EMC has unveiled its blueprint for enabling customers to optimise, simplify and automate the end-to-end management of the data path - key underlying capabilities that deliver the distributed intelligence powering EMC`s AutoIS strategy.
"Underpinning this strategy is major enhancements to EMC`s PowerPath software, including the addition of integrated volume management, multi-vendor array support and application availability features such as non-disruptive upgrades," says Alex Robertson, Technology Solutions Group Manager, EMC SA.
"PowerPath enables multiple channels between servers, switches, and storage to share the I/O workload in order to provide automatic load-balancing, path-failover, and dynamic recovery capabilities that optimise data path resources," says Robertson.
EMC PowerPath now offers integrated volume management through the PowerPath Volume Manager feature, a logical volume manager that maximises storage allocation efficiency and simplifies the configuration and management of the storage infrastructure.
"It offers all of the volume management tools customers look for, including striping, mirroring, and slicing of volumes, as well as allocating physical storage into logical, or virtual, pools for online storage volume reconfiguration," Robertson says.
Building on its path and volume management functions, EMC PowerPath will offer application-transparent data mobility as part of the overall PowerPath feature set in Q3 2003. This functionality will enable customers to move online application data from one storage array to another in a networked storage environment without impacting application performance or availability.
Robertson says PowerPath will be able to automatically reconfigure the application to access data at a new location, regardless of array vendor, type, size, or RAID configuration.
"As a result, the application is insulated from the physical storage and the movement of data within the storage network, greatly simplifying storage management tasks. Furthermore, this new feature assists customers in delivering higher service levels and in meeting rapidly changing business requirements," he says.
The new version of PowerPath will offer support for heterogeneous storage arrays including those from Hitachi Data Systems, IBM, and Hewlett-Packard, as well as support for all major operating systems including Windows, Linux, and well-known Unix variants (HP-UX and AIX).
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EMC Corporation is the world leader in information storage systems, software, networks and services, providing automated networked storage solutions that enable organisations of all sizes to better and more cost-effectively manage, protect and share their information. More information about EMC`s products and services can be found at www.EMC.com.
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