IBM b-type Data Center Networking: Design and Best Practices Introduction


Book Description

As organizations drive to transform and virtualize their IT infrastructures to reduce costs, and manage risk, networking is pivotal to success. Optimizing network performance, availability, adaptability, security, and cost is essential to achieving the maximum benefit from your infrastructure. In this IBM® Redbooks® publication, we address these requirements: Expertise to plan and design networks with holistic consideration of servers, storage, application performance, and manageability Networking solutions that enable investment protection with performance and cost options that match your environment Technology and expertise to design and implement and manage network security and resiliency Robust network management software for integrated, simplified management that lowers operating costs of complex networks IBM and Brocade have entered into an agreement to provide expanded network technology choices with the new IBM b-type Ethernet Switches and Routers, to provide an integrated end-to-end resiliency and security framework. Combined with the IBM vast data center design experience and the Brocade networking expertise, this portfolio represents the ideal convergence of strength and intelligence. For organizations striving to transform and virtualize their IT infrastructure, such a combination can help you reduce costs, manage risks, and prepare for the future. This book is meant to be used along with "IBM b-type Data Center Networking: Product Introduction and Initial Setup," SG24-7785.




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.




IBM b-type Data Center Networking: Product Introduction and Initial Setup


Book Description

As organizations drive to transform and virtualize their IT infrastructures to reduce costs, and manage risk, networking is pivotal to success. Optimizing network performance, availability, adaptability, security, and cost is essential to achieving the maximum benefit from your infrastructure. In this IBM® Redbooks® publication, we address the requirements: Expertise to plan and design networks with holistic consideration of servers, storage, application performance and manageability Networking solutions that enable investment protection with performance and cost options that match your environment Technology and expertise to design and implement and manage network security and resiliency Robust network management software for integrated, simplified management that lowers operating costs of complex networks IBM and Brocade have entered into an agreement to provide expanded network technology choices with the new IBM b-type Ethernet Switches and Routers, to provide an integrated end-to-end resiliency and security framework. Combined with the IBM vast data center design experience and the Brocade networking expertise, this portfolio represents the ideal convergence of strength and intelligence. For organizations striving to transform and virtualize their IT infrastructure, such a combination can help you reduce costs, manage risks, and prepare for the future. This book is meant to be used along with "IBM b-type Data Center Networking: Design and Best Practices Introduction," SG24-7786.




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




IBM Storage Networking SAN24B-6 Switch


Book Description

This IBM® Redbooks® product guide describes the IBM Storage Networking SAN24B-6 switch. Explosive data growth, coupled with user expectations of unlimited access from anywhere, at any time, is pushing storage environments to the limit. To meet these dynamic business demands, the network must evolve to improve speed, increase efficiency, and reduce costs. Legacy infrastructures were not designed to support the performance requirements of flash-based storage technology. A new approach to storage networking is required to unlock the full capabilities of all-flash arrays. By treating the network as a strategic part of a storage environment, organizations can maximize their productivity and efficiency, even as they rapidly grow their environments. The IBM Storage Networking SAN24B-6 switch provides exceptional value in an entry-level switch, combining high-performance capabilities of 4, 8, 16, and 32 Gbps, point-and-click simplicity, and enterprise-class functionality. The port speed capability is dependent on the transceiver installed. SAN24B-6 provides small to midsized data centers with low-cost access to industry-leading Gen 5 and Gen 6 Fibre Channel technology and the ability to start small and grow on demand from 8 to 24 ports to support an evolving storage environment. In addition, SAN24B-6 is easy to use and install, with a point-and-click user interface that simplifies deployment and saves time.




IBM b-type Gen 5 16 Gbps Switches and Network Advisor


Book Description

IBM® System Storage® Gen 5 fabric backbones are among the industry's most powerful Fibre Channel switching infrastructure offerings. They provide reliable, scalable, and high-performance foundations for mission-critical storage. These fabric backbones also deliver enterprise connectivity options to add support for IBM FICON® connectivity, offering a high-performing and reliable FICON infrastructure with fast and scalable IBM System z® servers. Designed to increase business agility while providing nonstop access to information and reducing infrastructure and administrative costs, Gen 5 Fibre Channel fabric backbones deliver a new level of scalability and advanced capabilities to this robust, reliable, and high-performance technology. Although every network type has unique management requirements, most organizations face similar challenges managing their network environments. These challenges can include minimizing network downtime, reducing operational expenses, managing application service level agreements (SLAs), and providing robust security. Until now, no single tool could address these needs across different network types. To address this issue, the IBM Network Advisor management tool provides comprehensive management for data, storage, and converged networks. This single application can deliver end-to-end visibility and insight across different network types by integrating with Fabric Vision technology; it supports Fibre Channel SANs, including Gen 5 Fibre Channel platforms, IBM FICON, and IBM b-type SAN FCoE networks. In addition, this tool supports comprehensive lifecycle management capabilities across different networks through a simple, seamless user experience. This IBM Redbooks® publication introduces the concepts, architecture, and basic implementation of Gen 5 and IBM Network Advisor. It is aimed at system administrators, and pre- and post-sales support staff.




