CommVault introduces an updated version of their all-encompassing Simpana suite

CommVault is one of those enterprise IT companies that likes to go their own way. A spin-out of AT&T’s famed Bell Labs, CommVault’s Simpana software integrates many aspects of data management, from backup to e-discovery, under one umbrella. Last year, the company impressed me by adding cloud storage as a backup target equal in status to disk and traditional tape. Now the company is doing the same for storage-based snapshots, accelerating data protection for virtual machines.

Simpana 9: A Broad Update

Nearly every aspect of CommVault’s Simpana 9 is refreshed, though development and unveiling has been an ongoing process throughout the year. Following Simpana 8 by two years, the new software integrates work done integrating cloud storage and virtual machine backup over the last year or so. The “data management” portion of the product (including backup, archiving, and replication) was detailed this week, and one expects more information about the other half (“information management”) to be forthcoming.

Simpana 9 is available as of October 5 from OEMs, resellers, also direct from CommVault. Pricing is simplified this time around with CommVault using a capacity licensing model. Cost is based on the largest backup or archiving job, though the old licensing model still still available. A “circuit breaker reset” allows the system to go over the licensed level temporarily in a pinch.

Pick Your Target: Tape, Disk, Cloud, or Snapshot

There has been a long-standing back-and-forth discussion in the enterprise backup community regarding snapshots as backups. My stance has been that, while snapshots are certainly a more-effective mechanism for copying data than dump-to-tape, it takes more than data to have a useful backup. Any system worth using must schedule, manage, organize, and recover data. Therefore, although snapshot-based backup is a good idea, it wasn’t ready for prime time until it was integrated with a solid backup management system.

Elevating snapshots as a first-class backup target is exactly what CommVault is doing. Just as their earlier releases added cloud as a backup target, Simpana 9 makes snapshots just another option. Commvault recognizes that needs change over the lifecycle of a backup, and the location of data should change, too. A snapshot makes an excellent “operational recovery” target, allowing frequent copying and quick restore, but is sub-optimal for long-term archiving. Conversely, tape is a poor frequent target due to its linear nature but has proven itself for long-term offline archive.

Simpana 8 supported HDS and Dell for snapshots, now Simpana 9 adds volume leaders EMC and NetApp, along with HP, IBM, LSI, and Sun. Data is indexed and cataloged, and these are stored with the data on disk, tape, or cloud for later access. Speaking of cloud, Simpana 9 supports Amazon, Azure, Nirvanix, Rackspace, Iron Mountain, EMC Atmos, Dell DX, and HDS HCP.

You might also want to read CommVault Gives Cloud Storage A Seat At The Adult Table

VM Backup Acceleration

CommVault was demonstrating their abilities to back up machines using VMware VADP at VMworld. There, they took just 17 minutes to back up 500 machines using snapshots on an IBM XIV storage array. I imagine most of the supported platforms could do just as well.

Simpana 9 automatically discovers running guests using VMware vCenter. This allows for daily movement of machines since they are located each time and the backups are coordinated for universal, consistent coverage. No machines will be missed, either. In fact, given that many snapshots work on a block level, it would be impossible to not backup up clients sharing the same LUN.

On the back side, Simpana uses an ESXi proxy to grab snap content and catalog the virtual machines contained there. It then moves the data off to disk, tape, or cloud just like any other backup content.

CommVault is also working on Hyper-V support, using VSS rather than VADP.

Universal Dedupe

The third element of Simpana 9 is integrated source and target deduplication. Simpana’s client software deduplicates local data on its own before sending it to the server. These deduped blocks are then checked against the universal set on the server before being stored, potentially bringing a “best of both worlds” solution to the source-versus-target argument.

Migration to Simpana 9 From NetBackup and TSM

One of the long-standing criticisms of Simpana is that it was just too far-reaching for easy testing, migration, and uptake. It has been seen as an all-or-nothing proposition, requiring a commitment that is hard to win and harder to back away from in the event of trouble.

