HDS Eases Storage Data Movement

Hitachi demonstrates additions to its HiCommand Suite V. 4.0 at SNW, promising users swift data movement and performance-attribute tracking.

PHOENIX—Hitachi Data Systems on Tuesday announced the addition of Hitachi HiCommand Tiered Storage Manager to its upgraded Hitachi HiCommand software suite.

Allowing storage administrators to simplify and speed up the migration of data across heterogeneous storage environments without causing application disruptions, Hitachi HiCommand Tiered Storage Manager will be demonstrated this week at SNW (Storage Networking World) here.

Available later this month or in early May, the new software moves blocks of data volumes and informs users what type of utilization rates their storage provides, which applications are critical to specific storage devices and whats being affected in the environment.

The product is a complement to the Hitachi TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform, rolled out last September by HDS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd.

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Read more here about new product showings at Storage Networking World.

Also introduced at SNW and joining Tiered Storage Manager as the latest additions to the bolstered HiCommand Suite V. 4.0 were enhanced versions of HiCommand Replication Manager offering a single user interface to control copy functions, the HiCommand Tuning Manager and the HiCommand Protection Manager.

At the heart of HDS application-optimized storage push, HiCommand Tiered Storage Manager dynamically matches up the attributes of storage and data to specific characteristics or requirements of critical applications, said Jack Domme, vice president of Storage Management Software at Santa Clara, Calif.-based HDS.

Click here to read about HDS "Starter SANs" for small and midsized businesses.

"We have a lot of customers who [say] its so painful today to move storage, they just basically dont do it. Its too risky, too laborious or too expensive to move it. Even when the lease is up, that migration is too difficult," Domme said.

Currently shipping, HiCommand Tuning Manager keeps track of performance attributes from applications down to the array level, pushing beyond SMI-S compliance array elements.

This allows customers to determine much faster where a problem may exist. If it exists on the storage side of IT, Domme said, HDS can correct the problem through a tiered storage approach by moving storage to the appropriate location within the integrated architecture. The capability should shift to a policy-based automated process by the end of 2005, he said.

Working in conjunction with Microsoft Corp. Volume Shadow Copy Service capabilities, the new HiCommand Protection Manager software manages Microsoft Exchange servers and SQL Server databases, enabling customers to almost eliminate tape backup surrounding Exchange, Domme said.

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