IBM Storage Networking SAN64B-6 Switch


Book Description

This IBM® Redbooks® product guide describes the IBM Storage Networking SAN64B-6 switch. cloud infrastructures and growing flash-based storage environments by delivering market-leading Gen 6 Fibre Channel technology and capabilities. SAN64B-6 delivers unmatched 32/128 gigabits per second (Gbps) performance, industry-leading port density, and built-in instrumentation to accelerates data access, drive always-on business, and support data center consolidation in small to large-scale enterprise infrastructures.




IBM FlashSystem 5200 Product Guide


Book Description

This IBM® Redbooks® Product Guide publication describes the IBM FlashSystem® 5200 solution, which is a next-generation IBM FlashSystem control enclosure. It is an NVMe end-to-end platform that is targeted at the entry and midrange market and delivers the full capabilities of IBM FlashCore® technology. It also provides a rich set of software-defined storage (SDS) features that are delivered by IBM Spectrum® Virtualize, including the following features: Data reduction and deduplication Dynamic tiering Thin provisioning Snapshots Cloning Replication Data copy services Transparent Cloud Tiering IBM HyperSwap® including 3-site replication for high availability (HA) Scale-out and scale-up configurations further enhance capacity and throughput for better availability. The IBM FlashSystem 5200 is a high-performance storage solution that is based on a revolutionary 1U form factor. It consists of 12 NVMe Flash Devices in a 1U storage enclosure drawer with full redundant canister components and no single point of failure. It is designed for businesses of all sizes, including small, remote, branch offices and regional clients. It is a smarter, self-optimizing solution that requires less management, which enables organizations to overcome their storage challenges. Flash has come of age and price point reductions mean that lower parts of the storage market are seeing the value of moving over to flash and NVMe--based solutions. The IBM FlashSystem 5200 advances this transition by providing incredibly dense tiers of flash in a more affordable package. With the benefit of IBM FlashCore Module compression and new QLC flash-based technology becoming available, a compelling argument exists to move away from Nearline SAS storage and on to NVMe. With the release of IBM FlashSystem 5200 Software V8.4, extra functions and features are available, including support for new Distributed RAID1 (DRAID1) features, GUI enhancements, Redirect-on-write for Data Reduction Pool (DRP) snapshots, and 3-site replication capabilities. This book is aimed at pre-sales and post-sales technical support and marketing and storage administrators.




Storage and Network Convergence Using FCoE and iSCSI


Book Description

Along with servers and networking infrastructure, networked storage is one of the fundamental components of a modern data center. Because storage networking has evolved over the past two decades, the industry has settled on the basic storage networking technologies. These technologies are Fibre Channel (FC) storage area networks (SANs), Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI)-based Ethernet attachment, and Ethernet-based network-attached storage (NAS). Today, lossless, low-latency, high-speed FC SANs are viewed as the high-performance option for networked storage. iSCSI and NAS are viewed as lower cost, lower performance technologies. The advent of the 100 Gbps Ethernet and Data Center Bridging (DCB) standards for lossless Ethernet give Ethernet technology many of the desirable characteristics that make FC the preferred storage networking technology. These characteristics include comparable speed, low latency, and lossless behavior. Coupled with an ongoing industry drive toward better asset utilization and lower total cost of ownership, these advances open the door for organizations to consider consolidating and converging their networked storage infrastructures with their Ethernet data networks. Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) is one approach to this convergence, but 10-Gbps-enabled iSCSI also offers compelling options for many organizations with the hope that their performance can now rival that of FC. This IBM® Redbooks® publication is written for experienced systems, storage, and network administrators who want to integrate the IBM System Networking and Storage technology successfully into new and existing networks. This book provides an overview of today's options for storage networking convergence. It reviews the technology background for each of these options and then examines detailed scenarios for them by using IBM and IBM Business Partner convergence products.




Data Center Fundamentals


Book Description

Master the basics of data centers to build server farms that enhance your Web site performance Learn design guidelines that show how to deploy server farms in highly available and scalable environments Plan site performance capacity with discussions of server farm architectures and their real-life applications to determine your system needs Today's market demands that businesses have an Internet presence through which they can perform e-commerce and customer support, and establish a presence that can attract and increase their customer base. Underestimated hit ratios, compromised credit card records, perceived slow Web site access, or the infamous "Object Not Found" alerts make the difference between a successful online presence and one that is bound to fail. These challenges can be solved in part with the use of data center technology. Data centers switch traffic based on information at the Network, Transport, or Application layers. Content switches perform the "best server" selection process to direct users' requests for a specific service to a server in a server farm. The best server selection process takes into account both server load and availability, and the existence and consistency of the requested content. Data Center Fundamentals helps you understand the basic concepts behind the design and scaling of server farms using data center and content switching technologies. It addresses the principles and concepts needed to take on the most common challenges encountered during planning, implementing, and managing Internet and intranet IP-based server farms. An in-depth analysis of the data center technology with real-life scenarios make Data Center Fundamentals an ideal reference for understanding, planning, and designing Web hosting and e-commerce environments.




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