home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Network Support Library
/
RoseWare - Network Support Library.iso
/
backup
/
sms.txt
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-01-27
|
11KB
|
207 lines
Storage Management Services (SMS)
A White Paper
November 1993
Palindrome Corporation
Executive Overview
Storage Management Services (SMS) is the Novell specification for
an industry-standard set of Application Programming Interfaces
(API) designed to provide safe, reliable backup and storage
management application development in a heterogeneous environment.
When using SMS APIs to develop backup and storage management
software, a developer can:
Write storage management software to one interface (SMS)
Let SMS handle all operating and file system protocols
Provide safe, efficient access to virtually any client operating
system
This open system specification provides clean and easy backup and
restores for all file systems, bypassing NOS-specific protocols,
file formats and tape formats.
Without SMS, backup software must be written to each native file
format supported; to support attached client workstations or
servers, the software must be written to adhere to each client s
communications protocol and file system. As a consequence, backup
software that is not SMS compliant must manage a bewildering array
of file formats, file systems, operating systems and protocols to
insure that the backups and restores are handled safely.
Palindrome s SMS compliance fully implements the specifications to
ensure compatibility, reliability, and data access for current and
future NetWare versions. Also included is full implemntation of the
SIDF tape format. SIDF is an open, non-proprietary media format,
allowing media interchange among backup vendors. As such,
Palindrome is an active, participating member of the SIDF committee
in an effort to achieve formal recognition and adoption of the SIDF
standard and maximum benefit from the SMS specification.
Advantages of Fully Compliant SMS Software
Assured compatibility with NetWare
Easy, clean migration to heterogenous environments and additional
OS support
Data interchange with SIDF, abandoning proprietary media formats
Immediate, certified support for new versions of NetWare and new
file systems
The majority of backup and data management software today is not
fully SMS compliant. Customers using non-compliant software are
locked into either proprietary client access methods or a
proprietary data format. NetWare users should be wary of vendor
claims of SMS compliance that do not fully implement the
specification.
Disadvantages of SMS Aware or Compatible Software
Compatibility with NetWare not guaranteed
Heterogenous and additional OS support depends on proprietary
implementation
Proprietary media formats lock customer into vendo-specific
software solution
Support for new releases dependant on vendor-supplied updates
Introduction
Storage Management Services goals are to provide software and
hardware independence, improve the quality of storage management
solutions available to Novell customers and enable the development
of storage management applications independent of NetWare version
releases. Having the network itself provide transparent access to
data ensures a compatible upgrade path as new versions of the
network operating system are introduced.
Storage Management Services (SMS) is an industry standard strategy
for simplifying and strengthening backup, archiving and storage
management support for current and future NetWare versions. It also
provides developers with a standard Application Programming
Interface (API) set for accessing data on a variety of computing
platforms. This standard interface simplifies support for
heterogeneous environments by providing a consistent view of
heterogeneous file systems and non-file system based resources such
as NetWare Directory Services, SQL databases, the NetWare Bindery
and other services.
It is important to note that Storage Management Services itself is
not a product. Instead, SMS provides an architecture or framework
for the development of storage management engines that facilitate
data management and protection of heterogeneous environments.
SMS Architecture
The Storage Management Services architecture consists of three
primary components:
1. Storage Management Engine (SME) - The heart of the SMS
architecture is the Storage Management Engine (SME). The SME
communicates with network clients through a common interface that
ensures broad platform support and the ability to support new
platforms and versions without requiring a change to the SME. The
most common implementation of the SME is a backup/restore
application. The SME will contain most of the value added features
and will be the component most often provided by third-party
developers. Novell has provided a basic SME with NetWare called
SBACKUP. Palindrome s Network Archivist SMS product is an enhanced
but fully compliant SME.
