Data replication and SAN implementation without the need for data contention software

James Sessions

JES Hardware Solutions

Introduction

The purpose of this white paper is to inform Internet content providers, Large Digital image providers or anyone else needing multiple server access to the same data as read only. Many people are very confused about what type of SAN software is necessary to allow several servers access to the same data. Many people believe that expensive data contention software like SANERGY is necessary. This paper will provide a different solution with a lower ROI.

What is Data Contention

Data contention comes into play when two systems are trying to update the same piece of data. All traditional networking software has been designed around this problem. Many San control softwares however are not implemented with this feature. SAN is a way to offer storage to many different application servers mutually exclusive of each other. A SAN after all is merely a way to manage a large block of data from one place, instead from 10,20,50 places (application servers).

Evaluate your data

Many applications in the Internet world and large-scale file world are mainly read only reference materials. Evaluate your data before deciding if you need data contention software. If the data is only worked on rarely to make it presentable to users and it will be read only, data contention will not be needed.

DATCORE virtualization software solution

JES and DATACORE got together to test a SAN that gives all application servers the same data as read only. The software performs perfect and no server knows better. In Windows 200 environment volumes are served up to the application servers and then marked read only. It is even easier in the UNIX/LINUX environment as volumes can be served read only directly from San control.

Conclusion

Evaluate your data needs when it comes to data contention. If you are an Internet content provider, perhaps your data need only to be read only. The same goes for environments where large files are referenced (i.e. simulations). Evaluation could save you hundreds of thousands of dollars and hence lower your ROI.