Building a network for storage systems, SMB sector: Part 1. Selection of network equipment
There are various methods of organizing a centralized data storage system.
Nevertheless, most of these techniques one way or another can be reduced to one of three directions ...
The first way is to make a bet on widely advertised solutions from famous brands. When the equipment is bought the most famous and expensive manufacturers. A similar system is installed and maintained solely by highly paid specialists who have been trained in courses from a vendor and have passed the certificate exam.
Such a system is quite reliable, productive and, of course, expensive.
Of course, life dictates its own compromises, but if we talk about the approach strategy, this is what is described above.
An example of this approach is, for example, storage systems from Dell EMC with Brocade Fiber Channel-based data transmission medium. Among the Russian systems it is difficult to name the same well-known and "venerable" manufacturers.
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The second way lies in the acquisition of ready-made solutions "turnkey". If in the first option there was some element of uncertainty at the stage of selecting the manufacturer, equipment, performance, and the like, then in the second case everything is already assembled, tested and fully ready for work.
An example of such an approach is the Polybite system from the Russian company LLC RCNCTEC. If we talk about foreign manufacturers, then comes to mind storage in the IBM Pure Systems.
The third way is more or less complete control over the system being created. That is, the system architect, engineer, or administrator chooses the storage configuration himself, selects the equipment, often from different manufacturers, relying not only on a familiar name, but also on his knowledge and experience.
If we talk about what approach is preferable, then you need to take into account many factors. Among them:
And so on.
As you can see, this is a rather difficult task.
Therefore, complex systems of the Enterprise level to the first two directions, in which there are less "dark places" and "white spots" for the designer. At the same time, large business is willing to accept relatively high costs in exchange for a proven approach, an extended warranty and support from the vendor.
However, if we are talking about relatively small enterprises, which, accordingly, need a not so powerful data storage system, then the situation is somewhat different.
In the first place in this case, most often goes budget savings. The second place according to tradition is taken by the simplicity of implementation.
Of course, any organization, large or small, cares about the safety of its data, the availability of access to it and the solution of such issues as the ability to increase storage volumes. But when the budget is limited, and the IT infrastructure itself is not so complicated, then for small enterprises it will be more profitable to purchase equipment on their own and then create a data storage system.
And here there are two options: buy ready-made low-cost storage or make your own, based on popular solutions, for example, specialized distributions of open operating systems. Such as Linux, FreeBSD or Open Indiana.
We missed something, didn't we?
All this time, they carefully considered on the basis of what to build a data storage system, but the question remained: “How to organize access to it?”
That is, you need a network. In this case, the network may be needed for data exchange with client devices, and for storage management.
First of all, we will define the data transmission medium. This term implies a purely hardware aspect - how exactly is the transfer (transfer) of a unit of information from a physical transmitter to a receiver. Today we can distinguish two main areas:
NOTE . Often the manufacturer offers a universal, or, as they say, convergent solution for the medium of data transmission. In this case, the same port on the network equipment can be used either for twisted pair, or for fiber optic connection. This versatility is achieved through the use of appropriate adapters - transceivers.
Building a data transmission medium using fiber is much more expensive. If the enterprise is small and all the equipment (both server and storage) is housed in several racks or cabinets next to each other, you can easily choose a copper cable.
Most low-cost storage systems are designed for operation in local IP networks based on the Ethernet family and much less often on the basis of the Fiber Channel standard using the appropriate equipment (fabric).
The situation is similar in popular distributions for building self-made storage systems, such as FreeNAS. For such solutions, IP networks are the main or even the only working environment.
Now it remains to choose the equipment. You can give preference to devices from well-known, widely advertised brands such as Cisco, Brocade, Juniper.
This option is good because there is no need to ask questions of reliability, performance, as well as search for information on configuration, maintenance and so on.
The downside is the fact that the purchase of such equipment negates all previous savings efforts. It makes little sense to create a budget storage system, if in the end you need to purchase expensive devices for network access. Wouldn’t it be more logical to immediately follow the first path described in the introductory part of this article and build storage systems solely on hardware from well-known brands or just buy a turnkey solution?
The second option at first glance seems not so simple - to find a reliable, productive, but inexpensive equipment from a less “promoted” manufacturer. It is important to immediately determine the necessary parameters.
Since we are talking about building a network for storing and accessing data, performance and fault tolerance come to the fore.
It is extremely important that the switches have good internal hardware, first of all, a dedicated high-performance processor and sufficient RAM. Equally important is the operating system optimized for the respective tasks.
If we talk about data transfer speed, then 10 Gigabit Ethernet looks like the best solution for today. 10GBE network cards have been built in to server motherboards for quite a long time. Often, 1 Gigabit Ethernet is used only for connecting workstations, and on server hardware it is found less and less.
40 Gigabit Ethernet and 100 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces are not used as often. I have not seen 40 GBE embedded in server motherboards yet.
