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Module 2 Physical Layer

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Module 2 Physical Layer

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Module: Physical Layer

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

• Describe compute system components and types
• Describe storage system architectures
• Describe network connectivity and the types of network
communication

This module focuses on the physical layer of the cloud computing reference model. This module
focuses on physical compute system, its components, and its types. This module also focuses
on storage system architectures. Further, this module focuses on network connectivity and
the types of network communication.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 1
Cloud Computing Reference Model
Physical Layer

The physical layer—highlighted in the figure on the slide—is the foundation layer of the cloud
reference model. The process of building a cloud infrastructure is typically initiated with the
cloud service provider setting up the physical hardware resources of the cloud infrastructure.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 2
Physical Layer Overview
• The physical layer comprises physical
compute, storage, and network resources
• Compute systems execute software of
providers and consumers
• Storage systems store business and
application data
• Networks connect compute systems with
each other and with storage systems
– Networks also connect multiple data centers
or multiple clouds to one another

The physical layer comprises compute, storage, and network resources, which are the
fundamental physical computing resources that make up a cloud infrastructure. As discussed in
the ‘Introduction to Cloud Computing’ module, the physical resources are typically pooled to
serve multiple consumers.

Physical compute systems host the applications that a provider offers as services to consumers
and also execute the software used by the provider to manage the cloud infrastructure and
deliver services. A cloud provider also offers compute systems to consumers for hosting their
applications in the cloud. Storage systems store business data and the data generated or
processed by the applications deployed on the compute systems. Storage capacity may be
offered along with a compute system or separately (for example, in case of cloud-based
backup). Networks connect compute systems with each other and with storage systems. A
network, such as a local area network (LAN), connects physical compute systems to each
other, which enables the applications running on the compute systems to exchange
information. A storage network connects compute systems to storage systems, which enables
the applications to access data from the storage systems. If a cloud provider uses physical
computing resources from multiple cloud data centers to provide services, networks connect
the distributed computing resources enabling the data centers to work as a single large data
center. Networks also connect multiple clouds to one another—as in case of the hybrid cloud
model—to enable them to share cloud resources and services.

Based on several requirements such as performance, scalability, cost, and so on, a cloud
provider has to make a number of decisions while building the physical layer, including
choosing suitable compute, storage, and network products and components, and the
architecture and design of each system. The subsequent lessons describe various physical
components and architectures that are available to cloud providers to build the physical layer.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 3
Lesson: Compute System
This lesson covers the following topics:
• Key components of a compute system
• Software deployed on compute systems
• Types of compute systems

This lesson covers an introduction to compute systems and describes the key components of a
compute system. This lesson also covers the key software deployed on compute systems in a
cloud environment, and the types of compute systems.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 4
Introduction to Compute System
• A computing platform (hardware, firmware, and software) that
runs platform and application software
– Executes the provider’s as well as the consumers’ software
– Typically x86-based servers or hosts
• Compute systems are provided to consumers in two ways:
– Shared hosting: Multiple consumers share compute systems
– Dedicated hosting: Individual consumers have dedicated compute
systems
• Typically providers use compute virtualization and offer
compute systems in the form of virtual machines

A compute system is a computing platform (hardware, firmware, and software) that runs
platform and application software. Examples of physical compute systems include
desktops, laptops, servers, mobile devices, and so on. A compute system consists of
processor(s), memory, I/O devices, and a collection of software to perform computing
operations. The software includes the operating system (OS), file system, logical
volume manager, device drivers, and so on. The OS may include the other software or
they can be installed individually. The OS manages the physical components and application
execution, and provides a user interface (UI) for users to operate and use the compute system.

In a cloud environment, providers typically deploy x86-based servers or hosts to build the
physical layer. These compute systems execute a provider’s as well as the consumers’
software. Consumers may deploy their applications entirely on cloud compute systems or may
leverage the cloud for specific scenarios, such as application development and testing, or
during peak workloads. Two or more compute systems are typically combined together into a
cluster – a group of compute systems that function together, sharing certain network and
storage resources, and are viewed as a single system. Compute clusters are typically
implemented to provide high availability and for balancing computing workloads. Compute
clustering is covered in detail in the ‘Business Continuity’ module.

A cloud provider typically offers compute systems to consumers in two ways: shared hosting
and dedicated hosting. In shared hosting, the compute systems are shared among multiple
consumers. For example, a provider hosts a consumer’s website on the same compute system
as the websites of other consumers. In dedicated hosting, a provider offers to a consumer
dedicated compute systems that are not shared with any other consumer.

Providers typically install compute virtualization software (hypervisor) on a compute

system and create multiple virtual compute systems, known as virtual machines (VMs), each
capable of running its own OS. In this case, the hypervisor performs compute system
management tasks and allocates the compute system’s resources, such as processor and
memory, dynamically to each VM. The provider allocates the VMs running on a hypervisor to
consumers for deploying their applications. The provider may pre-install an OS on a VM or may
enable the consumers to install an OS of their choice. Compute virtualization is covered in
detail in the ‘Virtual Layer’ module.

• An IC that executes software programs by performing

Processor arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations

• A volatile data storage device containing the programs for

Random-Access Memory execution and the data used by the processor

• A semiconductor memory containing boot, power management,

Read-Only Memory and other device-specific firmware

• A PCB that holds the processor, RAM, ROM, network and I/O
Motherboard ports, and other integrated components, such as GPU and NIC

• A collection of microchips on a motherboard to manage specific

Chipset functions, such as processor access to RAM and to peripheral
ports

A compute system typically comprises the following key physical hardware components
assembled inside an enclosure:

• Processor: A processor, also known as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), is an integrated

circuit (IC) that executes the instructions of a software program by performing fundamental
arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations. A common processor/instruction set
architecture is the x86 architecture with 32-bit and 64-bit processing capabilities. Modern
processors have multiple cores (independent processing units), each capable of functioning
as an individual processor.

• Random-Access Memory (RAM): The RAM or main memory is a volatile data storage
device internal to a compute system. The RAM holds the software programs for execution
and the data used by the processor.

• Read-Only Memory (ROM): A ROM is a type of semiconductor memory that contains the
boot firmware (that enables a compute system to start), power management firmware, and
other device-specific firmware.

• Motherboard: A motherboard is a printed circuit board (PCB) to which all compute system
components connect. It has sockets to hold components such as the microprocessor chip,
RAM, and ROM. It also has network ports, I/O ports to connect devices such as keyboard,
mouse, and printers, and essential circuitry to carry out computing operations. A
motherboard may additionally have integrated components, such as a graphics processing
unit (GPU), a network interface card (NIC), and adapters to connect to external storage
devices.

• Chipset: A chipset is a collection of microchips on a motherboard and it is designed to

perform specific functions. The two key chipset types are Northbridge and Southbridge.
Northbridge manages processor access to the RAM and the GPU, while Southbridge connects
the processor to different peripheral ports, such as USB ports.

