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Planning For A Storage Array Purchase and Developing an RFP

Randy Kerns

Evaluator GroupCopyright © 2003 - All Rights Reserved

Evaluator Group, Inc.7720 E. Belleview Avenue • Suite 210 • Greenwood Village, CO 80111

(303) 221-7867 • Fax: (303) 221-1615http://www.evaluatorgroup.com

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Business ImperativesStorage Strategy

• Need a strategy to address storage Storage is crucial to business

• Investment• Company growth• Transact business

Strategy must cover all aspects – connectivity, security, performance, capacity, storage devices, administration, archiving, storage networking, etc.

• Must fit in with overall corporate strategy Closely aligned with other plans Promoted to peer organizations

• Effective storage decisions are integral to the strategy

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Business requirements• Understanding business requirements will help

determine what are product requirements

Function

Economics – TCO / ROI

Characteristics – example: whether SAN, NAS,

other type of storage is needed

• Minimizes risk of getting the wrong solution

Business Imperatives

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Complexity of Choices

Many vendors with many solutions• Some will satisfy your needs

Many different attributes

Different features/capabilities accentuated

• Are they important to you?

• Long-term implications

Commitment to a specific vendor

Support issues

May change the way you do business

• How do you decide?

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Types of Storage SystemsCache-centric storage

• All data through the same cache• Used in mainframes – adapted for open systems

Distributed storage • Separate controllers (usually two)• Cache distributed on controllers• Failover between controller

Clustered distributed storage• Multiple distributed storage systems • Connected via internal mesh / fabric• Presents single image

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Types of Storage Systems

HostAdapter

HostAdapter

HostAdapter

HostAdapter

Cache

DeviceAdapter

DeviceAdapter

DeviceAdapter

DeviceAdapter

Cache Centric Storage

Servers

Devices

Host Interfaces

Distributed Storage

Cache Cache

Host Interfaces

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Types of Storage SystemsStandard base storage systems

• Trend to use standard platform for storage

Faster time to market

• Built on base platforms

• Quick turn for new technology incorporation

• Proven technology – low risk for “do over”

Leverage other company R&D money

• Invest in areas to add value

Added value in other areas

• Feature/functions enabled by software

• Differentiated from other products – unique

Expected lower product cost – more competitive

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Devices

Open Platform Storage

Standard Server

Memory

HBA HBA

HBA HBA

Storage Domain

Standard Server

Memory

HBA HBA

HBA HBA

Storage Domain

Standard Server

Memory

HBA HBA

HBA HBA

Storage Domain

Host Interfaces Host Interfaces Host Interfaces

Devices Devices

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Process to Make an Effective Decision

Solutions• Evaluate the solutions – whether

storage products or storage

management software

• Create a set of criteria for analysis

What is important

What you use to evaluate

Translate terminology

Review relevance

Compare solutions on an equal,

unbiased footing

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Information Sources

• Acquire information from vendors Remember, they’re selling Will highlight strengths, ignore

weaknesses

• Use independent, unbiased source Accurate information Better if expert analysis

provided Capitalize on expertise of

specialists

Process to Make an Effective Decision

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Information – Misinformation• Yes or No to criteria is not good enough

Example: Point-In-Time copy supported – but is

resynchronization supported? Big difference in

time for clone copies

Example: Remote Copy supported – but are

consistency groups supported? If not, Remote

Copy usability is limited

Example: Raw Capacity – one vendor reports

74.6 TB. BUT, usable is only 55.6 in current best

case configuration

• Many reasons to do more in-depth research

Process to Make an Effective Decision

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Assemble product information• From chosen sources

• Ensure accuracy

Compare against criteria • Create comparison of relevant data

• Use to bring decision to limited number

of choices

• Leverage information when dealing with

vendors

Process to Make an Effective Decision

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Comparison Matrices

High-End / Mid-Tier Arrays

EMC CLARiiON

CX600 EMC CLARiiON

FC4700 Fujitsu GR740

HP Enterprise Virtual

Array

HP Virtual Array 7400/7410

Subsystem Capacity 35 TB (146 GB disks) 58.2 TB (250GB disks)

21.7 TB (181 GB disks)

16 TB (73 GB disks) 34 TB (146 GB disks) 7.7 TB (73 GB disks)

Min – Max Raw capacity 175 GB – 58.2 TB 105 GB – 21.7 TB 180 GB – 16 TB 288 GB – 17.5 TB 36 GB – 7.7 TB Drive number (min-max) 5 - 240 3 - 100 10 - 240 8 - 240 2 - 105