2. Target Service Agent (TSA) - The Target Service Agent (TSA) is
a software module that isolates the target operating system s data
from the functionality of the Storage Management Engine (SME) and
is the only module in SMS that processes the target s data. A
target is any object on the network that requires backup,
including: NetWare servers, SQL database engines, print servers,
NetWare Directory Service databases, DOS, OS/2, UNIX and Macintosh
workstations, etc. The TSA s job is to prepare the target services
data for backup/restoration and communicating with the SME. This
means that the backup/restore product can support new releases of
an operating system as long as there is a TSA that understands the
data. With the introduction of NetWare 4.0, Novell has supplied
TSAs for NetWare 3.1x servers, NetWare 4.0x servers, NetWare
Directory Services (NDS), DOS, Windows and OS/2 clients. Target
Service Agents for NetWare 2.x, and Macintosh and UNIX clients will
follow shortly.
3. System Independent Data Format (SIDF) - SIDF is an open standard
for the format of data on storage media. The SMS Target Service
Agents generate data streams in the SIDF format within the Storage
Management Services architecture. In addition, the SIDF
specification defines a standard format for storing data on
secondary storage devices such as tape. SIDF is an extensible
format that ensures compatibility between future and current SIDF
based products and stored (i.e., archived) SIDF data. An SIDF
committee composed of representatives of most LAN backup software
companies was formed to work with standards organizations such as
American National Standards Institute (ANSI), European Computer
Manufacturers Association (ECMA) and International Standards
Organization (ISO) to adopt SIDF as an industry standard format.
In summary, Storage Management Services (SMS) offers a development
specification that encourages software developers, committed to
fostering industry standards, a means to provide enterprise data
management solutions that are safe, reliable and quickly adaptable
to changing environments. When new operating systems are
implemented, SMS compliant vendors, such as Palindrome, will be the
quickest to respond with software support. As networks grow to
include clients with a number of network and workstation file
systems, only SMS compliant vendors can provide storage solutions
which are reliable and proven. In short, full SMS compliance is a
must for providing data protection and management to mission
critical data; anything less is a gamble.
The Palindrome Solution: 100% SMS Compliance
With the release of Palindrome Network Archivist SMS, Palindrome
became the first major backup provider to deliver a 100% compliant
Storage Management Services (SMS) based storage management
application. Palindrome's SMS based application utilizes the SMS
protocols to access heterogeneous clients and extends centralized
data management services to DOS, OS/2, and Windows clients.
Most importantly for NetWare 4.x customers, Palindrome s SMS
compliant version of Network Archivist provides fully integrated
and complete support for NetWare 4.0 features such as file
compression, NetWare Directory Services, and data migration.
Palindrome is also working to ensure Target Service Agent
availability on a wide variety of platforms. Palindrome is
currently working with partners to produce TSAs for several
operating systems and application servers including Lotus Notes,
Oracle, Gupta and Sybase database applications and Windows NT.
Unlike other storage management solution providers, Palindrome s
work on TSAs will continue to provide complete support for the open
and standard application programming interfaces (API). This
adherence to the SMS protocol will ensure that any TSA developed by
Palindrome will be fully certifiable by Novell.
Palindrome fully supports the Storage Management Services (SMS)
protocols and System Independent Data Format (SIDF) as an open,
industry standard. It is through the support of open standards like
SMS that Palindrome will continue to provide intelligent, automated
storage management solutions to customers who need reliable storage
management solutions for their enterprises.
Summary
Palindrome recognizes the need of its customers to implement
centralized storage management services across a variety of
computing platforms and environments and has fully endorsed the
Storage Management Services architecture as a robust, extensible
architecture for protecting and managing data in heterogeneous
networks. Palindrome believes that only through partnerships with
other manufacturers will any storage management solution provider
be able to support and keep up with the constant changes in today s
networks. It is for this reason that Palindrome has endorsed the
SMS architecture and is actively working with Novell and other
manufacturers to continue its evolution and implementation. In
addition, Palindrome is an active member in the SIDF Committee to
ensure an industry-wide standard data interchange format.
As network data storage and management requirements continue to
grow, it becomes increasingly important to automate the management
of data to prevent potential errors. An intelligent and automated
approach to storage management is a prerequisite to implementing
networks containing mission critical applications and data.
Palindrome believes that the combination of our Intelligent Storage
Management technology and the support of an open architecture based
on Storage Management Services protocols will continue to provide
Novell customers with the storage management solutions they require
to implement mission critical networks.