Capacity management for storage can be difficult

Doing capacity management for storage can be difficult with the many complex and varied technologies being used.

Given all of the options available for data storage strategy, a clear understanding of the architecture is important in identifying performance and capacity concerns. A technician looking at metrics on a server is often seeing only the tip of a storage iceberg.

However, the host view is important when looking at measured I/O response. If response times are severely impacted on a busy server, then end users of the hosted applications will also be impacted. High response at the OS typically originates somewhere in the backend storage infrastructure. Tracking and reporting on key metrics at the host and backend storage controllers can prevent these incidents from occurring.

Having the right tools in place can be the difference between prevention and firefighting.

Proactively getting in front of incidents before they happen is what capacity management is all about.

There are times when historical trending and analysis is not sufficient to forecast future events that will impact a backend storage environment. Being able to forecast and model data from your backend storage controllers, can provide a proactive capability for making important decisions.

Events such as acquisitions, consolidations, big projects, etc. can have a large impact on your storage performance when they occur.

Planning for these types of events with the proper tools can greatly reduce the risk to the end user.

I'll be hosting a free webinar on April 11th where I'll discuss ways to prevent performance problems in your storage environment and you can register for this event now.http://www.metron-athene.com/services/training/webinars/index.html.

Dale Feiste
Consultant