(Cont'd)

Self-service portal • Enables consumers to view and request cloud services

Platform software • Includes the software that the provider offers through PaaS

Application software • Includes the applications that the provider offers through SaaS

Virtualization software • Enables resource pooling and creation of virtual resources

• Enables a provider to manage the cloud infrastructure and

Cloud management software services

• Includes a consumer’s platform software and business

Consumer software applications

On a compute system, a cloud provider deploys software such as the self-service portal, the
application software and platform software that are offered as services (PaaS and SaaS) to
consumers, virtualization software, cloud infrastructure management software, and so on. The
provider also enables consumers to deploy their platform software and business applications on
the compute systems. The slide provides a list and a brief description of the software that are
deployed on compute systems in a cloud environment.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 8
Types of Compute Systems
• Tower compute system
• Rack-mounted compute system
• Blade compute system

The compute systems used in building data centers and cloud infrastructure are typically
classified into three categories:

• Tower compute system

• Rack-mounted compute system

• Blade compute system

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 9
Tower Compute System
• Built in an upright enclosure called a “tower”
• Has integrated power supply and cooling
• A group of towers occupies significant floor
space, requires complex cabling, and generates
noise from cooling units
• Deploying in large environments may involve
substantial expenditure

A tower compute system, also known as a tower server, is a compute system built in an
upright enclosure called a “tower”, which is similar to a desktop cabinet. Tower servers have a
robust build, and have integrated power supply and cooling. They typically have individual
monitors, keyboards, and mice. Tower servers occupy significant floor space and require
complex cabling when deployed in a data center. They are also bulky and a group of tower
servers generates considerable noise from their cooling units. Tower servers are typically used
in smaller environments. Deploying a large number of tower servers in large environments may
involve substantial expenditure.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 10
Rack-mounted Compute System
• Designed to be fixed on a frame called a
“rack”
– A rack is a standardized enclosure with
mounting slots for vertically stacking compute
systems
• Simplifies network cabling, consolidates
network equipment, and reduces floor space
use
• Administrators may use a console mounted
on the rack to manage the compute systems

A rack-mounted compute system, also known as a rack server or an industrial server, is a

compute system designed to be fixed on a frame called a “rack”. A rack is a standardized
enclosure containing multiple mounting slots called “bays”, each of which holds a server in
place with the help of screws. A single rack contains multiple servers stacked vertically in bays,
thereby simplifying network cabling, consolidating network equipment, and reducing floor
space use. Each rack server has its own power supply and cooling unit. A “rack unit” (denoted
by U or RU) is a unit of measure of the height of a server designed to be mounted on a rack.
One rack unit is 1.75 inches. A rack server is typically 19 inches (482.6 mm) in width and 1.75
inches (44.45 mm) in height. This is called a 1U rack server. Other common sizes of rack
servers are 2U and 4U. Some common rack cabinet sizes are 27U, 37U, and 42U.

Typically, a console with a video screen, keyboard, and mouse is mounted on a rack to enable
administrators to manage the servers in the rack. A keyboard, video, and mouse (KVM) switch
connects the servers in the rack to the console and enables the servers to be controlled from
the console. An administrator can switch between servers using keyboard commands, mouse
commands, or touchscreen selection. Using a KVM switch eliminates the need for a dedicated
keyboard, monitor, and mouse for each server and saves space and reduces cable clutter.
Some concerns with rack servers are that they are cumbersome to work with, and they
generate a lot of heat because of which more cooling is required, which in turn increases power
costs.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 11
Blade Compute System
• Comprises an electronic circuit board with
only the core processing components
• Multiple blades are housed in a blade chassis
– The chassis provides integrated power supply,
cooling, networking, and management
• Blades are interconnected via a high speed
bus
• Modular design increases compute system
density and scalability

A blade compute system, also known as a blade server, is an electronic circuit board containing
only core processing components, such as processor(s), memory, integrated network
controllers, storage drive, and essential I/O cards and ports. Each blade server is a self-
contained compute system and is typically dedicated to a single application. A blade server is
housed in a slot inside a blade enclosure (or chassis), which holds multiple blades and provides
integrated power supply, cooling, networking, and management functions. The blade enclosure
enables interconnection of the blades through a high speed bus and also provides connectivity
to external storage systems.

The modular design of blade servers makes them smaller, which minimizes floor space
requirements, increases compute system density and scalability, and provides better energy
efficiency as compared to tower and rack servers. It also reduces the complexity of the
compute infrastructure and simplifies compute infrastructure management. It provides these
benefits without compromising on any capability that a non-blade compute system provides.
Some concerns with blade servers include the high cost of a blade system (blade servers and
chassis), and the proprietary architecture of most blade systems due to which a blade server
can typically be plugged only into a chassis from the same vendor.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 12
Lesson Summary
During this lesson the following topics were covered:
• Key components of a compute system
• Software deployed on compute systems
• Types of compute systems: tower, rack-mounted, and blade

This lesson covered the key software that are deployed on a compute system in a cloud
environment. This lesson also covered the key components of a compute system, such as the
processor, RAM, ROM, motherboard, and the chipset. Finally, this lesson covered the three
common types of physical compute systems—tower, rack-mounted, and blade—that are used
in building a cloud infrastructure.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 13
Lesson: Storage System
This lesson covers the following topics:
• Types of storage devices
• Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)
• Storage system architectures

This lesson covers the common types of persistent storage devices. This lesson also covers
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) and its use in data protection and storage
performance improvement. Further, this lesson also covers the different types of storage
system architectures, namely block-based, file-based, object-based, and unified storage
systems.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 14
Introduction to Storage System
• A storage system is the repository for saving and retrieving
electronic data
• Providers offer storage capacity along with compute systems, or
as a service
– Storage as a Service enables data backup and long-term data
retention
• Cloud storage provides massive scalability and rapid elasticity
of storage resources
• Typically, a provider uses virtualization to create storage pools
that are shared by multiple consumers

Data created by individuals, businesses, and applications need to be persistently

stored so that it can be retrieved when required for processing or analysis. A storage
system is the repository for saving and retrieving electronic data and is integral to any cloud
infrastructure. A storage system has devices, called storage devices (or storage) that
enable the persistent storage and the retrieval of data. Storage capacity is typically
offered to consumers along with compute systems. Apart from providing storage along with
compute systems, a provider may also offer storage capacity as a service (Storage as a
Service), which enables consumers to store their data on the provider’s storage systems in the
cloud. This enables the consumers to leverage cloud storage resources for purposes such as
data backup and long-term data retention.

A cloud storage infrastructure is typically created by logically aggregating and pooling the
storage resources from one or more data centers to provide virtual storage resources. Cloud
storage provides massive scalability and rapid elasticity of storage resources. The cloud
storage infrastructure is typically shared by multiple tenants or consumers which improves the
utilization of storage resources.

• Stores data on a circular disk with a ferromagnetic coating

Magnetic disk drive • Provides random read/write access
• Most popular storage device with large storage capacity

• Stores data on a semiconductor-based memory

Solid-state (flash) drive • Very low latency per I/O, low power requirements, and very high
throughput

• Stores data on a thin plastic film with a magnetic coating

Magnetic tape drive • Provides only sequential data access
• Low-cost solution for long term data storage

• Stores data on a polycarbonate disc with a reflective coating

Optical disc drive • Write Once and Read Many capability: CD, DVD, BD
• Low-cost solution for long-term data storage

A magnetic disk is a circular storage medium made of non-magnetic material (typically an

alloy) and coated with a ferromagnetic material. Data is stored on both surfaces (top and
bottom) of a magnetic disk by polarizing a portion of the disk surface. A disk drive is a device
that comprises multiple rotating magnetic disks, called platters, stacked vertically inside a
metal or plastic casing. Each platter has a rapidly moving arm to read from and write data to
the disk. Disk drives are currently the most popular storage medium for storing and accessing
data for performance-intensive applications. Disks support rapid access to random data
locations and data can be written or retrieved quickly for a number of simultaneous users or
applications. Disk drives use pre-defined protocols, such as Advanced Technology Attachment
(ATA), Serial ATA (SATA), Small Computer System Interface (SCSI), Serial Attached SCSI
(SAS), and Fibre Channel (FC). These protocols reside on the disk interface controllers that are
typically integrated with the disk drives. Each protocol has its unique performance, cost, and
capacity characteristics.
A solid-state drive (SSD) uses semiconductor-based memory, such as NAND and NOR chips, to
store and retrieve data. SSDs, also known as “flash drives”, deliver the ultra-high performance
required by performance-sensitive applications. These devices, unlike conventional mechanical
disk drives, contain no moving parts and therefore do not exhibit the latencies associated with
read/write head movement and disk rotation. Compared to other available storage devices,
SSDs deliver a relatively high number of input/output operations per second (IOPS) with very
low response times. They also consume less power and typically have a longer lifetime as
compared to mechanical drives. However, flash drives do have the highest cost per gigabyte
($/GB) ratio.
(Cont’d)

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 16
Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID)
RAID
A storage technology in which data is written in blocks across multiple disk
drives that are combined into a logical unit called a RAID group.

