solutions Handbook helps you solve your current and future data storage business requirements. It helps you achieve enhanced storage efficiency by design to allow managed cost, capacity of growth, greater mobility, and stronger control over storage performance and management. It describes the most current IBM storage products, including the IBM SpectrumTM family, IBM FlashSystem®, disk, and tape, as well as virtualized solutions such IBM Storage Cloud. This IBM Redbooks® publication provides overviews and information about the most current IBM System Storage products. It shows how IBM delivers the right mix of products for nearly every aspect of business continuance and business efficiency. IBM storage products can help you store, safeguard, retrieve, and share your data. This book is intended as a reference for basic and comprehensive information about the IBM Storage products portfolio. It provides a starting point for establishing your own enterprise storage environment. This book describes the IBM Storage products as of March, 2016.




Handbook of Fiber Optic Data Communication


Book Description

In recent years, there have been many new approaches to data networking protocols, both industry standard and vendor proprietary. In this chapter, we will begin with an overview of conventional networking protocols, such as the Spanning Tree Protocol and multichassis link aggregation, and network design approaches like equal cost multipath spine–leaf. We will then review several more recent proposals for addressing the requirements of a flattened, Layer 2 network infrastructure. We discuss Transparent Interconnection of Lots of Links (TRILL) and Shortest Path Bridging, as well as both industry standard and proprietary network options including Open Data Center Interoperable Network (ODIN), Qfabric, FabricPath, and Virtual Cluster Switching (VCS). Overlays including Virtual Extensible LAN (VXLAN), Network Virtualizaation Generic Routing Encapsulation (NVGRE), Distributed Overlay Virtual Ethernet (DOVE), and others will also be discussed.




IBM and Cisco


Book Description

This IBM® Redbooks® publication is an IBM and Cisco collaboration that articulates how IBM and Cisco can bring the benefits of their respective companies to the modern data center. It documents the architectures, solutions, and benefits that can be achieved by implementing a data center based on IBM server, storage, and integrated systems, with the broader Cisco network. We describe how to design a state-of-the art data center and networking infrastructure combining Cisco and IBM solutions. The objective is to provide a reference guide for customers looking to build an infrastructure that is optimized for virtualization, is highly available, is interoperable, and is efficient in terms of power and space consumption. It will explain the technologies used to build the infrastructure, provide use cases, and give guidance on deployments.




IBM Data Center Networking: Planning for Virtualization and Cloud Computing


Book Description

The enterprise data center has evolved dramatically in recent years. It has moved from a model that placed multiple data centers closer to users to a more centralized dynamic model. The factors influencing this evolution are varied but can mostly be attributed to regulatory, service level improvement, cost savings, and manageability. Multiple legal issues regarding the security of data housed in the data center have placed security requirements at the forefront of data center architecture. As the cost to operate data centers has increased, architectures have moved towards consolidation of servers and applications in order to better utilize assets and reduce "server sprawl." The more diverse and distributed the data center environment becomes, the more manageability becomes an issue. These factors have led to a trend of data center consolidation and resources on demand using technologies such as virtualization, higher WAN bandwidth technologies, and newer management technologies. The intended audience of this book is network architects and network administrators. In this IBM® Redbooks® publication we discuss the following topics: The current state of the data center network The business drivers making the case for change The unique capabilities and network requirements of system platforms The impact of server and storage consolidation on the data center network The functional overview of the main data center network virtualization and consolidation technologies The new data center network design landscape




Cloud Computing


Book Description

Modern computing is no longer about devices but is all about providing services, a natural progression that both consumers and enterprises are eager to embrace. As it can deliver those services, efficiently and with quality, at compelling price levels, cloud computing is with us to stay. Ubiquitously and quite definitively, cloud computing is




Smarter Data Centers: Achieving Greater Efficiency


Book Description

As we move towards becoming a smarter planet and the world becomes more instrumented, interconnected, and intelligent, the demands for data center resources are increasing rapidly. Smaller and more densely packed servers providing greater amounts of computing power can substantially increase power and cooling needs, while growing data volumes necessitate larger storage and network bandwidth capacities. Environmental and regulatory requirements can introduce additional limits on carbon emissions and water consumption. To satisfy these demands while keeping costs in check, our data centers need to be smarter as well. Comprehensive views of data center inventories, operational and environmental conditions, and consumption across multiple capacity types that span both facilities and IT are required. You can achieve greater efficiency using hardware, software, services, and design both in facilities and IT, but you need a comprehensive data center strategy to tie them together and thus obtain a complete picture of your data center environments. This IBM® RedpaperTM publication discusses important considerations when creating and implementing your smarter data center strategy. Notable techniques, best practices, and technological advances that can become critical components of success are included, along with methods for bringing them together to gain in-depth knowledge of data center operations. With such insight comes increased resiliency, rapid responsiveness, profitable access to detailed analytics, and reliable planning for the future. Although not all-inclusive, this document provides a guide to getting started, points you to additional sources of information, and suggests ways IBM can partner with you in your pursuit of a smarter data center.




Introduction to Storage Area Networks


Book Description

The superabundance of data that is created by today's businesses is making storage a strategic investment priority for companies of all sizes. As storage takes precedence, the following major initiatives emerge: Flatten and converge your network: IBM® takes an open, standards-based approach to implement the latest advances in the flat, converged data center network designs of today. IBM Storage solutions enable clients to deploy a high-speed, low-latency Unified Fabric Architecture. Optimize and automate virtualization: Advanced virtualization awareness reduces the cost and complexity of deploying physical and virtual data center infrastructure. Simplify management: IBM data center networks are easy to deploy, maintain, scale, and virtualize, delivering the foundation of consolidated operations for dynamic infrastructure management. Storage is no longer an afterthought. Too much is at stake. Companies are searching for more ways to efficiently manage expanding volumes of data, and to make that data accessible throughout the enterprise. This demand is propelling the move of storage into the network. Also, the increasing complexity of managing large numbers of storage devices and vast amounts of data is driving greater business value into software and services. With current estimates of the amount of data to be managed and made available increasing at 60% each year, this outlook is where a storage area network (SAN) enters the arena. SANs are the leading storage infrastructure for the global economy of today. SANs offer simplified storage management, scalability, flexibility, and availability; and improved data access, movement, and backup. Welcome to the cognitive era. The smarter data center with the improved economics of IT can be achieved by connecting servers and storage with a high-speed and intelligent network fabric. A smarter data center that hosts IBM Storage solutions can provide an environment that is smarter, faster, greener, open, and easy to manage. This IBM® Redbooks® publication provides an introduction to SAN and Ethernet networking, and how these networks help to achieve a smarter data center. This book is intended for people who are not very familiar with IT, or who are just starting out in the IT world.




Global Marketing Management


Book Description

Global Marketing is invaluable text for M.Com, and MBA students studying international or global marketing. Today, many companies have trouble deciding whether using a truly global marketing strategy is right for them. There is a slight trend back toward localization due to new efficiencies of customization made possible by technology, the Internet, and new manufacturing processes. "e;Mass Customization"e; has now taken the place of "e;Mass Production."e; In today's world, the customer does not always respond to a "e;one size fits all"e; approach. Global marketing is also a field of study in general business management to provide valuable products, solutions and services to customers locally, nationally, internationally and worldwide. Global Marketing Management equips students with knowledge and skills to enable them to make key management decisions and understand how organisations may be navigated through the increasingly dynamic and challenging global trading environment. Global marketing management is of great importance to a company that is looking to offer its product in an international market. This book will give a high level overview of the planning and organization marketing leaders must address when considering a new country to sell its product in.