On this basis, the requirements for the manufacturer emerge.
This should not be NoName equipment or from the lowest price category. Devices from little-known vendors are applicable only after extended testing for fault tolerance and MTBF.
Despite the fact that for switchboards, withdrawal from support and other troubles are not so critical if anti-Russian sanctions are triggered, it’s still not worth it. Another point: sanctions can complicate the purchase of equipment in addition to the one already in use, and you will still have to look for another manufacturer and arrange a “zoo”.
If you do not want to get such problems, you can choose equipment from Russian manufacturers or search among vendors who do not support sanctions against Russia.
It is worth noting the fact that Russian companies relatively recently began to work actively in this market segment. If we are talking about access level switches, for example, to connect workstations to the network, then using the offer of Russian companies is a very good idea. But for the organization of the network infrastructure of storage systems require high-speed proven solutions. The price of the issue in the event of a failure and subsequent data loss can be very high.
You can buy or take on testing several domestic devices and conduct independent research. But how much time can it take, not to mention other resources?
Therefore, it is better to use proven solutions from vendors who are loyal to Russia and have managed to gain some popularity. The most famous are HUAWEI and Zyxel.
Unfortunately, HUAWEI could not find switches with ports exclusively for twisted pair copper conductors. The use of transceivers (adapters) implies additional costs.
But Zyxel has two quite interesting series of 10 GBE switches with “copper ports”:
12-port 10GbE Smart Switch - XS1920 Series
24-port 10GbE L2 + Switch - XS3700 Series
Zyxel XS1920-12 Switch
To build low-cost networks of small organizations, the version with the 12 port Zyxel XS1920 Series looks quite interesting: the low price combined with a good hardware component:
The firmware uses the Zyxel development system ZyNOS V4.30 ((AASR.1) C0), a specialized OS for managing switches.
Among the standard features useful in organizing storage systems: Jumbo Frame, VLAN and LAG are present in this device.
Create your own storage system that meets the requirements - not so simple, but it is quite possible.
One of the main issues is competent task setting and selection of equipment for its implementation. As you can see, the modern market of network equipment is ready to provide the right solution.
The next article will discuss the practical aspects of building small storage networks.
Nevertheless, most of these techniques one way or another can be reduced to one of three directions ...
Three ways to storage
The first way is to make a bet on widely advertised solutions from famous brands. When the equipment is bought the most famous and expensive manufacturers. A similar system is installed and maintained solely by highly paid specialists who have been trained in courses from a vendor and have passed the certificate exam.
Such a system is quite reliable, productive and, of course, expensive.
Of course, life dictates its own compromises, but if we talk about the approach strategy, this is what is described above.
An example of this approach is, for example, storage systems from Dell EMC with Brocade Fiber Channel-based data transmission medium. Among the Russian systems it is difficult to name the same well-known and "venerable" manufacturers.
')
The second way lies in the acquisition of ready-made solutions "turnkey". If in the first option there was some element of uncertainty at the stage of selecting the manufacturer, equipment, performance, and the like, then in the second case everything is already assembled, tested and fully ready for work.
An example of such an approach is the Polybite system from the Russian company LLC RCNCTEC. If we talk about foreign manufacturers, then comes to mind storage in the IBM Pure Systems.
The third way is more or less complete control over the system being created. That is, the system architect, engineer, or administrator chooses the storage configuration himself, selects the equipment, often from different manufacturers, relying not only on a familiar name, but also on his knowledge and experience.
If we talk about what approach is preferable, then you need to take into account many factors. Among them:
- How much money is budgeted?
- What data growth is expected for a certain period of time?
- What are the requirements for fault tolerance and minimum downtime?
- How will data access be organized?
- Who will install, connect and maintain this system?
- How will the backup be performed?
And so on.
As you can see, this is a rather difficult task.
Therefore, complex systems of the Enterprise level to the first two directions, in which there are less "dark places" and "white spots" for the designer. At the same time, large business is willing to accept relatively high costs in exchange for a proven approach, an extended warranty and support from the vendor.
However, if we are talking about relatively small enterprises, which, accordingly, need a not so powerful data storage system, then the situation is somewhat different.
In the first place in this case, most often goes budget savings. The second place according to tradition is taken by the simplicity of implementation.
Of course, any organization, large or small, cares about the safety of its data, the availability of access to it and the solution of such issues as the ability to increase storage volumes. But when the budget is limited, and the IT infrastructure itself is not so complicated, then for small enterprises it will be more profitable to purchase equipment on their own and then create a data storage system.
And here there are two options: buy ready-made low-cost storage or make your own, based on popular solutions, for example, specialized distributions of open operating systems. Such as Linux, FreeBSD or Open Indiana.
Data Access Network
We missed something, didn't we?
All this time, they carefully considered on the basis of what to build a data storage system, but the question remained: “How to organize access to it?”
