SAN Performance Tools
Organizations typically rely on network storage facilities, either in the form of NAS (network attached storage) or SAN (storage area network). These can be more difficult to manage and monitor than simpler storage infrastructures. In many cases, especially for larger enterprises, storage performance monitoring software is a must. In this article, I will focus on SAN. I will discuss how they work, the importance of monitoring SAN performance, and what software I chose for SAN storage monitoring.
SAN vs. NAS
Most organizations use networked storage solutions, which come in two forms:
1. Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
2. Storage Area Network (SAN)
NAS is typically a hardware device connected via a local area network (LAN). In contrast, SANs use fiber optic links to connect many storage devices so that each device can share its data with other devices.
A SAN is a high-speed storage network that allows storage traffic to move separately from the rest of the traffic on the LAN, improving performance and keeping network availability high. The purpose of a SAN is to increase efficiency, which it accomplishes by consolidating storage in one location rather than having it spread throughout the network. Because each storage device is connected on a single network, it appears to users as if each storage device is accessed locally.
A SAN system assigns "logical unit numbers," or LUNs, to each subsection of a storage device. This allows you to track how storage is organized and allocated. A LUN could represent a storage disk or be assigned to a group of disks called a "redundant array of independent disks," also known as a RAID. RAIDs store copies of data. So if one device fails, you have backups on all the others.
While NAS is less expensive and easier to set up, SAN systems are much more powerful due to the use of fiber optic channels and as such are often deployed in large enterprises and managed by an IT professional. For large enterprises, fast file access is critical, as is the ability to offload printing from the LAN. In addition, a SAN is easily expandable and can be virtualized, allowing the network to scale quickly as the business grows.
What is SAN performance monitoring?
Managing and monitoring SAN performance is extremely important in an enterprise environment, because without carefully monitored SAN metrics, you could miss out on the efficiency and performance gains mentioned above. With SAN storage management software, you can track key metrics such as latency, oversubscription, and RAID allocation to ensure your SAN is performing properly.
· Latency: Changes in latency and slowdowns can be a sign of storage drive failure. With a monitoring and management tool, you can manage bandwidth to and from storage devices to avoid bottlenecks.
· Oversubscription: A common storage practice is called "thin provisioning" or "oversubscription," where more virtual storage is reported than the actual physical storage has. This can help improve network and infrastructure capacity and performance if managed correctly. Storage capacity management tools can help you minimize the risk of oversubscription.
· RAID allocation: For enterprise storage setups with potentially thousands of LUNs, SAN storage management software is key to effective allocation, organization and reporting. A good tool will ensure that both LUNs and RAIDs are provisioned properly, in a configuration that lends itself to efficient storage management.
Best memory monitoring tools
When looking at storage monitoring tools, free options may seem like a good deal. However, considering the essential role storage plays in an organization, it's important to look at the best tools, not just the cheapest. I've rounded up the best storage monitoring software on the market. Most offer free trials. I recommend you test them out before making a purchase.
1. SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor
SolarWinds® Storage Resource Monitor (SRM) provides real-time monitoring of SAN and NAS on devices from multiple vendors, including NetApp, Hitachi, Dell EMC, HP, Huawei, and IBM. This multi-vendor capability is a major benefit: Instead of using separate IBM and EMC storage monitoring tools, for example, you get a detailed, unified view of all your storage metrics, including LUNs, RAIDs, and storage arrays, for all your devices.
In terms of using it as a SAN monitor, SRM sends alerts for overloaded LUNs or RAID groups and shows you storage space usage on storage arrays. Using these features, you can identify capacity issues before they become major performance problems. In addition, the full application stack view lets you see this performance at all levels, including virtual storage and applications. This allows you to pinpoint and fix problems across your infrastructure, rather than having to search layer by layer. You can try SolarWinds SRM for free for up to 30 days.
2. Nagios
Nagios provides high-quality monitoring ofAdvantages of storage management tools
As networks and devices become more complex, organizations need to manage storage effectively. Without proper management tools, you run the risk of running out of storage when you need it most and could run into functionality issues.
I recommend using a tool like SolarWinds SRM because of its robust reporting capability and the option to create both predefined and custom reports on data such as LUN performance, capacity summaries, storage usage and information about your hardware. This is especially useful if you want to forecast your storage capacity.
