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Brocade SAN Health Analysis Report

Brocade SAN Health Analysis Report. By Xinyu Zhang Jennifer Carlson. Topics. Purpose Introduction to SAN Health Key differentiators Report content analysis Previous efforts Recommendations. Purpose of the Analysis.

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Brocade SAN Health Analysis Report

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  1. Brocade SAN Health Analysis Report By Xinyu Zhang Jennifer Carlson

  2. Topics • Purpose • Introduction to SAN Health • Key differentiators • Report content analysis • Previous efforts • Recommendations

  3. Purpose of the Analysis • Understand the Brocade SAN Health tool and the reports generated by this tool • Evaluate if a tool based on EFCM could be competitive • Summarize analysis in PowerPoint (this doc) and deliver formal analysis in Word with more details

  4. What is Brocade SAN Health? • Free data capture and reporting tool downloaded from Brocade website • Works on both Brocade and McDATA SAN • No performance data gathered from McDATA SAN • Non-disruptive to data traffic • Works with Windows Scheduler to run automatically • Max 68 switch in one report • Capture maximum of 48 hours of performance data • Takes about 15 min for a user to configure the tool to capture data for a small fabric (depends on size of SAN, etc.) • Takes 8 to 48 hours to generate a report (depends on job queue at Brocade, etc.)

  5. Testimony and Task Flow “We rely on weekly SAN Health reports from Brocade to track our SAN configuration and usage… SAN Health is indispensable in reporting to my management on the state of the storage network, and it helps us anticipate SAN-related issues before they become problems." --Baptist Memorial User downloads the free SAN Health tool from Brocade website User installs SAN Health and enters the IP addresses for discovery User emails .BSH file to Brocade or Uploads file to a web server Brocade reporting engine generates the reports, uploads them to a web server, and notifies the user User follows the link and retrieves the report from the web server

  6. Flexibility to Customize Reports • Best practice checkup • Communication settings • Command selection • Nickname mapping • Report scalability • Diagram format • Security

  7. SAN Health Reports - Excel • Consist of a cover sheet, table of contents, introduction, summary, topology diagram, recommendations, then report contents • Organized by SAN summary, fabric details, then switch details • Performance graph by switch • Hidden data sheets for customized reports • Color coded data for alerts

  8. SAN Health Reports - Visio • Custom Properties window similar to the EFCM Properties dialogs (for devices and links, not ports or fabrics) • Multi-line identifiers similar to the flyovers • Color-coded links for link types and performance

  9. How did We Evaluate an EFCM Based Response? • EFCM was not designed to compete with SAN Health • EFCM is a comprehensive management tool for element management, configuration, and continuous monitoring • SAN Health is a reporting tool to make a snap shot of a network for further analysis • Compare how a user accomplishes the same task using the different tools and data availability in the reports • Not a comparison of EFCM and SAN Health • Differentiations focused on a particular task

  10. Key Differentiators

  11. Report Content Comparisons Using Brocade SAN Health report data as a measure found • ~65% available in EFCM user interface or reports • 22% in Database Export • +31% in User Interface and Reports • +12% in Element Manager Data Collections • ~35% not available in EFCM Use EFCM database export as a measure • 33% available in SAN Health report • 67% not available in SAN Health report

  12. Report Content Comparisons EFCM Database Export SAN Health has (examples only): • Marginal status of switch, power supplies, fans, temperature sensors, etc. • Fan out ratio, long distance mode, ISL bandwidth utilization • Zone database usage, un-zoned ports/nicknames • I/O parameters (data field size, error detect time, etc.) • Alert policy thresholds EFCM DB export has (examples): • Historical performance data • LUN related data: LUN, LUN binding, LUN masking, host LUNs • Host and storage data, host to HBA mapping • WWN zoning and fabric address zoning information • mSAN and SAN router data

  13. Report Content Comparisons EFCM UI and Reports Not available in DB export (examples only):

  14. Report Content ComparisonNot All Data Created Equal • Previous portion of the analysis identified and counted data missing from SAN Health and EFCM components • However the value for our customers of each type of report content is expected to vary greatly • Having an understanding of the value of each type of content should help prioritize future development efforts • Summary of value of content is being gathered but summary not available yet

  15. Previous Analysis Efforts Similar effort led by CTO office joined by Software Development, Marketing, Solutions Consulting, and Professional Services SANplicity (Marketing) Report comparison (SC) Export to database analysis (CTO) Phases estimate (Software Dev) Specification (CTO) Emails

  16. Previous Analysis Summary SAN Health Check in GDI Manager • Analyzed data availability • Recommended: • Enhancing export capability of EFCM • Collecting data from database export, EFCM server, and devices • Building our own centralized reporting engine SANplicity and Backup/Restore Utilities • SANplicity and Backup/Restore are current McDATA products • Possible solutions: • Collect switch data currently used for switch configuration backup and generate reports • Include port diagnostic data then generate reports for trouble shooting purposes

  17. RecommendationsDesign Goals • Line up with marketing strategy • Equivalent is not enough, we need to be better • Comprehensive reports make SAN managers look smart to their management and generates loyalty to McDATA • Easy to use • Line up with service strategy • Shorten the initial efforts for an engagement • Collect an inventory of customer data (shared goal with marketing) • Be powerful, provide more useful data than Brocade • Low design and development cost and fast turn around - take advantage of current EFCM structure

  18. Design Options Packaging • Take advantage of EFCM infra-structure • Provide more data by enhancing export capability (email/database) • Support the discovery of legacy EFCM/SANav installations • Provide a optimized version of client with discovery and export only Deployment • Deliver to user with an optimized client for free • Deliver to user with a trial license key (fully loaded client) Reporting • Generate reports from a 3rd party reporting tool using predefined templates • Automate comprehensive report generation • Modify the topology XML export to allow Visio to open the files • Check against best practice policies and alert violations • By McDATA or by customer

  19. RecommendationsTask Flow McDATA Tasks User Tasks Download and install EFCM Discovery Setup Free optimized EFCM available for download After running EFCM for a while, export SAN file email or FTP to McDATA, encrypted Import SAN file then export it to database Receive the reports Generate reports using pre-configured report templates

  20. McDATA Advantage Proposed Design

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