Simpana 9 addresses part of this concern with a so-called “Fast Pass” migration system that allows configuration to be pulled in from more-traditional backup products for a seamless transition. The Simpana data connector talks to NBU 6.0, 6.5, 7.0 and TSM 6.1 master server, discovers backup policies, and imports these (clients, schedule, history, etc) into the new configuration. Then automatic install software pushes CommVault agents into place and takes over operations, leaving the old system running for historical recoveries only.

Stephen’s Stance

I love the idea of promoting data from operational snapshots to tape or cloud for archiving. And I love the idea that end-users can choose the combination that fits their needs within a unified package. I’ve long been a fan of CommVault’s products, and this upgrade makes them that much more compelling. I’ll leave it to wiser minds to debate their implementation and effectiveness, but it sure looks good for me. The simplified licensing and purchasing model is welcome, too – backup is a thorny combination of pricing models.

The idea of migrating seamlessly from old to new is interesting, but I wonder how well it will work in practice. My time as a backup consultant taught me that these environments tend to be complicated, finicky, and outdated. It’s nice that CommVault can read in a TSM 6.1 configuration, but what about older versions? The same goes for NetBackup. And will it correctly handle the weird rule sets found there? But a greater issue is whether it should import the old settings at all: Perhaps migrating to a new backup system is a good time to revisit the assumptions behind your configuration!

All in all, Simpana 9 looks like a compelling update for CommVault lovers or those disaffected by their current platform. Organizations having difficulty meeting backup windows should also give it a look, since the snapshot technology should be a big help there. And anyone looking at cloud storage as a backup and archiving target should start with CommVault. Others will certainly be intrigued, but I am not sure that they will be compelled to upgrade by these features alone.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | CommVault Simpana 9 Takes Backup To A New Level
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Gestalt IT, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

CommVault is bringing a new dish to dinner: Cloud storage!

If your family was like mine, Thanksgiving was a two-tiered affair: The adults sat at the fancy dining room table while the kids had to sit in the kitchen, some even using a card table and folding chairs. You knew you were grown up when you moved up to the adult table. I guess this American coming-of-age ritual is pretty common with other rituals, too. There’s no formal ceremony, but everyone knows when little Johnny becomes just-plain John.

We see similar things happen in IT. New technologies and ideas are often given a pat on the head, a pinch on the cheek, but then sent to the kids table in the kitchen. Only mature technologies are taken seriously and granted equal status when enterprise architectures are defined!

One sure-fire way of determining when a technology is ready for prime time is when it is integrated with a major enterprise product. Sure, lots of products will support this or that, but thoroughly integrating a new technology requires serious effort. Not just any technology gets this kind of focus!

That’s why I’m pleased to see today’s announcement that CommVault has completely integrated API-driven public cloud storage with Simpana, their impressive data protection and archiving suite. It reminds me of that point when the backup products of yore finally adopted disk-based technology. Now there are three equal backup targets: Tape, disk, and cloud.

CommVault calls their new integrated cloud storage "Farline" - as opposed to "Nearline", get it?

CommVault’s reputation in the storage industry is like BMW’s in cars: They’re an engineering-driven company and focus on offering the best technology. There’s no way CommVault would cut corners when it came to a fundamental technology. So they applied considerable engineering resources and delivered a really advanced product.

I’ve previously noted that cloud storage is not backup, but that the combination of cloud storage with a solid backup platform makes a killer data protection value proposition. This is exactly what CommVault is delivering. Plus, Simpana’s integrated encryption and data deduplication technology work to reduce cloud-related angst. And CommVault will be supporting just about every public cloud provider, beginning with Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, and Nirvanix (where I spend my days), and I hear Iron Mountain and EMC Atmos are on the way, too.

Read more over at Network World, DGIC, or check out my Nirvanix blog about CommVault’s cloud integration.