If you work at home or manage the network for a small business, you can also benefit from a free tool from SolarWinds called Storage Performance Monitor (SPM). SPM offers some of the same features as SRM: It allows support for storage arrays from multiple vendors, as well as storage I/O hotspot detection. However, for a large enterprise, SRM is the way to go because SPM doesn't provide all the tools you need to manage a large storage infrastructure. SAN setups and infrastructures by monitoring the capacity of your disks and directories, RAID status, and more. It is available in two versions to help you manage and monitor your SAN setup: Nagios XI and Nagios Core. These general-purpose monitoring tools include SAN performance software as opposed to standalone SAN storage monitoring tools. Nagios Core is the free offering, while Nagios XI is the enterprise-standard performance monitoring tool.
Nagios XI includes network and infrastructure monitoring for applications, services and other system metrics, as well as automated capacity planning for storage infrastructure. As a SAN monitor, it allows you to track performance so you can fix storage problems before they impact your end users.
One of the best features of Nagios is its user-friendly and attractive dashboards and graphs. However, the depth of information on storage infrastructure is limited compared to dedicated storage monitoring tools.
3. ManageEngine OpManager
ManageEngine OpManager integrates the functions of a legacy tool, OpStor. OpStor was formerly ManageEngine's offering for managing storage devices, including host servers, bus adapter cards, storage arrays and fabric switches. These functions have now been integrated into a plug-in for OpManager.
OpManager, like Nagios, is general network monitoring software. OpStor lets you monitor the performance of your storage devices. It provides monitoring of RAIDs to determine capacity, configuration and performance metrics. It also examines controllers and their status, LUNs, volumes and virtual disk groups, and provides statistics and reporting data for each one.
It can also automatically determine tape libraries on SAN and NAS networks to identify status, health and errors. The reporting feature provides historical storage data to help you predict potential capacity and plan for its placement.
4. PowerAdmin Storage Monitor
PowerAdmin Storage Monitor is a lighter product than the SolarWinds and Nagios offerings mentioned above. It offers storage monitoring, directory change monitoring, a volume cataloger, file size monitoring, and user and directory quota monitoring.
All of these monitoring tools also generate accompanying reports that show you when files and directories were last accessed, which users are consuming the most disk space, whether you have duplicate files on your system, and which files are the largest. These tools and reports can help you optimize and organize your storage systems for better performance.
PA Storage Monitor's main focus is on file management rather than system or network management. However, if you need to manage a lot of data, this can be a useful addition to a more comprehensive tool.
5. IntelliMagic Vision for SAN
IntelliMagic Vision for SAN is a focused storage monitoring solution focused on SAN monitoring. It monitors SAN storage from multiple vendors as well as VMware storage settings and storage fabric. Highlights include impressive visualizations and graphics, as well as a central dashboard that provides information about the entire storage infrastructure at a glance.
6. eG Innovations eG Enterprise
Like the majority of the products on this list, eG Enterprise is a comprehensive network monitoring tool with SAN storage monitoring capabilities. It provides performance monitoring of the entire infrastructure, allowing you to identify whether network or performance problems are due to physical components, storage, bandwidth issues, applications, servers or virtual machines. It describes itself as a "proactive monitoring tool" designed to help with early detection of problems. It focuses primarily on alerts and reports, but also provides analytics to help you troubleshoot.
Advantages of storage management tools
As networks and devices become more complex, organizations need to manage storage effectively. Without proper management tools, you run the risk of running out of storage when you need it most and could run into functionality issues.
I recommend using a tool like SolarWinds SRM because of its robust reporting capability and the option to create both predefined and custom reports on data such as LUN performance, capacity summaries, storage usage and information about your hardware. This is especially useful if you want to forecast your storage capacity.
If you work at home or manage the network for a small business, you can also benefit from a free tool from SolarWinds called Storage Performance Monitor (SPM). SPM offers some of the same features as SRM: It allows support for storage arrays from multiple vendors, as well as storage I/O hotspot detection. However, for a large enterprise, SRM is the way to go because SPM doesn't provide all the tools you need to manage a large storage infrastructure.