• Improves storage system performance by serving I/Os from

multiple drives simultaneously
• Provides data protection against drive failures
• Three key techniques used for RAID: striping, mirroring, and
parity

Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) is a storage technology in which multiple disk
drives are combined into a logical unit called a RAID group and data is written in blocks across
the disks in the RAID group. RAID protects against data loss when a drive fails, through the
use of redundant drives and parity. RAID also helps in improving the storage system
performance as read and write operations are served simultaneously from multiple disk drives.
For example, if the RAID group has four disk drives, data is written across all four of them
simultaneously, which provides four times better write performance as compared to using a
single drive. Similarly, during read operation, the data is retrieved simultaneously from each
drive.

RAID is typically implemented by using a specialized hardware controller present either on the
host or on the array. The key functions of a RAID controller are management and control of
drive aggregations, translation of I/O requests between logical and physical drives, and data
regeneration in the event of drive failures.

The three different RAID techniques that form the basis for defining various RAID levels are
striping, mirroring, and parity. These techniques determine the data availability and
performance of a RAID group as well as the relative cost of deploying the storage solution. A
cloud provider must select the appropriate RAID levels to meet the requirements of cloud
service delivery.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 18
RAID Technique: Striping
Striping
A RAID technique to spread data across multiple drives in order to use the
drives in parallel.

Striping is a technique to spread data across multiple drives in order to use the drives in
parallel and increase performance as compared to the use of a single drive. Each drive in a
RAID group has a predefined number of contiguously addressable blocks (the smallest
individually addressable unit of storage) called a “strip”. A set of aligned strips that span across
all the drives within the RAID group is called a “stripe”. All strips in a stripe have the same
number of blocks. Although striped RAID provides improved read-write performance, it does
not provide any data protection in case of disk failure.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 19
RAID Technique: Mirroring
Mirroring
A RAID technique to store the same data simultaneously on two different
drives, yielding two copies of the data.

Mirroring is a technique in which the same data is stored simultaneously on two different
drives, resulting in two copies of the data. This is called a “mirrored pair”. Even if one drive
fails, the data is still intact on the surviving drive and the RAID controller continues to service
data requests using the surviving drive of the mirrored pair. When the failed disk is replaced
with a new disk, the controller copies the data from the surviving disk of the mirrored pair to
the new disk. This activity is transparent to the host. In addition to providing data redundancy,
mirroring enables fast recovery from disk failure. Since mirroring involves duplication of data,
the amount of storage capacity needed is twice the amount of data being stored. This
increases costs because of which mirroring is typically preferred for mission-critical applications
that cannot afford the risk of any data loss. Mirroring improves read performance because read
requests can be serviced by both disks. However, compared to a single disk and striping, write
performance is slightly lower in mirroring because each write request manifests as two writes
on the disk drives.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 20
RAID Technique: Parity
Parity
A RAID technique to protect striped data from drive failure by performing a
mathematical operation on individual strips and storing the result on a
portion of the RAID group.

Parity is a value derived by performing a mathematical operation on individual strips of data

and stored on a portion of a RAID group. It enables the recreation of missing data in case of a
drive failure. Parity is a redundancy technique that ensures data protection without maintaining
a full set of duplicate data. The RAID controller calculates the parity using techniques such as
“bitwise exclusive or” (XOR). Parity information can be stored on separate, dedicated disk
drives or distributed across the drives in a RAID group. Compared to mirroring, parity
implementation considerably reduces the cost associated with data protection. However, a
limitation of parity implementation is that parity is recalculated every time there is a change in
data, which may affect the performance of the RAID array.

In the figure on the slide, the first four disks, labeled D1 to D4, contain data. The data
elements are 4, 6, 1, and 7. The fifth disk, labeled P, stores the parity information i.e. 18,
which is the sum of the data elements. If one of the drives fails, the missing value can be
calculated by subtracting the sum of the remaining elements from the parity value.

RAID 0 • Striped set with no fault tolerance

RAID 1 • Disk mirroring

RAID 1+0 • Nested RAID (striping and mirroring)

RAID 3 • Striped set with parallel access and a dedicated parity disk

RAID 5 • Striped set with independent disk access and distributed parity

• Striped set with independent disk access and dual distributed

RAID 6 parity

RAID levels are implementations of the striping, mirroring, and parity techniques. Some RAID
levels use a single technique, while others use a combination of the techniques. The commonly
used RAID levels are RAID 0 – that uses striping, RAID 1 – that uses mirroring, RAID 1+0 –
which is a combination of RAID 1 and RAID 0, and RAID 3, 5, and 6 – that use a combination
of striping and parity.

Data can be accessed from a compute system (or a compute cluster) through block-level, file-
level, or object-level schemes. External storage systems can be connected to the compute
system directly or over a network. An application on the compute system stores and accesses
data using the underlying infrastructure comprising an OS, a file system, network connectivity,
and storage. In general, an application requests data by specifying the file name and the
location. The file system maps the file attributes to the logical block address (LBA) of the data
and sends it to the storage system. The LBA simplifies addressing by using a linear address to
access the block of data. The storage system converts the LBA to a physical address called the
cylinder-head-sector (CHS) address and fetches the data.

In block-level access, a storage volume (a logical unit of storage composed of multiple blocks,
typically created from a RAID set) is created and assigned to the compute system to house
created file systems. In this case, an application data request is sent to the file system and
converted into a block-level (logical block address) request. This block level request is sent
over the network to the storage system. The storage system then converts the logical block
address to a CHS address and fetches the data in block-sized units.

In file-level access, the file system is created on a separate file server, which is connected to
storage. A file-level request from the application is sent over the network to the file server
hosting the file system. The file system then converts the file-level request into block-level
addressing and sends the request to the storage to access the data.

In object-level access, data is accessed over the network in terms of self-contained objects,
each having a unique object identifier. In this case, the application request is sent to the file
system. The file system communicates to the object-based storage device (OSD) interface,
which in turn sends the object-level request by using the unique object ID over the network to
the storage system. The storage system has an OSD storage component that is responsible for
managing the access to the object on the storage system. The OSD storage component
converts the object-level request into block-level addressing and sends it to the storage to
access the data.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 23
Storage System Architecture
• Storage system architectures are based on the data access
methods
• Common storage system options are:
– Block-based
– File-based
– Object-based
– Unified

Storage system architecture is a critical design consideration for building cloud infrastructure.
A cloud provider must choose the appropriate storage, and ensure adequate capacity to
maintain the overall performance of the environment. Storage system architectures are based
on the data access methods. The common variants are block-based, file-based, object-based,
and unified storage systems. A unified storage system architecture uses all the three data
access methods. A cloud provider may deploy one or more types of these storage systems to
meet the requirements of different applications.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 24
Block-based Storage System
• Enables creating and assigning storage volumes to compute
systems
– Compute system discovers the volumes as local drives
– Required file system can be created on the volumes

A block-based storage system enables the creation and assignment of storage volumes to
compute systems. The compute OS (or hypervisor) discovers these storage volumes as local
drives. A file system can be created on these storage volumes, for example NTFS in a Windows
environment, which can then be formatted and used by applications.