Disk drives supported

36 GB – 15K 73 GB – 10K

146 GB – 10K 250 GB – 5,400 ATA

18 GB – 10K, 15K 36 GB – 10K, 15K

73 GB – 10K 181 GB – 7.2K

18 GB – 15K 36 GB – 10K, 15K

73 GB – 10K

36 GB – 10K, 15K 73 GB – 10K, 15K

146 GB – 10K

18 GB – 10K, 15K 36 GB – 10K, 15K

73 GB – 10K

Drive Interface 2 Gbps Fibre Channel,

ATA 1 Gbps Fibre Channel 1 Gbps Fibre Channel 2 Gbps Fibre Channel 2 Gbps

Number of LUNs supported

1,024 300 4,096 8,192 1,024

LUN size (max) 2 TB 2 TB 2 TB 2 TB 2 TB Dynamic LUN expansion Yes Yes Yes Yes Cache 8 GB 8 GB 32 GB 4 GB 2 GB Cache / Controller (min/max)

2 GB – 4 GB 2 GB – 4 GB 512 KB – 8 GB 1 GB 1 GB

Separate NVS (MB) No No No No No % Cache for writes Tunable Tunable 50% 50% Host Connectivity Number of attached hosts 128 64 256 64 Number of host interfaces 8 4 2 to 48 4 2 Fibre Channel 8 – 2 Gbps 4 – 2 Gbps 2 to 48 - 1 Gbps 4 – 2 Gbps 2 – 2 Gbps SCSI No No 2 to 48 No No AS/400 (IBM 6501) No No No No No Management Tools Software tool Navisphere Navisphere StorageMGR HSV Element Manager Command View VA CLI supported Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes CIM / SMI support No No No No No API available Yes Yes No Yes No

Create or acquire matrices to compare products

features / functions

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Developing an RFPGeneral guidelines

• Clearly state what you want Don’t mix multiple purchases in one RFP

• Have criteria well-defined Do homework first

• Very narrow definitions Reduce variations Limit vendor “stretching the definition”

• Establish the rules Dates Format Protests Clarifications Process

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Developing an RFP RFP Content

• Contractual Terms and Conditions Describe the legal mechanics that your company

uses Very specific about rules, resolution, etc.

• Factors to be Considered Describe consideration priorities Timeline with specific dates for submittal, award,

etc.

• Vendor information Company information History of providing similar product / solution Criteria key to show vendor credibility

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Developing an RFPRFP Content - continued

• Specifications Product / solution specifications Environment for usage / operation Details – derived from criteria Service / support / training Performance guarantee

• Pricing Details on product / solution (hardware and

software) Include maintenance, licensing Guarantee of completeness

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Developing an RFP

RFP Content - continued• Proposal Response Format

Specific format for reply from vendor

Provide common set of information for evaluation

• Evaluation Criteria / Process

Description of process of the criteria that will be

used in decision process

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RFP Legal Issues

RFP is part of a binding legal contract.• Put it in writing (an unsigned e-copy won’t do)

• Retain it as you would other capital-goods trade

contracts

• Signed by the authorized representative of both

parties

• If more than one supplier, be sure that your “prime”

can commit its subcontractors

• Designate a formal point of contact and method of

communicating (eg. John Jones, e-mail)

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RFP Legal Issues• Be very specific

Remedies expected in event of breach of SLAs Change/interpretation/clarification process . Be sure

all the bidders get all amendments and clarifications Define a termination date for the RFP, eg. end of

selection period (when contract is awarded), end of successful implementation, etc. You will need to provide formal notification when that occurs

Define who keeps (or returns) any work product

• Assume it will be appealed

• Agree in advance on an arbitration process if you want to stay out of court Court is expensive, time-consuming and resource

intensive

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Cost of Making Decision

Requires

• Resources and time to do investigation

Use of experts

Analysis data

• Executive support

Results in cost and time• Needs to be part of overall storage strategy

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Making An Effective DecisionCritical choices to be made

for storage strategy• Storage strategy

Accommodating growth Plans for acquisition of storage Retirement (lifespan) of storage

systems• Software and infrastructure

has long life Vendor choices

• Multiple vendors - % as incentive

• Qualifications

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ConclusionStorage is critical to a business

• Make effective decision requires an investment • Potential to impact the corporation without adequate

plans and procedures

Develop process for making decision• Part of overall strategy• Use independent, unbiased resources – cost effective• Leverage their information, expertise• Make best possible decision based on timely,

accurate, in-depth information

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