The need to develop data archiving capabilities is a challenge that every enterprise faces these days for any or all of several needs: whether to accommodate explosive data growth; to respond to the pressure to meet promised service levels and backup windows for users; to provide archive data retention and retrieval requirements; and to better manage rising energy costs. Dean Halbeisen's Sun BluePrints Online paper "Sun Systems for Sun StorageTek Enterprise Backup Software" (login or registration required) details the openly architected, intelligent and massively scalable general purpose archive solutions Sun is developing to assist enterprise users in meeting these challenges.

These solutions employ the Sun StorageTek Enterprise Backup software powered by the Sun CoolThreads servers and the Solaris Operating System (Solaris OS) to deliver next-generation data protection for large and small heterogeneous environments. The flexible, multitier architecture provides virtually unlimited scalability with central management and end-to-end data protection across heterogeneous technologies, Halbeisen writes. His paper describes the Sun reference architecture for next-generation data backup using StorageTek Enterprise Backup software in the following three section:

• “Architecture Overview,” which presents the hardware and software components used to implement the reference architecture

• “Implementation and Configuration,” which describes the hardware configuration details and suggested tuning for the Solaris OS and StorageTek Enterprise Backup software

• “Performance Characterization and Sizing,” which includes details on the testing performed to help guide sizing and implementation recommendations.

The paper explains that the Sun reference architecture for next-generation data backup was designed as a solution for performing network backups of heterogeneous clients. Based on common implementations of existing customer environments, the target environment included backup clients connected via a local area network (LAN) with 1 Gb Ethernet network links. The client network included a mix of Windows, Linux, HP/UX, AIX, and Solaris operating systems.

Sun CoolThreads servers with Chip Multithreading Technology (CMT) running the Solaris 10 OS were used as the foundation of the StorageTek Enterprise Backup reference architecture, Halbeisen continues. The Sun SPARC Enterprise T5120, T5220, and T5240 servers and the Sun Blade T6320 server module, all powered by UltraSPARC T2 or T2 Plus processors, were evaluated as backup servers. A wide variety of backup devices, including disk arrays, tape drives and tape libraries, NAS appliances, and virtual tape libraries, were tested as part of the reference architecture.

Achieving a competitive price/performance metric for this backup solution was a key objective of this reference architecture, the author explains. Additional objectives included determining performance and sizing characteristics of the proposed architecture. This evaluation included establishing the number of backup targets from Sun’s backup target portfolio that could be supported, along with an understanding of the configuration.

Halbeisen concludes his paper with the position that the Sun reference architecture for next-generation data backup, powered by the Sun CoolThreads servers with Chip Multithreading Technology and using Sun StorageTek Enterprise Backup 7.5 software (StorageTek EBS), provides an excellent backup solution for heterogeneous networks. The StorageTek Enterprise Backup software provides a comprehensive end-to-end data archive solution, with centralized management for simplified administration. The scalable architecture easily adapts to growing storage demands, and given the high performance and capacity of this solution, existing SAN backups can be consolidated and migrated to more cost-efficient network backups, he writes.

With this highly flexible Sun reference architecture in place, enterprise users will enjoy virtually unlimited scalability supported by the generic StorageTek EBS backup software and the capability to increase the number of storage node servers according to business needs. Furthermore, employing Sun CoolThreads servers with Chip Multithreading Technology and the Sun StorageTek Enterprise Backup software enables companies to implement cost-effective and powerful backup solutions for the largest, most diverse environments. Halbeisen reminds readers that the Sun Try and Buy program allows customers to test drive these solutions at no cost.

More Information

Sun StorageTek Enterprise Backup Software

Sun Chip Multithreading (CMT) Servers

Sun Storage Products

Solaris OS internals tuning

More on Solaris OS internals tuning

Halbeisen's article

Sun Try and Buy program [...read more...]

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