A block-based storage system typically comprises four key components:

• Front-end Controller(s)

• Cache Memory

• Back-end Controller(s)

• Physical disks

The front-end controller provides the interface between the storage system and the compute
systems. Typically, there are redundant controllers in the front-end for high availability, and
each controller contains multiple ports. Each front-end controller has processing logic that
executes the appropriate transport protocol, such as Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or FCoE (discussed
later in this module) for storage connections. Front-end controllers route data to and from a
cache memory via an internal data bus.

The cache is a semiconductor memory where data is placed temporarily to reduce the time
required to service I/O requests from the compute system. The cache improves storage system
performance by isolating compute systems from the mechanical delays associated with disk
drives. Accessing data from the cache typically takes less than a millisecond.

(Cont’d)

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 25
File-based Storage System
• A dedicated, high
performance file server with
storage (also known as
Network-attached Storage)
• Enables clients to share files
over an IP network
– Supports data sharing for
UNIX and Windows users
• Uses a specialized OS that is
optimized for file I/O

A file-based storage system, also known as Network-Attached Storage (NAS), is a dedicated,

high-performance file server having either integrated storage or connected to external storage.
NAS enables clients to share files over an IP network. NAS supports NFS and CIFS protocols to
give both UNIX and Windows clients the ability to share the same files using appropriate access
and locking mechanisms. NAS systems have integrated hardware and software components,
including a processor, memory, NICs, ports to connect and manage physical disk resources, an
OS optimized for file serving, and file sharing protocols. A NAS system consolidates distributed
data into a large, centralized data pool accessible to, and shared by, heterogeneous clients and
application servers across the network. Consolidating data from numerous and dispersed
general purpose servers onto NAS results in more efficient management and improved storage
utilization. Consolidation also offers lower operating and maintenance costs.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 27
NAS Deployment Options
• The two common NAS deployment options are:
– Traditional NAS (scale-up NAS)
– Scale-out NAS
• Traditional NAS
– Capacity and performance of a single system is scaled by
upgrading or adding NAS components
• Scale-out NAS
– Multiple processing and storage nodes are pooled in a cluster that
works as a single NAS device
– Addition of nodes scales cluster capacity and performance without
disruption

There are two common NAS deployment options: traditional NAS systems (scale-up NAS) and
scale-out NAS systems.

A traditional NAS solution provides the capability to scale the capacity and performance of a
single NAS system. Scaling up a NAS system involves upgrading or adding NAS components
and storage to the NAS system. These NAS systems have a fixed capacity ceiling, and
performance is impacted as the capacity limit is approached.

Scale-out NAS is designed to address the rapidly growing area of unstructured data (data that
does not fit in tables and rows), especially Big Data (data sets whose size or scale break
traditional tools). Scale-out NAS enables the creation of a clustered NAS system by pooling
multiple processing and storage nodes together. The cluster works as a single NAS system and
is managed centrally. The capacity of the cluster can be increased by simply adding nodes to
the it. A node contains common server components and may or may not have disks. As each
node is added to the cluster, it increases the aggregated disk, cache, processor, and network
capacity of the cluster as a whole. Nodes can be non-disruptively added to the cluster when
more performance and capacity is needed. Scale-out NAS creates a single file system that runs
on all nodes in the cluster. As nodes are added, the file system grows dynamically and data is
evenly distributed (or redistributed) to all nodes in the cluster.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 28
Object-based Storage System
• Stores file data in the form
of objects based on data
contents and attributes
– Uses a flat, non-
hierarchical address
space
• Object contains user data,
related metadata, and
user-defined attributes
– Objects are uniquely
identified using object ID

Object-based storage is a way to store file data in the form of objects based on the content
and other attributes of the data rather than the name and location of the file. An object
contains user data, related metadata (size, date, ownership, etc.), and user defined attributes
of data (retention, access pattern, and other business-relevant attributes). The additional
metadata or attributes enable optimized search, retention and deletion of objects. For
example, when an MRI scan of a patient is stored as a file in a NAS system, the metadata is
basic and may include information such as file name, date of creation, owner, and file type.
When stored as an object, the metadata component of the object may include additional
information such as patient name, ID, attending physician’s name, and so on, apart from the
basic metadata.

Each object stored in the object-based storage system is identified by a unique identifier called
the object ID. The object ID allows easy access to objects without having to specify the
storage location. The object ID is generated using specialized algorithms (such as a hash
function) on the data and guarantees that every object is uniquely identified. Any changes in
the object, like user-based edits to the file, results in a new object ID. This makes object-
based storage a preferred option for long term data archiving to meet regulatory or compliance
requirements. The object-based storage system uses a flat, non-hierarchical address space to
store data, providing the flexibility to scale massively. Cloud service providers leverage object-
based storage systems to offer Storage as a Service because of its inherent security,
scalability, and automated data management capabilities. Object-based storage systems
support web service access via REST and SOAP.

The object-based storage system has three key components: nodes, internal (private)
network, and storage. The object-based storage system is composed of one or more
nodes. In this context, a node is a server that runs the object-based storage operating
environment and provides services to store, retrieve, and manage data in the system.
The object-based storage system node has two key services: metadata service and
storage service. The metadata service is responsible for generating the object ID from
the contents of a file. It also maintains the mapping between the object IDs and the
file system namespace. The storage service manages a set of drives on which the data
is stored. The nodes connect to the storage via an internal network. The internal
network provides both node-to-node connectivity and node-to-storage connectivity.
The application server accesses the object-based storage node to store and retrieve
data over an external network. In some implementations, the metadata service might
reside on the application server or on a separate server.

Object-based storage provides the capability to automatically detect and repair

corrupted objects, and to alert the administrator of any potential problem. It also
provides on-demand reporting and event notification. Some object-based storage
systems support storage optimization techniques such as single instance storage,
where only one instance of an object is stored, thereby optimizing the usable capacity.

Unified storage or multiprotocol storage has emerged as a solution that consolidates block, file,
and object-based access within one storage platform. It supports multiple protocols such as
CIFS, NFS, iSCSI, FC, FCoE, REST, and SOAP for data access. Such a unified storage system is
managed using a single interface. A unified storage system consists of the following key
components: storage controller, NAS head, OSD node, and storage. The storage controller,
NAS head, and OSD node may be present either separately or be part of a single unit.

The storage controller provides block-level access to compute systems through various
protocols. It contains front-end ports for direct block access. The storage controller is also
responsible for managing the back-end storage pool in the storage system. The controller
configures storage volumes and presents them to NAS heads and OSD nodes, as well as to the
compute systems.

A NAS head is a dedicated file server that provides file access to NAS clients. The NAS head
connects to the storage via the storage controller. The system usually has two or more NAS
heads for redundancy. The NAS head configures the file systems on assigned volumes, creates
NFS, CIFS, or mixed shares, and exports the shares to the NAS clients.

The OSD node also accesses the storage through the storage controller. The volumes assigned
to the OSD node appear as physical disks. These disks are configured by the OSD nodes,
enabling them to store object data.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 31
Lesson Summary
During this lesson the following topics were covered:
• Types of persistent data storage devices
• RAID and RAID techniques: striping, mirroring, and parity
• Storage system architectures: block-based, file-based,
object-based, and unified

This lesson covered the common types of persistent data storage devices. This lesson also
covered the different RAID techniques (striping, mirroring, and parity) used for data protection
and for improving storage performance. Finally, this lesson covered the different data access
methods and the storage system architectures based on them, including block-based, file-
based, object-based, and unified storage systems.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 32
Lesson: Network
This lesson covers the following topics:
• Types of network communication
• Compute-to-compute communication
• Compute-to-storage communication
• Storage area network (SAN) classification
• Inter-cloud communication

This lesson covers the types of network communication and describes compute-to-compute
communication. This lesson also covers compute-to-storage communication via a storage area
network (SAN) and the classification of SAN. Further, this lesson covers inter-cloud
communication.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 33
Introduction to Networking
• Networking enables data transfer and sharing of IT resources
between nodes across geographic regions
• Cloud consumers require a reliable and secure network to
connect to a cloud and access cloud services
• Network connectivity also enables resource aggregation and
service mobility across cloud data centers
• Multiple clouds may be inter-connected to enable workloads to
be moved or distributed
– For example: cloud bursting in a hybrid cloud model

A network establishes communication paths between the devices in an IT infrastructure.