That is, you need a network. In this case, the network may be needed for data exchange with client devices, and for storage management.
First of all, we will define the data transmission medium. This term implies a purely hardware aspect - how exactly is the transfer (transfer) of a unit of information from a physical transmitter to a receiver. Today we can distinguish two main areas:
- Copper cable (usually twisted pair with an RJ45 connector);
- Fiber (based on SFP + connector).
NOTE . Often the manufacturer offers a universal, or, as they say, convergent solution for the medium of data transmission. In this case, the same port on the network equipment can be used either for twisted pair, or for fiber optic connection. This versatility is achieved through the use of appropriate adapters - transceivers.
Building a data transmission medium using fiber is much more expensive. If the enterprise is small and all the equipment (both server and storage) is housed in several racks or cabinets next to each other, you can easily choose a copper cable.
Most low-cost storage systems are designed for operation in local IP networks based on the Ethernet family and much less often on the basis of the Fiber Channel standard using the appropriate equipment (fabric).
The situation is similar in popular distributions for building self-made storage systems, such as FreeNAS. For such solutions, IP networks are the main or even the only working environment.
Now it remains to choose the equipment. You can give preference to devices from well-known, widely advertised brands such as Cisco, Brocade, Juniper.
This option is good because there is no need to ask questions of reliability, performance, as well as search for information on configuration, maintenance and so on.
The downside is the fact that the purchase of such equipment negates all previous savings efforts. It makes little sense to create a budget storage system, if in the end you need to purchase expensive devices for network access. Wouldn’t it be more logical to immediately follow the first path described in the introductory part of this article and build storage systems solely on hardware from well-known brands or just buy a turnkey solution?
The second option at first glance seems not so simple - to find a reliable, productive, but inexpensive equipment from a less “promoted” manufacturer. It is important to immediately determine the necessary parameters.
Criteria for the selection of network equipment for budget storage
Since we are talking about building a network for storing and accessing data, performance and fault tolerance come to the fore.
It is extremely important that the switches have good internal hardware, first of all, a dedicated high-performance processor and sufficient RAM. Equally important is the operating system optimized for the respective tasks.
If we talk about data transfer speed, then 10 Gigabit Ethernet looks like the best solution for today. 10GBE network cards have been built in to server motherboards for quite a long time. Often, 1 Gigabit Ethernet is used only for connecting workstations, and on server hardware it is found less and less.
40 Gigabit Ethernet and 100 Gigabit Ethernet interfaces are not used as often. I have not seen 40 GBE embedded in server motherboards yet.
On this basis, the requirements for the manufacturer emerge.
This should not be NoName equipment or from the lowest price category. Devices from little-known vendors are applicable only after extended testing for fault tolerance and MTBF.
Despite the fact that for switchboards, withdrawal from support and other troubles are not so critical if anti-Russian sanctions are triggered, it’s still not worth it. Another point: sanctions can complicate the purchase of equipment in addition to the one already in use, and you will still have to look for another manufacturer and arrange a “zoo”.
If you do not want to get such problems, you can choose equipment from Russian manufacturers or search among vendors who do not support sanctions against Russia.
It is worth noting the fact that Russian companies relatively recently began to work actively in this market segment. If we are talking about access level switches, for example, to connect workstations to the network, then using the offer of Russian companies is a very good idea. But for the organization of the network infrastructure of storage systems require high-speed proven solutions. The price of the issue in the event of a failure and subsequent data loss can be very high.
You can buy or take on testing several domestic devices and conduct independent research. But how much time can it take, not to mention other resources?
Therefore, it is better to use proven solutions from vendors who are loyal to Russia and have managed to gain some popularity. The most famous are HUAWEI and Zyxel.
Unfortunately, HUAWEI could not find switches with ports exclusively for twisted pair copper conductors. The use of transceivers (adapters) implies additional costs.
But Zyxel has two quite interesting series of 10 GBE switches with “copper ports”:
12-port 10GbE Smart Switch - XS1920 Series
24-port 10GbE L2 + Switch - XS3700 Series
Zyxel XS1920-12 Switch
To build low-cost networks of small organizations, the version with the 12 port Zyxel XS1920 Series looks quite interesting: the low price combined with a good hardware component:
- The processor is a CAVIUM 7010 800MHZ. [five]
- RAM - 128Mb.
The firmware uses the Zyxel development system ZyNOS V4.30 ((AASR.1) C0), a specialized OS for managing switches.
Among the standard features useful in organizing storage systems: Jumbo Frame, VLAN and LAG are present in this device.
Instead of conclusion
Create your own storage system that meets the requirements - not so simple, but it is quite possible.
One of the main issues is competent task setting and selection of equipment for its implementation. As you can see, the modern market of network equipment is ready to provide the right solution.
The next article will discuss the practical aspects of building small storage networks.
Sources
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/351260/
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