FIGURE 3-32Heterogeneous Hosts Example

Snapshot Volumes

This is a premium feature of the storage management software and must be enabled either by you or your storage vendor. The Snapshot Volume feature is used to create a logical point-in-time image of another volume.

Typically, you create a snapshot so that an application, for example a backup application, can access the snapshot and read the data while the base volume remains online and user-accessible. When the backup completes, the snapshot volume is no longer needed.

You can also create snapshots of a base volume and write data to the snapshot volumes in order to perform testing and analysis. Before upgrading your database management system, for example, you can use snapshot volumes to test different configurations. Then you can use the performance data provided by the storage management software to help you decide how to configure your live database system.

The maximum number of snapshot volumes allowed is one half of the total volumes supported by your controller model, while the maximum number of snapshot volumes supported by a volume is four.

When a snapshot volume is created, the controller suspends I/O to the base volume for a few seconds while it creates a physical volume, called the snapshot repository volume, to store the snapshot volume metadata and copy-on-write data. Because the

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5310 NAS specifications

Sun Microsystems, known for its innovative computing solutions, launched the Sun 5310 Network Attached Storage (NAS) system, which marked a significant advancement in the realm of storage solutions in the early 2000s. The 5310 NAS was designed to provide high-performance, reliable, and scalable storage tailored for enterprise environments.

One of the standout features of the Sun 5310 NAS is its file-serving capabilities, which support multiple protocols, notably NFS (Network File System) and CIFS (Common Internet File System). This dual-protocol support allowed organizations to seamlessly integrate the NAS into diverse IT ecosystems, facilitating interoperability between UNIX, Linux, and Windows systems. The enhanced file-sharing capabilities made it an ideal solution for businesses with mixed operating environments.

The Sun 5310 NAS incorporates cutting-edge technologies to ensure high availability and data integrity. The system utilized a RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) technology, providing various RAID levels to protect against data loss while optimizing performance. Additionally, the device featured hot-swappable drives, enabling maintenance and upgrades with minimal downtime, a crucial factor for business continuity.

Equipped with advanced management software, the Sun 5310 NAS offered users an intuitive interface for monitoring storage health and performance. This software included comprehensive reporting functionalities that allowed IT administrators to oversee usage patterns and capacity planning efficiently.

Scalability was another defining characteristic of the Sun 5310 NAS. The system could easily expand with additional storage modules, accommodating the growing needs of an organization without the necessity for complete system overhauls. This flexibility ensured that businesses could adapt their storage solutions to meet evolving data storage needs without incurring significant costs or disruptions.

In terms of performance, the Sun 5310 NAS featured high I/O throughput achieved through its robust hardware architecture and optimized file serving capabilities. This performance baseline was crucial for organizations that relied on heavy data workloads and required rapid access to information.

In summary, the Sun 5310 NAS from Sun Microsystems embodied a forward-thinking approach to network storage, blending reliability, scalability, and multi-protocol support. Its user-friendly management software, combined with the robustness of RAID technology and hot-swappable drives, made it a preferred choice for enterprises looking to streamline their storage infrastructure while safeguarding critical data.
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