Organizations typically rely on network storage facilities, either in the form of NAS (network attached storage) or SAN (storage area network). These can be more difficult to manage and monitor than simpler storage infrastructures. In many cases, especially for larger enterprises, storage performance monitoring software is a must. In this article, I will focus on SAN. I will discuss how they work, the importance of monitoring SAN performance, and what software I chose for SAN storage monitoring.
SAN vs. NAS
Most organizations use networked storage solutions, which come in two forms:
1. Network-Attached Storage (NAS)
2. Storage Area Network (SAN)
NAS is typically a hardware device connected via a local area network (LAN). In contrast, SANs use fiber optic links to connect many storage devices so that each device can share its data with other devices.
A SAN is a high-speed storage network that allows storage traffic to move separately from the rest of the traffic on the LAN, improving performance and keeping network availability high. The purpose of a SAN is to increase efficiency, which it accomplishes by consolidating storage in one location rather than having it spread throughout the network. Because each storage device is connected on a single network, it appears to users as if each storage device is accessed locally.
A SAN system assigns "logical unit numbers," or LUNs, to each subsection of a storage device. This allows you to track how storage is organized and allocated. A LUN could represent a storage disk or be assigned to a group of disks called a "redundant array of independent disks," also known as a RAID. RAIDs store copies of data. So if one device fails, you have backups on all the others.
While NAS is less expensive and easier to set up, SAN systems are much more powerful due to the use of fiber optic channels and as such are often deployed in large enterprises and managed by an IT professional. For large enterprises, fast file access is critical, as is the ability to offload printing from the LAN. In addition, a SAN is easily expandable and can be virtualized, allowing the network to scale quickly as the business grows.
What is SAN performance monitoring?
Managing and monitoring SAN performance is extremely important in an enterprise environment, because without carefully monitored SAN metrics, you could miss out on the efficiency and performance gains mentioned above. With SAN storage management software, you can track key metrics such as latency, oversubscription, and RAID allocation to ensure your SAN is performing properly.
· Latency: Changes in latency and slowdowns can be a sign of storage drive failure. With a monitoring and management tool, you can manage bandwidth to and from storage devices to avoid bottlenecks.
· Oversubscription: A common storage practice is called "thin provisioning" or "oversubscription," where more virtual storage is reported than the actual physical storage has. This can help improve network and infrastructure capacity and performance if managed correctly. Storage capacity management tools can help you minimize the risk of oversubscription.
· RAID allocation: For enterprise storage setups with potentially thousands of LUNs, SAN storage management software is key to effective allocation, organization and reporting. A good tool will ensure that both LUNs and RAIDs are provisioned properly, in a configuration that lends itself to efficient storage management.
Best memory monitoring tools
When looking at storage monitoring tools, free options may seem like a good deal. However, considering the essential role storage plays in an organization, it's important to look at the best tools, not just the cheapest. I've rounded up the best storage monitoring software on the market. Most offer free trials. I recommend you test them out before making a purchase.
1. SolarWinds Storage Resource Monitor
SolarWinds® Storage Resource Monitor (SRM) provides real-time monitoring of SAN and NAS on devices from multiple vendors, including NetApp, Hitachi, Dell EMC, HP, Huawei, and IBM. This multi-vendor capability is a major benefit: Instead of using separate IBM and EMC storage monitoring tools, for example, you get a detailed, unified view of all your storage metrics, including LUNs, RAIDs, and storage arrays, for all your devices.
In terms of using it as a SAN monitor, SRM sends alerts for overloaded LUNs or RAID groups and shows you storage space usage on storage arrays. Using these features, you can identify capacity issues before they become major performance problems. In addition, the full application stack view lets you see this performance at all levels, including virtual storage and applications. This allows you to pinpoint and fix problems across your infrastructure, rather than having to search layer by layer. You can try SolarWinds SRM for free for up to 30 days.
2. Nagios
Nagios provides high-quality monitoring ofAdvantages of storage management tools
As networks and devices become more complex, organizations need to manage storage effectively. Without proper management tools, you run the risk of running out of storage when you need it most and could run into functionality issues.
I recommend using a tool like SolarWinds SRM because of its robust reporting capability and the option to create both predefined and custom reports on data such as LUN performance, capacity summaries, storage usage and information about your hardware. This is especially useful if you want to forecast your storage capacity.
