Access Gateway a “Virtual Server/SAN connect”

Ing. Thomas MitrovitsMail: thomas.mitrovits@brocade.comMobile: +43 676 844013200

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.Oktober 2007

1995-2000Early SANs- Isolated

Evolution of the Data CenterBrocade Platforms Provide The Foundation & Services

Homogenous“SAN Islands”

SAN 2

SAN 1

SAN 4

SAN 3

2000-2005SAN Consolidation

EnhancedStorage Network

Enterprise Apps

Security

Scalability

Routing

Mgmt

HAExtension with FCIP

Multi-tieredApplications

Virtual SANs

2005-2010File & Block Merges

The Data Center Fabric

File ServicesData

Mobility

Storagetiers

Virtual Servers

Application Recovery

SAN

Traditional Block Data

Servers

DCFFANVolume

Brocade’s Data Center FabricConverged Fabric For The Data Center

Users & Applications

File Based Data

Filers

Remote Office

Management

Data Center Consolidation

Storage Consolidation

Information Management

Business Continuity

Brocade’s Next-Generation Data Center FabricDelivering Essential Services in the Fabric

• Extending our Connectivity Leadership

• Highest performance (8G FC, 10GE)

• Multi-Protocol (FC, FICON, iSCSI)

• Scale and Virtual Fabric Partitioning

• Distance Extension (FC, FCIP)

• Policy-based Routing & QoS IP

Branch

Corporate

Campus

Traditional Block Storage

Servers

Low Cost

HPCVolume

DCF

Data Recovery Site

• Redefining Fabric Services

• Application-aware Data Mobility (DMM)• Application-aware Business Continuity

(Snapshot, Replication, Continuous Data Protection (CDP))

• Application Aware Server Management• Security (access control, encryption)• Performance, Fault, Change, Distance

• Today less than 15% of Servers are SAN attached

• 7-10 million servers being refreshed this year

• Server Virtualization is here, leverage it

• Within the next 3-5 years 85% of servers are SAN/NAS

Bladed Servers and SANs in ActionReduce Cost, Complexity, Space, Power, OpEx

Setup Items70 Servers

140 HBA ports10 Standalone 16-port switches

160 Optical SFPs in switches160 Fiber cables

Becomes

Setup Items5 Blade Chassis

10 Embedded Switch Modules2 Standalone 16-port switches

48 Optical SFPs in switches24 Fiber cables

8Gbit/sec ISL Trunk (2x 4Gb)

Embedded Switches – The Challenges

Scalability: How to scale SAN with numerous switch modules?• Small port-count switches add to the complexity of a SAN

– More domains introduce the potential for scalability issues– More elements to manage

Who manages the integrated switch?• Server administrator? Storage administrator?

How to increase fault isolation?• Minimize server and switch module fault events affecting SAN fabric

Fabric connections made easier• Connect to multiple fabrics simultaneously• Connect to switches from different vendors

Access Gateway BenefitsClearer Management Responsibilities

ServerLand Responsibilities:

• Servers, BladeCenters and Applications

• Relatively narrow constituency

• SLAs tied to workload

ServerLand

StorageLand

StorageLand Responsibilities:• SAN fabric and storage• Providing LUNs to the server admins• Maintain very high SLAs tied to infrastructure• Satisfying numerous apps and functional areas

StorageLand Headaches: • Numerous low port count switch modules in

embedded switches • Complicates the SAN• Server admins that “touch” SAN fabric

Brocade Access Gateway Technical/OEM Overview

9January 2007

N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV)

Linu

x In

stan

ce

Linu

x In

stan

ce

Linu

x In

stan

ce

Linu

x In

stan

ce

Linu

x In

stan

ce

Linu

x In

stan

ce

Single Virtual Machine

Shared HBAor I/O channel

Brocade Switch

NPIV was initially targeted for Mainframe Environments

Access Gateway modeConnecting Server Blades to SANs

Brocade FC SAN Switch in Access Gateway mode

connects server blades to fabrics through NPIV edge

switches

Functionality comes in FOS 5.2.1b updated on existing

switch hardwareNPIV capable switches •Brocade FOS 5.1 &>•Cisco OS 3.0 & >•McDATA OS 9.0 &>

Solves Interoperability & Scalability challenges

F-port F-port

Blade Server Chassis

N-port N-port

Access Gateway in Blade Chassis

Access Gateway Technology Overview

• External ports appear to fabric as N-port devices

• Hides server HBA (internal) ports• Does not take up a domain

Improve Manageability • Mgt of AG = mgt of n-port devices• Separates Server Admin privileges

Improve Fault-isolation• Reduces RSCN traffic/fabric config• Zoning is enforced by the fabric• N-port failover capability

Multi-vendor interoperability• Multi-fabric capable (future)

Blade N

Blade 7

Blade 6

Blade 5

Blade 4

Blade 3

Blade 2

Blade 1

Fabric 2Fabric 1

N-Port ID Virtualization (NPIV)

Serv

erbl

ade

Blade Chassis

AcessGateway

SAN Switch

NPIV was initially targeted for Mainframe Environments

HBA HBA HBA HBA HBA HBA

Serv

erbl

ade

Ser v

erbl

ade

Ser v

erbl

ade

Ser v

erbl

ade

Ser v

erbl

ade

NPIV – Multiple Connections/Single Link

WWN0

WWN1

WWN2

WWN3

Single NPIV Switch Connection

FDisc instead of Flogi

Single Switch F-Port

Access Gateway Isolates the SAN from Disruptions in Serverland

Server maintenance has minimal effect on the SAN• Disconnecting an NPIV cable doesn’t disrupt the fabric in

the same way disconnecting an ISL would• Most RSCNs in the AG are not propagated to the

Fabric– Most, if not all, switch-to-switch management traffic is

eliminated between the edge switch and the AG.

• Blade management upgrades may affect the embedded switch (But not the SAN)

Dynamic Workload Management

Edge Switch

Virtual Machine

OS Instance

OS Instance

OS Instance

OS Instance

Virtual Machine

OS Instance

OS Instance

OS Instance

OS Instance

Virtual Machine

OS Instance

OS Instance

OS Instance

OS Instance

Virtual Machine

OS Instance

OS Instance

OS Instance

OS Instance

Transparent Fail-overVia F-Port Trunking

Access gateway

Access Gateway CharacteristicsMulti-fabric capable• Interoperable via NPIV-enabled N-port• The Access Gateway can be connected to multiple fabrics via any NPIV-enabled

port

Manageable• Nothing to manage in-band • All management is via a special version of Web Tools, the CLI or through the

management provided by the embedded switch vendor

Highly Scalable• No domain solves the scalability problem of a large number of low port-count

switches. Scalable to very high port counts with Directors in the core

Acts more as a device, not a switch. • Reduces RSCN traffic – virtually no inter-switch RSCNs• No direct connectivity to storage• Reduces fabric rebuilds

NPIV Enables Increased Virtualized Server Consolidation Benefits

Reduces the apparent cost of Fibre Channel HBAs• Depends on the consolidation ratio – at 10:1 the cost of an HBA is shared across

10 VMs/Applications• Traditionally the cost of HBAs have been the major impediment to putting Wintel

servers into a SAN• No iSCSI equivalent to NPIV

Compelling Business Case (ROI)• Less rack space, energy consumption and required cooling when compared to 1U

servers for bladed servers• Embedded switches reduce cable costs, SFPs and fabric edge port requirements• Access Gateway eliminates the scalability issues• Less platforms to manage

The situation only improves as the processing capacity of the bladed servers increase

Thank You!

Thomas Mitrovits

thomas.mitrovits@brocade.com+43 676 844013200