Devices that are networked together are typically called “nodes”. A network enables
information exchange and resource sharing among a large numbers of nodes spread across
geographic regions and over long distances. A network may also be connected to other
networks to enable data transfer between nodes.

Cloud providers typically leverage different types of networks supporting different network
protocols and transporting different classes of network traffic. As established in the discussion
of fundamental cloud characteristics, cloud consumers require reliable and secure network
connectivity to access cloud services. A provider connects the cloud infrastructure to a network
enabling clients (consumers) to connect to the cloud over the network and use cloud services.
For example, in an on-premise private cloud, the clients typically connect to the cloud
infrastructure over an internal network, such as a LAN. In case of a public cloud, the cloud
infrastructure connects to an external network, typically the Internet, over which consumers
access cloud services.

Cloud service providers may also use IT resources at one or more data centers to provide cloud
services. If multiple data centers are deployed, the IT resources from these data centers may
be logically aggregated by connecting them over a wide area network (WAN). This enables
both migration of cloud services across data centers and provisioning cloud services using
resources from multiple data centers. Also, multiple clouds may be inter-connected over a WAN
to enable workloads to be moved or distributed across clouds. This scenario was covered in the
‘Introduction to Cloud Computing’ module as part of the discussion on cloud bursting in a
hybrid cloud environment.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 34
Types of Network Communication
• Based on the nodes connected by a network, the network
communication is broadly categorized as:
– Compute-to-compute communication
– Compute-to-storage communication
– Inter-cloud communication

Networks in a cloud environment may be classified into various types based on attributes such
as communication protocol, topology, transport medium, and so on. Generally network
communication may be categorized into: compute-to-compute communication, compute-to-
storage communication, and inter-cloud communication.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 35
Compute-to-compute Communication
• Interconnecting physical compute
systems enables compute-to-compute
communication
• Compute-to-compute communication
typically uses IP-based protocols
• Compute systems connect to a network
through physical network card(s)
• Physical switches and routers are
common interconnecting devices

Compute-to-compute communication typically uses protocols based on the Internet Protocol

(IP). Each physical compute system (running an OS or a hypervisor) is connected to the
network through one or more physical network cards, such as a network interface controller
(NIC). Physical switches and routers are the commonly-used interconnecting devices. A switch
enables different compute systems in the network to communicate with each other. A router
enables different networks to communicate with each other. The commonly-used network
cables are copper cables and optical fiber cables. The figure on the slide shows a network
(Local Area Network – LAN or Wide Area Network – WAN) that provides interconnections
among the physical compute systems. The cloud provider has to ensure that appropriate
switches and routers, with adequate bandwidth and ports, are in place to ensure the required
network performance.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 36
Compute-to-storage Communication
Storage Area Network (SAN)
A network that interconnects storage systems with compute systems,
enabling the compute systems to access and share the storage systems.

• Based on the protocols they support, SANs can be classified as:

– Fibre Channel SAN (FC SAN)
– Internet Protocol SAN (IP SAN)
– Fibre Channel over Ethernet SAN (FCoE SAN)

A network of compute systems and storage systems is called a storage area network (SAN). A
SAN enables the compute systems to access and share storage systems. Sharing improves the
utilization of the storage systems. Using a SAN facilitates centralizing storage management,
which in turn simplifies and potentially standardizes the management effort.

SANs are classified based on protocols they support. Common SAN deployments types are
Fibre Channel SAN (FC SAN), Internet Protocol SAN (IP SAN), and Fibre Channel over Ethernet
SAN (FCoE SAN).

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 37
FC SAN
FC SAN
A SAN that uses Fibre Channel (FC) protocol to
transport data, commands, and status information
between compute and storage systems.

• FC provides block-level access to storage

• FC offers data transfer speeds up to 16 Gbps
• Theoretically, an FC SAN can connect
approximately 15 million nodes

An FC SAN is a high speed, dedicated network of compute systems and shared storage
systems that uses Fibre Channel (FC) protocol to transport data, commands, and status
information between the compute and the storage systems. The FC protocol primarily
implements the Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) command set over FC, although it
also supports other protocols such as Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Fibre Connection
(FICON), and IP. SCSI over FC overcomes the distance and accessibility limitations associated
with traditional, direct-attached SCSI protocol systems. FC protocol provides block-level access
to the storage systems. It also provides a serial data transfer interface that operates over both
copper and optical fiber cables. Technical committee T11, a committee within International
Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS), is responsible for FC interface
standards. The latest FC implementations of 16 Gigabit Fibre Channel (GFC) offers data
transfer speeds up to 16 Gbps. The FC architecture is highly scalable, and theoretically a single
FC SAN can accommodate approximately 15 million nodes.

Note: The term “Fibre” refers to the protocol, whereas the term “fiber” refers to the medium.

• Provide physical interface to a node for communicating with

Network adapters other nodes
• Examples: FC HBAs and storage system front-end adapters

• Optical fiber cables are predominantly used to provide

connectivity
Cables and connectors • Connectors enable cables to be swiftly connected to and
disconnected from ports

• FC switches and directors

• Directors have a modular design, a higher port count, and better
Interconnecting devices fault-tolerance
• Switches either have a fixed port count or a modular design

The key FC SAN components include network adapters, cables and connectors, and
interconnecting devices.

Each node requires one or more network adapters to provide a physical interface for
communicating with other nodes. Examples of network adapters are FC host bus adapters
(HBAs), and storage system front-end adapters. An FC HBA has SCSI-to-FC processing
capability. It encapsulates OS (or hypervisor) storage I/Os (usually SCSI I/O) into FC frames
before sending the frames to FC storage systems over an FC SAN.

FC SAN predominantly uses optical fiber to provide physical connectivity between nodes.
Copper cables might be used for shorter distances. A connector may attach at the end of a
cable to enable swift connection and disconnection of the cable to and from a port.

FC switches and directors are the interconnecting devices commonly used in an FC SAN to
forward data from one physical switch port to another. Directors are high-end switches with a
higher port count and better fault-tolerance capabilities than smaller switches (also known as
“departmental” switches). Switches are available with a fixed port count or with a modular
design. In a modular switch, the port count is increased by installing additional port cards into
empty slots. Modular switches enable online installation of port cards. The architecture of a
director is usually modular, and its port count is increased by inserting line cards or blades to
the director’s chassis.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 39
Fabric Connect and Addressing
• A fabric created with FC switches connects all nodes and
enables them to communicate
• Each switch in a fabric contains a unique domain identifier (ID)
• Each network adapter is physically identified by a 64-bit World
Wide Node Name (WWNN)
• Each adapter port is physically identified by a 64-bit World Wide
Port Name (WWPN)
• Each adapter port in a fabric has a unique 24-bit FC address
– Fabric assigns FC addresses to adapter ports dynamically

A fabric is created with an FC switch (or an FC director) or a network of switches that enable all
nodes to connect to each other and communicate. Each switch in a fabric contains a unique
domain identifier (ID), which is part of the fabric’s addressing scheme. Each network adapter
and network adapter port in the FC environment has a globally unique 64-bit identifier called
the World Wide Name (WWN). Unlike an FC address, which is assigned dynamically, a WWN is
a static name. WWNs are burned into the hardware or assigned through software. An FC
network adapter is physically identified by a World Wide Node Name (WWNN), and an FC
adapter port is physically identified by a World Wide Port Name (WWPN). For example, a dual-
port FC HBA has one WWNN and two WWPNs. Further, each FC adapter port in a fabric has a
unique 24-bit FC address for communication.

