Free Tutors On Band Management

Free Tutors On Band Management

In-band management runs over the same interface as the one that connects devices to the storage network and over which normal data transfer takes place. This interface is thus available to every end device node and every connection node within the storage network. The management functions are implemented as services that are provided by the protocol in question via the nodes.

In-band services can be divided into the following two groups:

• Operational services Operational services serve to fulfil the actual tasks of the storage network such as making the connection and data transfer.

• Management-specific services Management-specific services supply the functions for discovery, monitoring and the configuration of devices. However, not only the management-specific services are of interest from a management point of view. The operational services can also be used for system management. In order to be able to use in-band services, a so-called management agent is normally needed that is installed in the form of software upon a server connected to the storage network. This agent communicates with the local host bus adapter over an API in order to call up appropriate in-band management functions from an in-band management service For Fibre Channel, the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) has already released the Fibre Channel Common HBA API, which gives a management agent easy and cross-platform access to in-band management services. The computer on which this management agent runs is also called the management agent. For a central management system, this either means that it acts as such a management agent itself and must be connected to the storage network or that within the

storage network there must be computers upon which – in addition to the actual applications – a management agent software is installed, since the in-band management services otherwise could not be used. If the management system uses such a decentral agent, then a communication between the central management console and the management agent must additionally be created so that the management information can travel from the agents to the central console (Figure 8.2). Normally this takes place over a LAN connection. Typically, the management agent is also used for more services than merely to provide access to the management services of the in-band protocol. Some possibilities are the collection of information about the operating system, about the file systems or about the applications of the server. This information can then also be called up via the central console of the management system. In the following we will explain which management functions can be realized with in-band management based upon the example of the in-band management of a Fibre Channel SAN.