Brocade SAN Health
Analysis Report
By
Xinyu Zhang
Jennifer Carlson
4/13/2015 3:19 AM
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Topics
 Purpose
 Introduction to SAN Health
 Key differentiators
 Report content analysis
 Previous efforts
 Recommendations
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Purpose of the Analysis
 Understand the Brocade SAN Health tool and the reports
generated by this tool
 Evaluate if a tool based on EFCM could be competitive
 Summarize analysis in PowerPoint (this doc) and deliver formal
analysis in Word with more details
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What is Brocade SAN Health?
 Free data capture and
reporting tool downloaded
from Brocade website
 Works on both Brocade and
McDATA SAN
 No performance data
gathered from McDATA SAN
 Non-disruptive to data traffic
 Works with Windows
Scheduler to run
automatically
 Max 68 switch in one report
 Capture maximum of 48
hours of performance data
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 Takes about 15 min for a user to configure
the tool to capture data for a small fabric
(depends on size of SAN, etc.)
 Takes 8 to 48 hours to generate a report
(depends on job queue at Brocade, etc.)
Testimony and Task Flow
“We rely on weekly SAN
Health reports from Brocade
to track our SAN
configuration and usage…
SAN Health is indispensable
in reporting to my
management on the state of
the storage network, and it
helps us anticipate SANrelated issues before they
become problems."
--Baptist Memorial
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User downloads the free SAN Health tool
from Brocade website
User installs SAN Health and
enters the IP addresses for discovery
User emails .BSH file to Brocade or
Uploads file to a web server
Brocade reporting engine generates the
reports, uploads them to a web server,
and notifies the user
User follows the link and retrieves the
report from the web server
Flexibility to
Customize Reports
 Best practice checkup
 Communication settings
 Command selection
 Nickname mapping
 Report scalability
 Diagram format
 Security
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SAN Health Reports - Excel
 Consist of a cover sheet, table of contents, introduction, summary,
topology diagram, recommendations, then report contents
 Organized by SAN summary, fabric
details, then switch details
 Performance graph by switch
 Hidden data sheets for customized
reports
 Color coded data for alerts
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SAN Health Reports - Visio
 Custom Properties window similar to the EFCM Properties
dialogs (for devices and links, not ports or fabrics)
 Multi-line identifiers similar to the flyovers
 Color-coded links
for link types and
performance
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How did We Evaluate an
EFCM Based Response?
 EFCM was not designed to compete with SAN Health
 EFCM is a comprehensive management tool for element
management, configuration, and continuous monitoring
 SAN Health is a reporting tool to make a snap shot of a network
for further analysis
 Compare how a user accomplishes the same task using
the different tools and data availability in the reports
 Not a comparison of EFCM and SAN Health
 Differentiations focused on a particular task
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Key Differentiators
EFCM
SAN Health
Support Cisco and QLogic
Single comprehensive report
Runs on more platforms
Firmware and other compatibility checks
Real-time monitoring
Excel/Visio output customizable
Infinite performance capturing
No cost
Centralized nickname store
Ease-of-use for generating check
Immediate report generation
Unique data: Switch Sensor Data,
Configuration Policy Alerts, I/O
Parameters
Unique data: Congestion,
Security, and Historical
Performance
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Report Content Comparisons
Using Brocade SAN Health report data as a measure found
 ~65% available in EFCM user interface or reports
 22% in Database Export
 +31% in User Interface and Reports
 +12% in Element Manager Data Collections
 ~35% not available in EFCM
Use EFCM database export as a measure
 33% available in SAN Health report
 67% not available in SAN Health report
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Report Content Comparisons
EFCM Database Export
SAN Health has (examples only):

Marginal status of switch, power supplies, fans, temperature sensors, etc.

Fan out ratio, long distance mode, ISL bandwidth utilization

Zone database usage, un-zoned ports/nicknames

I/O parameters (data field size, error detect time, etc.)

Alert policy thresholds
EFCM DB export has (examples):
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
Historical performance data

LUN related data: LUN, LUN binding, LUN masking, host LUNs

Host and storage data, host to HBA mapping

WWN zoning and fabric address zoning information

mSAN and SAN router data
Report Content Comparisons
EFCM UI and Reports
Not available in DB export (examples only):
SAN Health
EFCM
License information
PFE Key dialog of each Element Manager, Security Center
Visio topology diagram and
Connectivity map and Connectivity XML export, product
properties
tree and topology
Port usage by disk, tape, host,
ISL, and free
SNMP settings
Discovery Setup
Access control list
Security Center
Average and max performance
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Fabric Ports report
Performance graph and continuous performance data
export
Report Content Comparison
Not All Data Created Equal
 Previous portion of the analysis identified and counted
data missing from SAN Health and EFCM components
 However the value for our customers of each type of
report content is expected to vary greatly
 Having an understanding of the value of each type of
content should help prioritize future development efforts
 Summary of value of content is being gathered but
summary not available yet
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Previous Analysis Efforts
Similar effort led by CTO office joined by Software
Development, Marketing, Solutions Consulting, and
Professional Services
SANplicity (Marketing)
Report comparison (SC)
Export to database analysis (CTO)
Phases estimate (Software Dev)
Specification (CTO)
Emails
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Previous Analysis Summary
SAN Health Check in GDI Manager

Analyzed data availability

Recommended:
 Enhancing export capability of EFCM
 Collecting data from database export, EFCM server, and devices
 Building our own centralized reporting engine
SANplicity and Backup/Restore Utilities

SANplicity and Backup/Restore are current McDATA products

Possible solutions:
 Collect switch data currently used for switch configuration backup and generate
reports
 Include port diagnostic data then generate reports for trouble shooting purposes
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Recommendations
Design Goals
 Line up with marketing strategy
 Equivalent is not enough, we need to be better
 Comprehensive reports make SAN managers look smart to their
management and generates loyalty to McDATA
 Easy to use
 Line up with service strategy
 Shorten the initial efforts for an engagement
 Collect an inventory of customer data (shared goal with marketing)
 Be powerful, provide more useful data than Brocade
 Low design and development cost and fast turn around - take
advantage of current EFCM structure
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Design Options
Packaging

Take advantage of EFCM infra-structure

Provide more data by enhancing export capability (email/database)

Support the discovery of legacy EFCM/SANav installations

Provide a optimized version of client with discovery and export only
Deployment

Deliver to user with an optimized client for free

Deliver to user with a trial license key (fully loaded client)
Reporting
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
Generate reports from a 3rd party reporting tool using predefined templates

Automate comprehensive report generation

Modify the topology XML export to allow Visio to open the files

Check against best practice policies and alert violations

By McDATA or by customer
Recommendations
Task Flow
McDATA Tasks
Free optimized EFCM
available for download
Import SAN file then
export it to database
Generate reports
using pre-configured report templates
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User Tasks
Download and install EFCM
Discovery Setup
After running EFCM for a while,
export SAN file
email or FTP to McDATA, encrypted
Receive the reports
McDATA Advantage
Proposed Design
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Proposed EFCM advantage
Current SAN Health Advantage
Support Cisco and QLogic
Single comprehensive report
Runs on more platforms
Real-time monitoring
Firmware and other compatibility
checks
Infinite performance capturing
Excel/Visio output customizable
Centralized nickname store
No cost
Immediate report generation
Ease-of-use for generating check
Unique data: Congestion, Security,
and Historical Performance
Unique data: Switch Sensor Data,
Configuration Policy Alerts, I/O
Parameters