Enhancing SAN Self-Management With Dell EqualLogic Storage

By Tony Ansley and Mansour Karam

Ever-increasing growth in the volume of stored data, coupled with applications that demand large computational power, are driving the need for scalable, highcapacity storage area networks (SANs). At the same time, a constant push to simplify IT infrastructure and reduce operating costs is driving a move to virtualize operations in the storage segment.

These factors put a premium on interconnect bandwidth and manageability. Scaling to hundreds of terabytes or petabytes of storage capacity requires switches that can cost-effectively provide high bandwidth and low latency. To help simplify IT management and minimize operating costs, tight integration is necessary between the management capabilities of storage platforms and those of the switches. Successful operation requires a high degree of automation and integration into an organization's IT environment.

The combination of Dell EqualLogic PS Series Internet SCSI (iSCSI) SAN arrays and the Arista 7000 Family of Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 10 Gigabit Ethernet (10GbE) switches helps meet these requirements. Now available with 10GbE controllers, the EqualLogic PS6000 series of arrays can be deployed in conjunction with Arista switches to provide a cost-effective 10GbE-based cloud storage platform that is well suited to bandwidth-intensive software such as database, analytics, search, high-performance computing (HPC), and media applications.