Note: Yeah, that’s a Tofurkey-brand vegetarian turkey in the photo above. Yum!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2010. | CommVault Gives Cloud Storage A Seat At The Adult Table
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Evaluating and adopting new storage technologies often takes weeks, months and sometimes years! Certain applications of cloud storage, however, transcend these timelines. In his presentation Stephen Foskett will present 3 Enterprise storage problems that can be solved today using your existing infrastructure:

1. Get critical data off-site now
2. Implement true tiered storage
3. Create a scalable archive

All three use cases will include essential input for your business case, including TCO/ROI and critical success factors.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2009. | Columbus, OH Event: 3 Enterprise Storage Problems You Can Solve Today
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Enterprise Storage

• HDS’ HAM-Fisted Announcement did not impress, with many wondering (So Long And Thanks For All The Fish) what exactly the company had announced. But by week’s end (USP-V and Hitachi High Availability Manager) we had figured out How It Works and even had some time for jokes.
• What should be in the cloud? How about some profiling questions nobody’s asking re: cloud applications
• Want your own iSCSI array? StarWind has responded to your comments, 2TB at no cost!
• What Is a Backup? Some great discussion (Backup to the Future) and a solution: When Is A Copy A Backup?
• Howard Marks is also doing a great job with backup and archiving: See Of Backups and Archives, Storing Archival Data – Part Deux, and All Archive Data is Not Alike
• I joined Chris Evans, Marc Farley, and Greg Knierieman for Infosmack Episode #6 – HDS USP-V announcement, EMC non-competes and changes at VMworld
• ‘Nuff said: And people wonder why I hate HP, Google Could Learn a Thing or Two from EMC, Virtualization: Why Microsoft cares

Misc

• Tim O’Reilly took a look at a technology I just didn’t get, but changed my mind with Google Wave: What Might Email Look Like If It Were Invented Today?
• Want a crazy car to get your mind off of GM and Chrysler? How about the 500-hp Ariel Atom 500 V8
• A wonderfully long and detailed article: Lessons from the Vaccine–Autism Wars
• Finally, take a look at this amazing video: Louis CK “Everything’s amazing, nobody’s happy”

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2009. | Back From The Pile: May 30, 2009
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

IT infrastructure is following consumer technology out of the data center glass house and into the wide world

Dave Hitz over at NetApp poses a very interesting question: What is the ten-year trend in information technology that we are currently building to? He supplies these historical examples:

• 1982-1992: A computer on every (business) desk
• 1990s: Networking all those computers

He then goes on to suggest three ten-year trends that we might currently be living through:

1. Cloud/Outsourced Computing
2. Server Virtualization
3. Flash Memory

Although I agree on the importance of these three to enterprise IT, I don’t think they’ll be seen as the megatrends of this decade in hindsight. I suggest that, more than anything, we are witnessing a wholesale shift from information tied to place/device to information mobility. Cloud computing, server virtualization, and even flash memory are all contributors to this massive trend, along with the user-side trends of the post-PDA mobile phone, 3G data, social web services, and connected home.

What Is Mobility?

The meaning of mobility, to me, is expansive. It doesn’t just refer to taking a copy of your data with you, ubiquitous connectivity, or portable devices. Mobility is a new paradigm of computing.

• Your data no longer “sits” in one place – your data lives out there in the network!
• Your applications no longer “live” on this device or that – your applications live out there in the network!
• Your productivity environment no longer requires a particular piece of hardware – you expect to be productive everywhere on every device!

This doesn’t sound strange to the modern Internet user. We have completely accepted the role of Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Wikipedia and the rest in our personal lives. Just as they did in the early days of the PC, business people have transitioned these concepts into the professional world – witness Salesforce and LinkedIn! In all cases, we have endorsed the idea that certain types of information want to live in the cloud because it makes them better!

Once you’ve used these services, old-fashioned email, contact management, encyclopedias, maps, and the rest seem incredibly limiting. A GPS system that can’t update its maps seems antiquated, and we want it to have real-time traffic data, too. An iPod that needs to be physically connected to a PC to add music or applications is simply unacceptable. Time- and place-shifting technologies like TiVo To Go, over-the-air podcast downloads, and Slingboxes reset our expectations about availability and choice of entertainment, but they are mere symptoms of our changing perceptions. We want mobility of data, applications, and platforms, and we are getting it.

