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| DataCore Announces SANmotion DataCore Software has announced the general availability of powerful Windows data migration capabilities that enable users to move and migrate live data disks over a SAN to other Windows systems across their organization. The new capabilities, launched as SANmotion, offer a simplified and centralized approach to perform Windows volume administration by supporting new 'ready to use' and pre-existing Windows formatted data volumes. Apart from eliminating work and saving IT administrators time, this advanced feature allows Windows disk data to be accessed, re-purposed or moved rapidly across the SAN or over Ethernet connections (over iSCSI). The SANmotion technology is now available in all new SANmelody 2.0 software releases, DataCore's disk server storage virtualization and management solution. SANmelody already presents new virtual disk drives to users' systems. Users would then create file formats on this new drive and add all of their files onto that new drive. SANmotion improves the process dramatically. If a user or admin wants to send an existing disk from his server or PC to another disk on another machine in another building, then that user could do this - provided the machines are on the same Ethernet or SAN. The new 'go-to' machine gets a 'ready to use' disk, with whatever files exist on that disk. A user could start working on that new machine just as if it was the machine they normally utilized. Above all, SANmotion delivers a new level of Windows disk provisioning. In the case of SANmotion, it is "live data" that undergoes provisioning - meaning, as opposed to offering just a new disk and more capacity, SANmotion provides the live data on the disk as well. Not only can an administrator create a bunch of disks locally on his server, he can format a file system on it and add to those whatever files or applications that an employee might use within that enterprise. The administrator can also map these volumes to the servers and to the workstations that need them, so that a virtual image of these disks can populate the different computers. Best of all, computers can be set up and provisioned rapidly since they can use the disks they receive from the central SAN. The work of the Windows administrator is done at one place, the disks can be served and shipped out over the SAN or Ethernet (iSCSI) and then anyone with access to the SAN or LAN can work on the disks that have been newly provisioned by SANmotion. Simplicity - centralized Windows volume administration: The key benefit of this capability is that it eliminates work. The administration and management of Windows volumes is now more centralized. If a user requests a Windows volume it can now be formatted with a file system (NTFS/FAT) on it. The administrator can also install requested files on the volume. Then this volume can be presented/mapped to the application server for immediate use. No additional administrative actions are required on the application server. Flexibility and Consolidation - Use where needed: Administrators now have the ability to migrate disparate Direct Attached Storage (DAS) disk hardware off of independent Windows Application servers and workstations to a centralized location managed by SANmelody Network services. SANmotion makes it easier to consolidate disk resources. These disks can continue to be used as is (mapped back to the owning application server) or re-purposed and re-configured into Virtual Capacity pools of available storage that will provide more effective use of the disk resources and provide wider use and access to these resources. Rapid Response and Time Savings - "Ready to use" access of new or pre- existing data: The key benefit of this capability is that it saves time. SANmelody provides the ability manage and immediately utilize ("as is") formatted (NTFS/FAT) Windows volumes. Being able to utilize formatted volumes (NTFS or FAT) allows the user the immediate use of pre-existing data that resides on the file system of that volume. Using SANmelody tools the volume can be easily presented / mapped to the application server or workstation and the data can be immediately accessed by applications requiring this data. Ease of Use - Windows disk data migration can be moved rapidly or re-purposed: The key benefit of this capability is that it makes Windows disk data migration an easy task. Additionally, now that the disk resource has been physically moved and the user has immediate access to his data the process of migrating the data in real-time off of the old resources onto something newer can easily be accomplished. This can be achieved by using SANmelody's synchronous mirror capability, snapshot complete image or even host-based mirroring. Once the migration is completed, the application server can utilize the data on the newer disk technology. It becomes a simple administrative task to deliver the newer volume to the user. The old disk with the old data can be retired completely from the system or re-purposed for less important uses, such as near-line backup, less important applications or as secondary disk to be used only in case of a primary disk failure. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Computing News :: home page |