This article is still under construction.

There are several options for disaster recovery and high availability. There's host based solutions, array based solutions, and virtualization solutions. Which to pick? We're going through a pretty crazy test of products, but we have the same problem as everyone else, we have tons of different storage vendors. So do you pick host based replication solutions, probably not. Do you pick array based solutions, sure, those will work. What about adding another layer of complexity to the solution and add an in-band virtualization solution? Or implement something like EMC RecoverPoint and only worry about replication with one thing, and keep array based solutions for specific tasks? So many things to choose from.

Storage resource management (SRM):

Storage resource management (SRM) is the process of optimizing the efficiency and speed with which the available drive space is utilized in a storage area network (SAN). In recent years, numerous programs have become available that can help SAN administrators accomplish this task. This diverts the burden of performing the chore manually, which can be considerable, away from administrators.

Functions of an SRM program include data storage, data collection, data backup, data recovery, SAN performance analysis, storage virtualization, storage provisioning, forecasting of future needs, maintenance of activity logs, user authentication, protection from hackers and worms, and management of network expansion. An SRM solution may be offered as a stand-alone product, or as part of an integrated program suite.

Webcast:

Advanced SAN School Lesson Three: SAN Management and Security

http://www.bitpipe.com/detail/RES/1209146982_177.html

Products:

FalconStor Network Storage Server (NSS) for the Enterprise

FalconStor® NSS provides high-performance SAN primary storage combined with enterprise-class storage virtualization, provisioning, and management. Thin provisioning and capacity-on-demand capabilities help automate storage resource allocation and capacity management while virtualization provides centralized management for heterogeneous storage environments. FalconStor NSS includes the FalconStor TimeMark® snapshot capability for transactionally consistent, instant recovery to known points in time—helping IT meet recovery point objectives (RPO) and recovery time objectives (RTO). Data stored on FalconStor NSS appliances may be replicated to another NSS appliance via IP for realtime disaster recovery (DR) protection. Delta-based FalconStor Replication uses FalconStor MicroScan™ technology, which reduces the amount of data being transferred by sending only the changed sectors within a block. Replication includes encryption for security and compression for reduced bandwidth requirements. FalconStor NSS appliances are available with internal and external storage.

http://www.falconstor.com/en/pages/?pn=NSSEnterprise

http://www.falconstor.com/?tk=3ZFEFE0C342613736E42B6019882DEA2

SANRAD StoragePro software

StoragePro software is integrated inside the V-Switch and provides comprehensive storage management and virtualization services. StoragePro ensures simple and efficient use of storage resources for hundreds of connected servers. Its open system architecture provides complete storage flexibility, enabling IT managers to manage a single virtual pool of storage from any vendor. Because there are no incremental costs for adding servers, volumes, or storage capacity, companies gain significant cost savings over other offerings in the market.

http://www.sanrad.com/products/storage_pro_software.aspx

http://www.sanrad.com/downloads/WhitePapers/Simpliying_Storage_Management_Final.pdf

Northern Storage Suite

A software solution that offers a user-focused method for generating efficient storage usage.

http://northern.net/nss/

http://northern.net/download/files/NSS_Evaluation_Guide.pdf

CA Storage Resource Manager

Centralized monitoring and policy-based automation helps reduce your costs and administration time by simplifying the management of complex enterprise storage environments, maximizing your use of existing storage resources and ensuring the protection and high availability of critical business information.

http://ca.com/us/products/product.aspx?id=1541

http://ca.com/files/DataSheets/bs_srm_datasheet.pdf

Sun StorageTek Operations Manager

Software provides open, integrated, heterogeneous storage area management. With this software, IT organizations can discover, visualize, monitor, report on, chargeback on, and provision complex multi-vendor storage networks from a single Web-based enterprise platform with unprecedented simplicity and speed. Once the software's automated capabilities have replaced the error-prone, inefficient point tools, spreadsheets, and whiteboards currently used to manage storage operations, its flexible development tools and customizable policy and reporting engines can be used to create an internal storage utility that aligns storage infrastructure with business objectives.

http://www.sun.com/storagetek/management_software/resource_management/operations_manager/

http://www.sun.com/storagetek/management_software/resource_management/operations_manager/features.xml

HP Storage Essentials Storage Resource Management Enterprise Edition Software

The award winning HP Storage Essentials Storage Resource Management Enterprise Edition Software Suite simplifies enterprise heterogeneous (DAS, SAN, and NAS) management with powerful SRM provisioning, storage metering, customized reporting, business application and backup monitoring, with end to end to performance management. Storage Essentials SRM Software integrates with HP System Insight Manager to provide unified server and storage management; while integration with HP Service Desk software delivers integrated end-to-end IT services management. Include HP Data Protector and you have a powerful solution to monitor the overall status of the entire backup process as well as visualize backup configuration and recoverability. The architecture is built on industry standards, allowing for quick deployment, with the agility to easily manage, monitor and react to change, and investment protection so you can minimize the costs of adopting, and upgrading storage resources.

http://h18006.www1.hp.com/storage/software/srmgt/index.html

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12191_na/12191_na.pdf

Onaro SANscreen

provides real-time, independent feedback that all devices in the SAN are working together to meet the services required by an application. Maintaining SANs with limited personnel is a key operational challenge for SME customers. SANscreen SME Edition enables organizations to gain the operational efficiencies of SANscreen Foundation, but on a smaller scale. These operational efficiencies can be extensive as adding incremental headcount to meet storage growth can sometimes represent a 100% expansion of an SME's storage team. SANscreen SME has been shown to provide immediate ROI for these companies.

http://www.onaro.com/products_SME_Edition.html

http://www.onaro.com/kc_demos.html

Veritas CommandCentral Storage

Veritas CommandCentral Storage 5.0 is a storage resource management solution that provides centralized visibility and control across heterogeneous storage environments while reducing risks and costs.

http://www.symantec.com/business/products/overview.jsp;jsessionid=4260F239EAAEB1EC624B3BAC5FDDC417?pcid=psc_storage_mgmt&pvid=19_1

http://www4.symantec.com/Vrt/wl?a_id=43041&dest_url=153-225-197-133-113-114-101-94-135-223-173-110-142-182-142-39-102-86-13-53-231-17-34-226-250-253-199-254-100-57-141-75-11-19-19-119-68-136-49-165-10-37-79-25-176-178-63-209-111-50-151-105-122-64-250-136-39-86-97-152-55-235-185-100-208-251-21-77-61-25-9-128-14-14-170-119-25-211-212-25-77-17-40-52-77-242-91-22-247-231-135-190-187-218-104-137-24-209-48-188-141-24-239-180&isEncr=Y&

Tek-Tools Storage Profiler

Storage Profiler delivers agentless heterogeneous monitoring and reporting, in both physical and virtual environments.
http://www.tek-tools.com/jsp/storage.jsp