Consider two truly revolutionary platforms: the iPhone and the netbook. In both cases, we knowingly accept limitations in the name of portability, knowing that the cloud will give us what we can’t hold in our hands. These devices are limited in ways that would seem inconceivable just a few years ago: Apple has locked their platform up tighter than any in history, and netbooks are too small, underpowered, and cheap in all senses of the word. But we love them because they get us where we want to go, which is up and out!

Mobility and Enterprise IT

The concept of mobile data, applications, and devices is just as applicable to enterprise IT infrastructure as it is to personal technology. Some enterprise data must be kept close to the vest, especially where privacy laws and litigation concerns are applicable. But there is certainly a vast pool of corporate data that wants to be out working in the field! Setting this data free is the enterprise equivalent of the mobility megatrend!

Cloud computing is hype. Server virtualization is hype. Flash storage is hype. XaaS is hype. Web 2.0 is hype. But once the cloud of hype passes, we will be left with solid technologies to enable mobility and transform corporate computing. Why should corporate email have to punch through your firewall? Why should the intranet be limited to internal or VPN users? Why can’t customers interact with a (limited/controlled) set of your corporate records? Salesforce showed us that roaming users (sales teams) need greater access than most IT staff were ready to build. What if we applied the same ideas to other data types?

Many companies are already doing this. Microsoft offers a variety of internal/external services for their customers through Live (see Connect, for example). Many companies are using mail and productivity applications in the cloud from Google, MessageOne, and Zimbra. Backup and archiving as a service to mobile users is widespread (see Iron Mountain Connected and Mozy). And more and more corporate PR relies on blogs, twitter, and social networking sites. Corporate security and legal types are worried about data “escaping” from the eggshell of control they exert, but this cat is out of the bag. Enterprise IT will never be the same!

It comes down to a single core question that IT folks ought to have been asking themselves all along: What should be held internally and what should be let loose? We already “outsource” many non-core corporate functions. Sometimes we do this for cost reasons. But the most effective outsourcing decision is when a third party will do a better job, offering levels of expertise or service that an internal group could never realistically reach. We already buy enterprise software to leverage outside development (remember, this was not always the case!), so why not also buy enterprise services? Corporate-grade outsourced email, groupware, sales automation, and the like is not only more robust and less expensive than internal systems, they enable a disconnected, mobile workforce.

Today, I Was Angry

I bought a new album from Amazon, but I forgot to sync my iPhone with my laptop, so it was sitting at home when I wanted to listen to it in the car. Then I couldn’t find a colleague’s phone number because he moved to a new company and my address book didn’t automatically update. And I couldn’t review a presentation because I needed a special account to access a corporate document system behind a firewall.

These little accomplishments would have seemed like miracles just a few years ago: I remember the joy I felt ten years ago when I could read a web page offline on my Palm Pilot using AvantGo; I was amazed when I first fired up 802.11a wireless networking and could work anywhere in the office; I was gleeful to be able to take 5 GB of music with me on the train. But all this is past. Today, I want to access my portable data and work anywhere. We are in the midst of a revolution in the mobility and ubiquity of computing.

See my posts on Gestalt IT for similar enterprise IT infrastructure commentary

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2009. | Ten-Year Trend: Mobility
This post was categorized as Apple, Computer History, Enterprise storage, Everything, Personal, Terabyte home, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Storage Magazine has returned with an online edition

Although the dead-tree version of TechTarget’s excellent Storage Magazine is no more, the company today released the premiere issue of its online counterpart! Available as both a web-based magazine and a PDF download, Storage Magazine Online continues with many of the same editors and writers, including Rich Castagna at the helm.

You can still subscribe to the online edition too, so you needn’t miss an issue! Existing qualified subscribers should receive an email today outlining the shift from paper to bits.