A port in a switched fabric can be one of the following types:

• N_Port is an end-point in the fabric. This port is also known as the node port (or FC
adapter port). Typically, it is a compute system port (on an FC HBA) or a storage
system port connected to a switch in a fabric.

• E_Port is a switch port that forms a connection between two FC switches. This port
is also known as an expansion port. The E_Port on an FC switch connects to the
E_Port of another FC switch in the fabric through ISLs.

• F_Port is a port on a switch that connects an N_Port. It is also known as a fabric

port.

• G_Port is a generic port on some vendors’ switches. It can operate as an E_Port or

an F_Port and determines its functionality automatically during initialization.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 41
Zoning
Zoning
An FC switch function that enables node ports within a fabric to be logically
segmented into groups and to communicate with each other within the
group.

• Both node ports and switch ports can be zone members

• Benefits:
– Provides access control
– Restricts RSCN traffic

Zoning is an FC switch function that enables node ports within the fabric to be logically
segmented into groups and to communicate with each other within the group. Whenever a
change takes place in the fabric, the fabric sends a registered state change notification (RSCN)
to the nodes in the fabric. If zoning is not configured, the RSCNs are received by all nodes in
the fabric. This includes nodes that are not impacted by the change, resulting in increased
fabric-management traffic. For a large fabric, the amount of FC traffic generated due to this
process can be significant and might impact the compute-to-storage data traffic. Zoning helps
to limit the number of RSCNs in a fabric. In the presence of zoning, a fabric sends the RSCNs
to only those nodes in the zone where the change has occurred.

Both node ports and switch ports can be members of a zone. A port or node can be a member
of multiple zones. Nodes distributed across multiple switches in a fabric may also be grouped
into the same zone.

Single-initiator-single-target zoning is considered as an industry best practice to configure

zones. In an FC SAN, the HBA ports and the storage system ports are called initiator ports and
target ports respectively. A single-initiator-single-target zone consists of one initiator port and
one target port. Single-initiator-single-target zoning eliminates unnecessary compute-to-
compute interaction and minimizes RSCNs. Single-initiator-single-target zoning in a large fabric
leads to configuring a large number of zones and more administrative actions. However, this
practice improves the FC SAN performance and reduces the time to troubleshoot FC SAN-
related problems.

Zoning can be categorized into three types: WWN zoning, port zoning, and mixed zoning.

WWN zoning uses WWNs to define zones. The zone members are the unique WWPN addresses
of the ports in HBA and its targets (storage systems). A major advantage of WWN zoning is its
flexibility. WWN zoning allows nodes to be moved to another switch port in the fabric and to
maintain connectivity to their zone partners without having to modify the zone configuration.
This is possible because the WWN is static to the node port.

Port zoning uses the switch port identifier to define zones. In port zoning, access to data is
determined by the physical switch port to which a node is connected. The zone members are
the port identifier (switch domain ID and port number) to which an HBA and its targets are
connected. If a node is moved to another switch port in the fabric, then zoning must be
modified to allow the node, in its new port, to participate in its original zone. However, if an
HBA or a storage system port fails, an administrator just has to replace the failed device
without changing the zoning configuration.

Mixed zoning combines the qualities of both WWN zoning and port zoning. Using mixed zoning
enables a specific node port to be tied to the WWN of a node.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 43
IP SAN
IP SAN
A SAN that uses Internet Protocol (IP) for the transport of storage traffic. It
transports block I/O over an IP-based network.

• Key drivers of IP SAN are:

– Leveraging an existing IP-based network instead of building a new
FC SAN infrastructure
– Many robust, mature security options are available for IP networks
– Many long-distance, disaster recovery (DR) solutions already
leverage IP-based networks
• Two primary IP SAN protocols are: iSCSI and FCIP

IP SAN uses the Internet Protocol (IP) for the transport of storage traffic. It transports block
I/O over an IP-based network. IP is a mature technology, and using IP SAN as a storage
networking option provides several advantages. Cloud providers may have an existing IP-based
network infrastructure, which could be used for storage networking. Leveraging an existing IP-
based network therefore may be a more economical option than investing in building a new FC
SAN infrastructure. In addition, many robust and mature security options are available for IP
networks. Many long-distance, disaster recovery (DR) solutions already leverage IP-based
networks. Therefore, with IP SAN, providers can extend the geographical reach of their storage
infrastructure.

Two primary protocols that leverage IP as the transport mechanism for block-level data
transmission are Internet SCSI (iSCSI) and Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP).

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 44
iSCSI Networking
iSCSI
iSCSI encapsulates SCSI commands and data into
IP packets that are transported over an IP-based
network.

• iSCSI network components are:

– iSCSI initiators
• Example: iSCSI HBA
– iSCSI targets
• Example: storage system with iSCSI port
(Native iSCSI)
• Example: iSCSI gateway (Bridged iSCSI)
– IP-based network

iSCSI encapsulates SCSI commands and data into IP packets. These IP packets are transported
over an IP-based network. iSCSI network components include:

• iSCSI initiators such as a software iSCSI adapter and an iSCSI HBA

• iSCSI targets such as a storage system with iSCSI port or an iSCSI gateway

• IP-based network

An iSCSI initiator sends commands and associated data to a target and the target returns data
and responses to the initiator. The software iSCSI adapter is an OS (or hypervisor) kernel-
resident software that uses an existing NIC of the compute system to emulate an iSCSI
initiator. An iSCSI HBA has a built-in iSCSI initiator and is capable of providing performance
benefits over software iSCSI adapters by offloading the entire iSCSI and TCP/IP processing
from the processor of the compute system. If an iSCSI-capable storage system is deployed,
then an iSCSI initiator can directly communicate with the storage system over an IP-based
network. This type of iSCSI implementation is called native iSCSI. Otherwise, in an iSCSI
implementation that uses a storage system with only FC ports, an iSCSI gateway is used. This
gateway device performs the translation of IP packets to FC frames and vice versa, thereby
bridging the connectivity between the IP and the FC environments. This type of iSCSI
implementation is called bridged iSCSI. The figure on the slide shows both native and bridged
iSCSI implementations.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 45
iSCSI Name
• iSCSI name is a unique iSCSI identifier that identifies initiators
and targets in an iSCSI network
• The two common types of iSCSI names are:
– iqn: iSCSI Qualified Name
• Example: iqn.2014-02.com.example:optional_string
– eui: Extended Unique Identifier
• Example: eui.0300732A32598D26

A unique worldwide iSCSI identifier, known as an iSCSI name, identifies the initiators and the
targets within an iSCSI network to facilitate communication. The unique identifier can be a
combination of the names of the department, application, or manufacturer, serial number,
asset number, or any tag that can be used to recognize and manage the devices. The two
types of iSCSI names that are commonly used are:

• iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN): An organization must own a registered domain name to
generate iSCSI Qualified Names. This domain name does not need to be active or resolve to
an address. It just needs to be reserved to prevent other organizations from using the same
domain name to generate iSCSI names. A date is included in the name to avoid potential
conflicts caused by the transfer of domain names. An example of an IQN is iqn.2014-
02.com.example:optional_string. The optional_string provides a serial number, an asset
number, or any other device identifiers. An iSCSI Qualified Name enables storage
administrators to assign meaningful names to iSCSI devices, and therefore, manage those
devices more easily.

• Extended Unique Identifier (EUI): An EUI is a globally unique identifier based on the
IEEE EUI-64 naming standard. An EUI is composed of the “eui” prefix followed by a 16-
character hexadecimal name, such as eui.0300732A32598D26.

In either format, the allowed special characters are dots, dashes, and blank spaces.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 46
FCIP Networking
FCIP
FCIP is an encapsulation of FC frames into IP packets that are transported
between disparate FC SANs over an IP-based network through FCIP tunnel.

