Easier SAN Management
Called Bluefin, the SAN management specification can identify, classify, monitor and control physical and logical resources across the enterprise using a common transport for communication to the Storage Networking Industry Association. Bluefin employs technology from the Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) and Common Information Model (CIM) initiatives.
WBEM is a set of tools designed to unify enterprise computing management, while CIM provides a conceptual view of physical and logical system
components.
LEXICON OF STORAGE INTEROPERABILITY
>> BLUEFIN: A SAN interface that manages physical and logical resources across the enterprise via a common transport.
>> CIM: Common Information Model. Provides a conceptual view of physical and logical system components.
>> WBEM: WEB-BASED ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT. A set of Web-based enterprise management tools designed to unify enterprise computing management.
Storage leader EMC is adopting Bluefin, WBEM and CIM for its WideSky multiplatform storage management software, but the Hopkinton, Mass.-based company also is looking to exchange APIs with other vendors or develop its own compatible APIs, an EMC spokesperson said.
Other companies that worked on Bluefin include BMC Software, Brocade Communications, Computer Associates International, Dell Computer, Emulex, Gadzoox, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi, IBM, JNI, Prisa Networks, QLogic, Sun Microsystems and Veritas Software.
Michael Fanelli, western regional manager at Sales Strategies, a Metuchen, N.J., solution provider, called vendors' efforts to promote product interoperability in SANs a double-edged sword. "Integrators spend a lot of time putting things together. We are the glue. If vendors offer interoperability, that's part of our value-add," Fanelli said. "On the other hand, if vendors adopt interoperability, customers can move forward faster in storage than [they can with proprietary systems."
Improved SAN interoperability will give end users a wider choice of storage components, better access to the latest technology and competitive pricing, said Dan Carson, vice president of marketing at Open Systems Solutions, a Yardley, Pa., storage solution provider.
Because no two vendors' storage devices look or act the same, management has become more critical in determining whether an enterprise will move toward centralized or decentralized storage, Carson said. As a result, companies are investing in specialized storage managers to handle tasks that could be automated with the right tools, he said.