One article I’d personally like to highlight is my own piece on consolidated archiving. I put a great deal of effort into the article, and I welcome your comments!

I wish the TechTarget all the best with this transition, and urge you all to check out their work. Now if they would only add all of the back issues as downloadable PDFs as well!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2009. | Introducing Storage Magazine Online!
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

The paper covers the following:

• Reasons for archiving
• Development of multi-source archives
• Different data types (structured, semi-structured, and unstructured)
• Flexibility as policies change
• Legal hold
• Maintaining performance with growth
• Reacting to changing regulations
• Archiving and the FRCP

Hop over to NetApp’s site to take a look at the paper!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2008. | White Paper: Enhanced Archive Platforms with Agility for NetApp
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

1. What are vital records versus ordinary records? I like this suggestion from another attendee: “Vital Record” is, by definition, a record without which the organization could not continue to function.
2. Would you consider Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable receipts and related backup documentations vital records? They may be vital to some businesses and not vital to others. I suspect that these would be much more vital in the short term and much less important after the year is closed out. But I can imagine scenarios where they would be required for decades.
3. It was mentioned that it was risky to scan paper into a electronic format without a written, compact retention policy. My question is this: If you are in the process of setting policy and adding to your policy and procedures manual is it still ok to scan? My boss has pushed for me to begin the conversion process even though I haven’t managed to complete the new policy and procedures. I think this is his way of showing his superiors that we are making progress on a project that they weren’t neccesarily behind in the first place. I would worry that you’ll waste effort scanning documents that shouldn’t be saved. But it’s better to duplicate and waste some effort than to not save at all. So scan away! But get that policy done too!
4. What about TIFF storage? Is that still viable? and For long term storage, why isn’t tiff G4 an option? TIFF is certainly a widely-used format for images, and G3 compressed TIFF will probably be readable a century from now (assuming we’re still here!) Plus, TIFF is (usually) lossless. However, it’s very flexible, and a TIFF file can contain lots of different data – you could easily create a TIFF that won’t be readable next week! Also, there have been some patent/royalty arguments about TIFF and related technologies. Finally, TIFF files tend to be huge (since they’re lossless) compared to other (lossy) formats. I like open standards like PNG better since they’re fully documented and portable, but TIFF is probably a decent choice.
5. When storing paper does the newer printing technology – inkjet, laser etc. match the archival quality of older paper and inks? and What do we need to know about the kind of paper that should be used for long term archiving? I’m concerned that newer technologies, including printer tech, won’t last like old ones. I have impact-printed pages from the 1980s that look like new, and laser-printed pages from the 1990s that are clear and clean. But my old inkjet pages are very faded. Now, this could have to do with the paper I chose, and it could be that old inkjet isn’t a predictor of new inkjet, but I’m skeptical. HP claims that their Vivera inkjet ink will last “108 years”, which seems oddly precise. I guess they took a Photosmart printer back to 1900 and printed out some pages? In all seriousness, be concerned about any claims like this that cannot possibly be tested. And consider handling as well – proper temperature, humidity, and storage will make documents last much, much longer!
6. Dry caskets of nuclear waste are dangerously radioactive for over 10,000 years. Consider the “pancake” drive: titanium disks written with an ion beam in both analog and digital. Even without ASCII, it can be read with an electron microscope. Now that is longterm storage. Do you really trust current formats for 50-100 years? Think of how much change there has been in the last 50 years. and If There was not a question of Blu-ray discs lasting for decades , what is your opinion on the technology as a viable archive solution? I’m skeptical of all unprovable longevity claims, since media has never lived up to them in the past! If I had to guess, I’d say that mechanical devices like disks and tapes will have more problems than plain discs, and that optical will last longer than magnetic. So I bet Blu Ray media will outlive most other current mainstream media.
7. If it isn’t vital you should not convert. On another project (our archives) I am trying to save and prevent any further damage to the records because they are currently stored in a basement with water leaks, rats, and no climate control. Is this instance how do you weigh the vital and non-vital? Specifically, I was asked to bring in outside companies to see what they had to say and get quotes after my warnings and price estimations were rejected. Any suggestions on how to get across the importance of not allowing these records to just rot? Rats don’t make great records managers! Seriously, though, I’d say that something is seriously out of whack when records are stored like this. Maybe you should come in to work one day and claim that all of the records are destroyed and see what reaction you get? But be sure to have another job lined up before you pull this stunt…
8. I just want to point out there is a whole profession that deals with this every day – the Archivist. Information can be found at www.archivists.org – they even have a group of Business Archivists that you can talk to. Thank you for that link – I’ll look into it!
9. Can you provide more information on what Open Standard Format is? I like standards that are well documented in public places – ASCII charts are freely available and widely distributed, for example. These are a message to future generations – when you encounter this file, decode it with this chart! But proprietary formats concern me, especially when their documentation isn’t freely available and open.
10. When will the presentation slides be available? The webinar and slides should be posted at AIIM’s site within two weeks.