• An FCIP entity (e.g. FCIP gateway)

exists at either end of an FCIP tunnel
– Encapsulates FC into IP
– Transfers IP packets to remote gateway
– Decapsulates FC from IP
• Widely used in disaster recovery
implementations

FCIP is an encapsulation of FC frames into IP packets. FCIP is a tunneling protocol that enables
distributed FC SAN islands to be interconnected over the existing IP-based networks. This
enables transporting FC data between disparate FC SANs that may be separated by a long
distance. In an FCIP environment, an FCIP entity such as an FCIP gateway is deployed at either
end of the tunnel between two FC SAN islands, as shown in the figure on the slide. An FCIP
gateway encapsulates FC frames into IP packets and transfers them to the remote gateway
through the tunnel. The remote FCIP gateway decapsulates the FC frames from the IP packets
and sends the frames to the remote FC SAN. FCIP is extensively used in disaster recovery
implementations in which data is replicated to storage located at a remote site.

An FCIP implementation is capable of merging interconnected fabrics into a single fabric. In a

merged fabric, the fabric service related traffic travels between interconnected FC SANs
through the FCIP tunnel. However, only a small subset of nodes at either end of the FCIP
tunnel requires connectivity across the tunnel. Thus, the majority of FCIP implementations
today use some switch-specific features to prevent the fabrics from merging and also restrict
the nodes that are allowed to communicate across the fabrics.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 47
FCoE SAN
FCoE SAN
A converged enhanced Ethernet (CEE) network that uses the FCoE protocol
to transport FC data along with regular Ethernet traffic over high speed
Ethernet links. FCoE encapsulates FC frames into Ethernet frames.

• Transfers both compute-to-compute and FC storage traffic using

the same network components
– Reduces complexity of managing multiple discrete networks
– Reduces the number of adapters, cables, and switches, along with
power and space consumption required in a data center
• Based on an enhanced Ethernet standard that ensures lossless
transmission of FC traffic over Ethernet

FCoE SAN is a converged enhanced Ethernet (CEE) network that is capable of transporting FC
data along with regular Ethernet traffic over high speed (such as 4 Gbps, 8 Gbps, 10 Gbps, or
higher) Ethernet links. It uses the FCoE protocol that encapsulates FC frames into Ethernet
frames. FCoE is based on an enhanced Ethernet standard that supports Data Center Bridging
(DCB) functionalities. DCB ensures lossless transmission of FC traffic over Ethernet.

FCoE SAN provides the flexibility to deploy the same network components for transferring both
compute-to-compute traffic and FC storage traffic. This helps in reducing the complexity of
managing multiple discrete network infrastructures. FCoE SAN uses multi-function network
adapters and switches. Therefore, FCoE reduces the number of adapters, cables, and switches,
along with power and space consumption required in a data center.

Component Description
Converged network adapter • Provides functionality of both NIC and FC HBA in a single device
(CNA) • Encapsulates FC traffic onto Ethernet frames (FCoE traffic)
• Consolidates both FC and regular Ethernet traffic over CEE links
Software FCoE adapter • A software on the compute system performs FCoE processing
• Supported NICs transfer both FCoE and regular Ethernet traffic

An FCoE SAN consists of converged network adapters (CNAs), FCoE switches, cables, and FCoE
storage ports.

A CNA is a physical adapter that provides the functionality of both NIC and FC HBA in a single
device. It consolidates both FC traffic and regular Ethernet traffic on a common Ethernet
infrastructure. CNAs connect compute systems to FCoE switches. They are responsible for
encapsulating FC traffic onto Ethernet frames and forwarding them to FCoE switches over CEE
links.

Instead of CNA, a software FCoE adapter may also be used. A software FCoE adapter is
software on the compute system that performs FCoE processing. FCoE processing consumes
compute system processor cycles. With software FCoE adapters, the compute system
implements FC protocol in software that handles SCSI to FC processing. The software FCoE
adapter performs FC to Ethernet encapsulation. Both FCoE traffic (Ethernet traffic that carries
FC data) and regular Ethernet traffic are transferred through supported NICs on the compute
system.

The figure on the slide shows an FCoE implementation that consolidates both FC SAN traffic
and LAN (Ethernet) traffic on a common Ethernet infrastructure.

Component Description
FCoE switch • Contains Fibre Channel Forwarder (FCF), Ethernet Bridge, and a set of ports for
FC, Ethernet, or FCoE connectivity
• FCF encapsulates FC frames into Ethernet frames (FCoE frames) and
decapsulates FCoE frames to FC frames
FCoE storage port • Connects to FCoE switch, enabling end-to-end FCoE environment

An FCoE switch has the functionalities of both an Ethernet switch and an FC switch. It has a
Fibre Channel Forwarder (FCF), an Ethernet Bridge, and a set of ports that can be used for FC,
Ethernet or FCoE connectivity. The function of the FCF is to encapsulate the FC frames received
from an existing FC SAN into the Ethernet frames, and also to decapsulate the Ethernet frames
received from the Ethernet Bridge to the FC frames.

Some vendors offer FCoE ports in their storage systems. These storage systems connect
directly to FCoE switches. The FCoE switches form FCoE fabrics between compute and storage
systems and provide end-to-end FCoE support. The figure on the slide shows an FCoE
implementation with an FCoE-capable storage system.

The cloud tenets of rapid elasticity, resource pooling, and broad network create a sense of
availability of limitless resources in a cloud infrastructure that can be accessed from any
location over a network. However a single cloud does not have an infinite number of resources.
A cloud that does not have adequate resources to satisfy service requests from clients, may be
able to fulfill the requests if it is able to access the resources from another cloud. For example,
in a hybrid cloud scenario, a private cloud may access resources from a public cloud during
peak workload periods. There may be several combinations of inter-cloud connectivity as
depicted in the figure on the slide. Inter-cloud connectivity enables clouds to balance
workloads by accessing and using computing resources, such as processing power and storage
resources from other cloud infrastructures. The cloud provider has to ensure network
connectivity of the cloud infrastructure over a WAN to the other clouds for resource access and
workload distribution.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 51
Lesson Summary
During this lesson the following topics were covered:
• Types of network communication
• Compute-to-compute communication
• Compute-to-storage communication (SAN)
• FC SAN, IP SAN, and FCoE SAN components and
architectures
• Inter-cloud communication

This lesson covered the types of network communication, compute-to-compute

communication, and compute-to-storage communication over a storage area network (SAN).
This lesson also covered the classification of SAN—FC SAN, IP SAN, and FCoE SAN—and
described the components and architecture of each. Finally, this lesson covered inter-cloud
communication.

The Concepts in Practice section covers EMC VMAX, EMC VNX, EMC ECS Appliance, EMC Isilon,
EMC Atmos, EMC XtremIO, and EMC Connectrix.

Note:

For the latest information on EMC products, visit www.emc.com.

VMAX VNX ECS Appliance

• Family of high-end • Family of unified • Hyper-scale storage
enterprise storage storage platforms infrastructure
platforms - Consolidates block, file,
and object access • Supports block, file,
• Block-based storage object, and HDFS
systems for mission- • Built for SMBs and
critical applications enterprises • Provides multi-
tenancy, self-service
• High performance, • Supports file (NFS portal, and metering
reliability, availability, and CIFS), FC, iSCSI, capabilities
and scalability and FCoE access

The EMC VMAX family of storage arrays is a full line of high-end enterprise storage
platforms from EMC. The VMAX series provides block-based storage that delivers enterprise
storage with scalability, performance, and availability to meet the business requirements. The
VMAX series is an innovative platform built around a scalable Virtual Matrix architecture to
support the future storage growth demands of virtual data centers and cloud environments. It
also supports multiple protocols for host connectivity. VMAX storage systems provide business
continuity solution by supporting various local and remote replications.

