In wrestling with the topic of intelligence while writing the Oracle white paper on embedded databases, I discovered an interesting and very important distinction we should be making between storage intelligence as a network systems concept and intelligent network elements. Here is a quick set of definitions I’d like to offer.
- Intelligent, networked storage elements, means that systems and services have local, internal data management capabilities that allow these systems or services to operate autonomously, yet in coordination.
- Storage intelligence, in a network context, is characterized by three essential components: management instrumentation, central management, and intelligent, networked storage elements and services.
Said another way – intelligent network elements do not give you a coordinated and orchestrated solution. Instead, intelligent elements still need to be configured and managed. The result, if this is all you do, is a myriad of independent domains of management. A very incomplete approach, albeit a first step in the process of achieving storage intelligence.
So, if we want to be holding up a picture of the future of storage systems management – this is a good one. Only management instrumentation based on SMI-S offers a standards-based approach to being able to coordinate the thousands of network elements through a singe point of (centralized) management. The alternative is many islands of proprietary instrumentation and many different management domains. (Read higher cost and higher complexity than the alternative of centralized management and standard instrumentation.) Naturally, I have to plug ILM-based management practices as the right approach for the central management process because it is the only approach based on business requirements. Combine ILM-based management practices with SMI-S based instrumentation and we have the most cost effective, least complex approach to operating the datacenter’s storage resources. Storage intelligence is a good theme for the storage industry in that it ties the entire set of initiatives we are progressing within SNIA together cohesively.