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2008. | Thoughts on Long-Term Archiving
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

First, consider whether to store records as atoms or bits. You can convert paper to data or vice versa, and there are pros and cons to both:

• Properly handled physical (paper or film) records should last for hundreds of years and can remain readable without software or devices. But they’re hard to search (you need an index), and paper is bulky, heavy, and difficult to work with.
• Digital records can either be stored offline or kept “alive,” but questions remain about their long-term reliability and readability. Living records can be easy to search and use, and digital storage can be very space-efficient, but data tends to pile up “out of sight.”

Long-term storage of records on physical media is proven – think about papyrus, tablets, gold or nickel discs, film, and paper. But will digital media fare as well? Data tapes and disks can degrade over time, and manufacturer reliability specs are based on accelerated testing, not actual experience. Regardless of media type, careful handling can extend media life.

But will you still be able to read it? Tapes and optical disks require additional hardware to read, while disk drives are paired with their read heads. Software applications are needed to read and interpret data (backup, archiving, compression, encryption, deduplication, database) as well. What about content format? Should you use ASCII, XML, PDF/A?

I’ll be presenting a webinar on this topic tomorrow, Wednesday, December 3, at 2:00 PM Eastern time. Register on-line at the AIIM web site and join me for the discussion!

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2008. | Long-Term Versus Longer-Term Archiving
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.

Although my email archiving session always attracts a smaller crowd, they are all a dedicated bunch. One pertinent suggestion from an attendee was to ingest PST files into a special separate archive in order to ensure that messages recovered from it are treated with the proper skepticism. Questions after the session focused on the trick of engaging legal and business people in the decisions around email policy, truly a challenge. I suggested that an on-site mini-seminar for the relevant folks might help to break the logjam and illustrate the issues, something that I would be happy to arrange!

My storage virtualization session was once again placed in the main room, and a much larger group attended it. I was interested to hear just how great the impact of VMware’s VDC-OS had been. In just a week, a dozen or more folks in the audience had heard, comprehended, and strategized about the concept. It’s really that big! Others were very interested in the topic of green metrics for data center usage. How does one monitor and report the real “green” savings (power, carbon, cooling, space) for a virtualized environment? Although storage greenness is debatable, the savings from a virtualized server environment are real, and these often bundle in some of the storage numbers, too.

These topics are top of mind to me as well, and I will continue to investigate (and speculate) about them in the coming year. If you missed the show (or the handouts), I will be posting them here soon! Get my email address or head to LinkedIn by clicking the links in the sidebar (at top left).

Watch this space, and consider coming to my virtualization seminar in Charlotte on October 21 or to the Storage Decisions show in San Francisco, held November 17 to 19.

See my posts on Gestalt IT for similar enterprise IT infrastructure commentary

© sfoskett for Stephen Foskett, Pack Rat, 2008. | Storage Decisions New York 2008 Feedback
This post was categorized as Enterprise storage, Personal, Virtual Storage. Each of my categories has its own feed if you'd like to filter out or focus on posts like this.