The EMC VNX family is a group of products that provide a unified storage platform that
consolidates block, file, and object access into one solution. The VNX series is built for small to
medium-sized businesses and enterprises. It enables organizations to dynamically grow, share,
and manage multi-protocol file systems and multi-protocol block storage access. The VNX
operating environment enables Windows and UNIX/Linux users to share files using NFS and
CIFS. It also supports FC, iSCSI, and FCoE access.

EMC ECS Appliance is a hyper-scale storage infrastructure that provides universal

protocol support in a single, highly-available platform for block, file, object, and
Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS) storage. ECS Appliance enables cloud
providers to deliver competitive cloud storage services at scale. It provides geo-
efficient protection, multi-tenancy, self-service portal, and detailed metering
capabilities and enables scaling to Exabyte levels. ECS provides a single platform for
all web, mobile, Big Data, and social media applications. There are two types of data
services within ECS: Block Data Services and Unstructured Data Services that support
unstructured, block, and mixed use cases.

Isilon Atmos
• Scale-out NAS storage platform • Scale-out object-based cloud
storage platform
• Enables pooling multiple nodes to - Stores data as objects
construct a clustered NAS system
• Seamless scale out
• OneFS operating environment
creates single file system across the • Key cloud features include:
cluster - Global namespace
- REST API-driven storage
- Multi-tenancy, metering, and self-
service across tenants
- Metering and chargeback

EMC Isilon is a scale-out NAS storage product family powered by the OneFS operating
environment. Isilon enables pooling multiple nodes together to construct a clustered NAS
system. OneFS is the operating environment that creates a single file system that spans across
all nodes in an Isilon cluster. EMC Isilon provides the capability to manage and store large
(petabyte-scale), high-growth data in a single system with the flexibility to meet a broad range
of performance requirements.

EMC Atmos is a cloud storage platform for enterprises and service providers to deploy public,
private, or hybrid cloud storage. It enables to store, manage, and protect globally distributed,
unstructured content at scale. Atmos is a scale-out object architecture that stores data as
objects with the associated metadata. It enables storage to be scaled out without the need to
rewrite applications. Some of the key cloud features of Atmos include a global namespace,
REST API-driven storage, multi-tenancy, self-service, and metering and chargeback.

XtremIO Connectrix
• All-flash, block-based, scale-out • Family of networked storage
enterprise storage array connectivity products including:
- Enterprise directors
• Uses a clustered design to grow - Departmental switches
capacity and performance as - Multi-purpose switches
required
• Multi-purpose switches support FC,
• A powerful OS (XIOS) manages the iSCSI, FCIP, and FCoE protocols
storage cluster

• Simplified and efficient provisioning

and management

EMC XtremIO is an all-flash, block-based, scale-out enterprise storage array that provides
substantial improvements to I/O performance. It is purpose-built to leverage flash media and
delivers new levels of real-world performance, administrative ease, and advanced data services
for applications. It uses a scale-out clustered design that grows capacity and performance
linearly to meet any requirement. XtremIO arrays are created from building blocks called "X-
Bricks" that are each a high-availability, high-performance, fully active/active storage system
with no single point of failure. XtremIO's powerful operating system, XIOS, manages the
XtremIO storage cluster. XIOS ensures that the system remains balanced and always delivers
the highest levels of performance with no administrator intervention. XtremIO helps the
administrators to become more efficient by enabling system configuration in a few clicks,
provisioning storage in seconds, and monitoring the environment with real-time metrics.

The EMC Connectrix family is a group of networked storage connectivity products. EMC offers
the following connectivity products under the Connectrix brand:

• Enterprise directors: Ideal for large enterprise connectivity. Offer high port density
and high component redundancy. Deployed in high-availability or large-scale
environments

• Departmental switches: Designed to meet workgroup-level, department-level, and

enterprise-level requirements. Provide high availability through features such as
non-disruptive software and port upgrade, and redundant and hot-swappable
components

• Multi-purpose switches: Support various protocols such as FC, iSCSI, FCIP, FCoE, and
FICON. Include FCoE switches, FCIP gateways, and iSCSI gateways. Multiprotocol
capabilities offer many benefits, including long-distance SAN extension, greater resource
sharing, and simplified management.

Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Module: Physical Layer 56
Module Summary
Key points covered in this module:
• Compute system components and types
• Types of storage devices, RAID techniques, and storage
system architectures
• Network connectivity and the types of network
communication

This module covered the key components of a compute system and the common types of
physical compute systems: tower, rack-mounted, and blade. This module also covered the
common types of persistent storage devices, the different RAID techniques (striping, mirroring,
and parity), and the types of storage system architectures: block-based, file-based, object-
based, and unified storage systems. Finally, this module covered compute-to-compute
communication, compute-to-storage communication (SAN), and SAN classification: FC SAN, IP
SAN, and FCoE SAN. Finally, this module covered inter-cloud communication.

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Module 2 Physical Layer

Uploaded by

Module 2 Physical Layer

Uploaded by

Module: Physical Layer

Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:

Providers typically install compute virtualization software (hypervisor) on a compute

• An IC that executes software programs by performing

• A volatile data storage device containing the programs for

• A semiconductor memory containing boot, power management,

• A collection of microchips on a motherboard to manage specific

• Processor: A processor, also known as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), is an integrated

• Chipset: A chipset is a collection of microchips on a motherboard and it is designed to

Self-service portal • Enables consumers to view and request cloud services

Virtualization software • Enables resource pooling and creation of virtual resources

• Enables a provider to manage the cloud infrastructure and

• Includes a consumer’s platform software and business

• Tower compute system

• Rack-mounted compute system

• Blade compute system

A rack-mounted compute system, also known as a rack server or an industrial server, is a

Data created by individuals, businesses, and applications need to be persistently

• Stores data on a circular disk with a ferromagnetic coating

• Stores data on a semiconductor-based memory

• Stores data on a thin plastic film with a magnetic coating

• Stores data on a polycarbonate disc with a reflective coating

A magnetic disk is a circular storage medium made of non-magnetic material (typically an

• Improves storage system performance by serving I/Os from

Parity is a value derived by performing a mathematical operation on individual strips of data

RAID 0 • Striped set with no fault tolerance

RAID 1 • Disk mirroring

RAID 1+0 • Nested RAID (striping and mirroring)

• Striped set with independent disk access and dual distributed

A block-based storage system typically comprises four key components:

A file-based storage system, also known as Network-Attached Storage (NAS), is a dedicated,

Object-based storage provides the capability to automatically detect and repair

A network establishes communication paths between the devices in an IT infrastructure.

Compute-to-compute communication typically uses protocols based on the Internet Protocol

• Based on the protocols they support, SANs can be classified as:

• FC provides block-level access to storage

• Provide physical interface to a node for communicating with

• Optical fiber cables are predominantly used to provide

• FC switches and directors

A port in a switched fabric can be one of the following types:

• F_Port is a port on a switch that connects an N_Port. It is also known as a fabric

• G_Port is a generic port on some vendors’ switches. It can operate as an E_Port or

• Both node ports and switch ports can be zone members

Single-initiator-single-target zoning is considered as an industry best practice to configure

• Key drivers of IP SAN are:

• iSCSI network components are:

• iSCSI initiators such as a software iSCSI adapter and an iSCSI HBA

• An FCIP entity (e.g. FCIP gateway)

An FCIP implementation is capable of merging interconnected fabrics into a single fabric. In a

• Transfers both compute-to-compute and FC storage traffic using

This lesson covered the types of network communication, compute-to-compute

For the latest information on EMC products, visit www.emc.com.

VMAX VNX ECS Appliance

EMC ECS Appliance is a hyper-scale storage infrastructure that provides universal

• Simplified and efficient provisioning

• Departmental switches: Designed to meet workgroup-level, department-level, and

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