Iscsi Server Consolidation; Server Consolidation - McDATA StorageWorks 2/140 - Director Switch Planning Manual

Implementing SAN Internetworking Solutions
4
iSCSI Server
Consolidation
McDATA Products in a SAN Environment - Planning Manual
4-60
Many enterprise-level IT departments have deployed decentralized
computing configurations that include low-end, iSCSI-enabled
servers directly attached to storage. While server acquisition costs are
typically low, licensing and maintenance costs are often very high in
terms of dollars and personnel time. The decentralized infrastructure
also causes availability and reliability problems. For example:
• Many servers quickly run out of peripheral component
interconnect (PCI) slots for adding direct-attached disk adapters.
In addition, there is no room internal to the server to add hard
drives. Therefore, more servers must be purchased.
• There is no ability to connect a server with ample disk space to
another server with insufficient disk space. Efficient disk
utilization is not possible.
• The failure rate of inexpensive external disks is high. In addition,
server downtime must be planned to perform disk
administration.
• Administrators work long hours (nights and weekends) to
perform server maintenance, system updates, and other critical
tasks. This leads to personnel dissatisfaction.
Server consolidation addresses cost, time, and availability issues by
providing iSCSI-based server connectivity to a Fibre Channel storage
fabric. Figure 4-15

iSCSI Server Consolidation

Figure 4-15
illustrates iSCSI server consolidation.