Cisco Systems MDS 9000 manual Remote Data Mirroring/Data Replication

Remote Data Mirroring/Data Replication

Remote data mirroring, or remote copy, is the most commonly used mechanism for fast application and data recovery. This inherently implies that a mirrored volume within a disk subsystem is created to provide protection. The main volume being used by the application is considered the primary and the mirrored volume is considered as the secondary. The two main remote copy technologies that are implemented include:

•Host-based software for remote replication

•Storage controller-based hardware and firmware for remote replication

The most commonly known remote copy facilities available today include EMC’s Symmetrix RemoteData Facility (SRDF). IBM eXtended Remote Copy (XRC), IBM’s Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy (PPRC), HDS’s TrueCopy, Compaq’s Data Replication Manager (DRM), and Veritas Volume Replicator (VVR).

Both IBM XRC and Veritas VVR solutions are host based, software-assisted data mirroring facilities while PPRC, SRDF, TrueCopy, and DRM are hardware controller-based implementations of remote copy. It’s important to point out that Veritas (VVR) provides remote data mirroring over an IP network instead of Fibre Channel or ESCON (Enterprise Serial CONnection).

Cisco Products and Solutions for Disaster Recovery

As data availability becomes a key differentiator for enterprises, an increasing amount of resources are being spent in ensuring continuous operations. As explained above, dedicated networks are being provisioned to guarantee performance metrics as well as security for backup applications. Intelligent storage networks provide a new dimension to backup and recovery. In addition, remote data replication solutions offer higher degrees of availability and can be scaled to meet the requirements of the enterprise. Cisco Systems delivers state-of-the-art technology helping enterprises build end-to-end backup and recovery solutions along with disaster recovery solutions in a more scalable, secure and cost-effective fashion.

Figure 4

The Cisco MDS 9000 Family of Multilayer Directors and Fabric Switches. From left to right: MDS 9506 Director, MDS 9513 Director, MDS 9509 Director, and the MDS 9216 Fabric Switch

The Cisco MDS 9000 Family of Multilayer Directors and Fabric Switches targets enterprise and service provider storage network environments and delivers higher port density, high switching bandwidth, high performance, multiprotocol and greater reliability. The MDS 9000 Family products also targets heterogeneous storage area networks where the overall storage environment consists of multiple vendors’ products. In those environments, the Cisco MDS 9000 Family products can serve as a centralized system to provide interconnection and advanced services.

Cisco Systems, Inc.

All contents are Copyright © 1992–2002 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. Important Notices and Privacy Statement.

Page 7 of 11