Making storage choices on Linux

More and more enterprises are using Linux—even for mission-critical tasks. Agendra Kumar says that it’s time enterprises considered Linux on the storage front too, and has some pointers for CIOs when it comes to picking up a storage solution on Linux

Linux has been making consistent inroads into the enterprise space over the past couple of years. According to IDC, servers based on the open source software have shown six consecutive quarters of growth. Availability of more and more applications and enhanced enterprise-computing capabilities are making Linux the platform of choice for an increasing number of companies of all sizes—and not just geeks and nerds who used to be the primary users of Linux until recently. Constrained by RoI-oriented budgets, most CIOs now take Linux into consideration in their IT strategies.

In this scenario it is but obvious for user organisations to look at Linux for their storage systems as well. Recently, Forrester Research surveyed 50 large Linux users and 28 vendors selling or supporting Linux solutions and inferred that Linux will take over most UNIX workloads in the data centre over the next five years.

As Linux moves into the enterprise data centre it is necessary to include storage management software to address the scalability, availability, and performance requirements of enterprise-level applications. That’s why a Linux installation usually requires disk volume management, back-up and archival software, as well as, in many cases, software to make the applications running in the data centre highly available.

Given the increasing role of Linux in enterprise environments, therefore, it makes sense for IT managers at the helm to choose a Linux platform only after careful evaluation of its robustness and reliability. Let us look at some points they should keep in mind while making their choices.

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The topmost concern for today’s enterprise IT managers is the reliability of applications. Since Linux is open source, the enterprise community has been cautious in using the software in mission-critical areas, something they can trust to run their business on. Therefore, what the tech guys need to look for is a time-tested, field-hardened storage solution—one that gives a robust storage foundation and a thorough data protection strategy. The bottom line is that they should be able to give users full access to applications with minimal downtime of their systems.

Scalability or the capability of the Linux solution to meet the growing or changing needs of an enterprise from time to time should be another key consideration for IT managers. In a world steadily moving towards open standards and platforms, the path to scalability is usually strewn with clusters of machines rather than monolithic monsters. A truly scalable solution should allow IT managers to use it across a cluster of machines rather than a single system—to bring down costs as well as to add capacity as and when the organisation is ready for it. And since such clusters would often involve multiple hardware platforms, access protocols and security tools, a solution that is interoperable across these is an added advantage. Decision makers should opt for a Linux solution that eliminates both planned and unplanned downtime, and effectively manages a wide range of applications in heterogeneous environments.

Another important, yet often ignored, aspect of choosing a storage solution is back-up. In an automated, networked environment, back-up is no longer something confined to dumping data on redundant machines or keeping hordes of tapes in static situations. With the growing enterprise prowess of Linux, a dynamic back-up solution should include cross-platform, policy-based back-up to provide complete data protection. It should also support integrated back-up and restore for most widely used database solutions, besides offering features such as automatic device discovery and configuration, tape library management, priority and calendar scheduling and firewall enhanced authorisation.

There are many other criteria that enterprise IT managers should keep in mind before they bet their rupee on a Linux solution for storage management. For instance, to deliver effective online storage management for enterprise computing and storage area network environments, the software should be able to enhance real-time data protection through the use of mirroring and RAID technology, besides supporting volume replication and point-in-time snapshots. The solution should also be able to provide for rapid file system recovery in the event of an unexpected storage or server failure. Optimal performance tuning and sophisticated management capabilities that automate most management tasks and leave administration resources free for other work are all key requisites to ensure continuous availability of mission-critical data of the organisation.

With the correct mix of performance, reliability, scalability and management, Linux has now become a viable, secure option for the enterprise. And if the solution meets the key criteria of an enterprise-class software, there’s no reason not to take advantage of the affordability and other benefits that Linux offers for storage as well.

The author is country manager at Veritas Software. He can be contacted at agendra.kumar@veritas.com