If you work at home or manage the network for a small business, you can also benefit from a free tool from SolarWinds called Storage Performance Monitor (SPM). SPM offers some of the same features as SRM: It allows support for storage arrays from multiple vendors, as well as storage I/O hotspot detection. However, for a large enterprise, SRM is the way to go because SPM doesn't provide all the tools you need to manage a large storage infrastructure. SAN setups and infrastructures by monitoring the capacity of your disks and directories, RAID status, and more. It is available in two versions to help you manage and monitor your SAN setup: Nagios XI and Nagios Core. These general-purpose monitoring tools include SAN performance software as opposed to standalone SAN storage monitoring tools. Nagios Core is the free offering, while Nagios XI is the enterprise-standard performance monitoring tool.
Nagios XI includes network and infrastructure monitoring for applications, services and other system metrics, as well as automated capacity planning for storage infrastructure. As a SAN monitor, it allows you to track performance so you can fix storage problems before they impact your end users.
One of the best features of Nagios is its user-friendly and attractive dashboards and graphs. However, the depth of information on storage infrastructure is limited compared to dedicated storage monitoring tools.
3. ManageEngine OpManager
ManageEngine OpManager integrates the functions of a legacy tool, OpStor. OpStor was formerly ManageEngine's offering for managing storage devices, including host servers, bus adapter cards, storage arrays and fabric switches. These functions have now been integrated into a plug-in for OpManager.
OpManager, like Nagios, is general network monitoring software. OpStor lets you monitor the performance of your storage devices. It provides monitoring of RAIDs to determine capacity, configuration and performance metrics. It also examines controllers and their status, LUNs, volumes and virtual disk groups, and provides statistics and reporting data for each one.
It can also automatically determine tape libraries on SAN and NAS networks to identify status, health and errors. The reporting feature provides historical storage data to help you predict potential capacity and plan for its placement.
4. PowerAdmin Storage Monitor
PowerAdmin Storage Monitor is a lighter product than the SolarWinds and Nagios offerings mentioned above. It offers storage monitoring, directory change monitoring, a volume cataloger, file size monitoring, and user and directory quota monitoring.
All of these monitoring tools also generate accompanying reports that show you when files and directories were last accessed, which users are consuming the most disk space, whether you have duplicate files on your system, and which files are the largest. These tools and reports can help you optimize and organize your storage systems for better performance.
PA Storage Monitor's main focus is on file management rather than system or network management. However, if you need to manage a lot of data, this can be a useful addition to a more comprehensive tool.
5. IntelliMagic Vision for SAN
IntelliMagic Vision for SAN is a focused storage monitoring solution focused on SAN monitoring. It monitors SAN storage from multiple vendors as well as VMware storage settings and storage fabric. Highlights include impressive visualizations and graphics, as well as a central dashboard that provides information about the entire storage infrastructure at a glance.
6. eG Innovations eG Enterprise
Like the majority of the products on this list, eG Enterprise is a comprehensive network monitoring tool with SAN storage monitoring capabilities. It provides performance monitoring of the entire infrastructure, allowing you to identify whether network or performance problems are due to physical components, storage, bandwidth issues, applications, servers or virtual machines. It describes itself as a "proactive monitoring tool" designed to help with early detection of problems. It focuses primarily on alerts and reports, but also provides analytics to help you troubleshoot.
Advantages of storage management tools
As networks and devices become more complex, organizations need to manage storage effectively. Without proper management tools, you run the risk of running out of storage when you need it most and could run into functionality issues.
I recommend using a tool like SolarWinds SRM because of its robust reporting capability and the option to create both predefined and custom reports on data such as LUN performance, capacity summaries, storage usage and information about your hardware. This is especially useful if you want to forecast your storage capacity.
If you work at home or manage the network for a small business, you can also benefit from a free tool from SolarWinds called Storage Performance Monitor (SPM). SPM offers some of the same features as SRM: It allows support for storage arrays from multiple vendors, as well as storage I/O hotspot detection. However, for a large enterprise, SRM is the way to go because SPM doesn't provide all the tools you need to manage a large storage infrastructure.