Data Center Infrastructure

1. Data Center Infrastructure Module 1.3

2. Data Center Infrastructure Upon completion of this module, you will be able to: • List the five core elements of a Data Center infrastructure. • Describe the role of each element in supporting business activities. • Describe the requirements of storage systems for optimally supporting business activities. • Describe the challenges and activities in managing the storage systems of a data center. Data Center Infrastructure

3. The Core Elements • Applications • Databases – Database Management System (DBMS) and the physical and logical storage of data • Servers/Operating Systems • Networks • Storage Arrays Data Center Infrastructure

4. An Example Storage Array Consider an order processing system consisting of: • Application for order entry. • Database Management System (DBMS) to store customer and product information. • Server/Operating System on which the Application and Database programs are run. • Networks that provide • Connectivity between Clients and the Application/Database Server • Connectivity between the Server and the Storage system. • Storage Array. Server Client Storage Area Network Local Area Network Application User Interface Database Data Center Infrastructure

5. An Example ..Closer Look • A customer order is entered via the Application User Interface on a client. Storage Array Server Client Storage Area Network Local Area Network Application User Interface Data Center Infrastructure

6. An Example ..Closer Look Storage Array • A customer order is entered via the Application User Interface on a client • The client accesses the Server over a Local Area Network. Server Client Storage Area Network Local Area Network Data Center Infrastructure

7. An Example ..Closer Look Storage Array • A DBMS uses the operating system on the server to read and write this data to the physical location on a disk. Server Client Storage Area Network Local Area Network O/S and DBMS Data Center Infrastructure

8. An Example ..Closer Look Storage Array • A DBMS uses the operating system on the server to read and write this data to the physical location on disk. • A Network provides the communication link between the server and the storage array, and transports the read/write commands and data between the server and the storage array. Server Client Storage Area Network Local Area Network Data Center Infrastructure

9. An Example ..Closer Look Storage Array • A DBMS uses the operating system on the server to read and write this data to the physical location on disk. • A Network provides the communication link between the client and the server, and transports the read/write commands and data between the server and the storage array. • A storage array receives the read/write commands and data from the server and performs the necessary operations to store the data on the physical disks. Server Client Storage Area Network Local Area Network Database Data Center Infrastructure

10. An Example.. Optimal Order Processing • The Application should be optimized for fast interaction with the DBMS. • The tables in the Database should be constructed with care so that the number of read/write operations can be minimized. • The Server should have sufficient CPU and memory resources to satisfy Application and DBMS needs. • The Networks should provide fast communication between Client and Server, as well as Server and Storage Array. • The Storage Array should service the read/write requests from the Server for optimal performance. Data Center Infrastructure

11. An Example.. A Final Look at Data Access When the DBMS receives a request from the Application: • It first searches the Server memory. If data is found there, the operation takes, perhaps, a millisecond. • If not, it then uses the Operating System to request the data from the Storage Array. • Dedicated high speed networks transport this request to the Storage Array. • Intelligent Storage Arrays can deliver the requested data within a few milliseconds. They are also typically configured to protect data in the event of drive failures. Data Center Infrastructure

12. Availability Security Data Integrity Manageability Capacity Performance Scalability Key Requirements of Storage Systems Data Center Infrastructure

13. Some Constraints to Meeting the Requirements Constraints include: • Cost • Physical Environment • Maintenance and Support • Compliance – Regulatory & Legal • Hardware and Software infrastructure • Interoperability and Compatibility Data Center Infrastructure

14. Management Activities Data Center management activities include: • Provisioning/Capacity/Resource Planning • Monitoring • Reporting Data Center Infrastructure

15. Monitoring • Performance • Security • Data Protection • Utilization Data Center Infrastructure

16. Reporting • Utilization • Performance • Internal Chargeback system for cost recovery Data Center Infrastructure

17. Provisioning • Capacity • Security • Performance Data Center Infrastructure

18. Module Summary Key points covered in this module: • The five core elements of a Data Center Infrastructure. • The role of each element in supporting business activity was explained with an example of an order entry process. • The importance of an Intelligent Storage Array. • Key requirements of storage systems to support business activities as well as some of the constraints. • Management activities in a data center operation with focus on storage systems. Data Center Infrastructure

19.  Check Your Knowledge • What are the five core technology elements of the Data Center Infrastructure? • What are the seven requirements of storage technology? • What are the common management activities in a Data Center? Data Center Infrastructure