Qlogic iSR6142 Manual

CASE STUDY
SGF
Société générale de financement du Québec
QLogic iSR6142 router helps
prevent financial disasters
Challenge
Find a way to quickly and cost-effectively implement a
remote disaster recovery solution for mission-critical
applications and data.
Solution
The QLogic iSR6142 intelligent Storage Router
provides high-speed, reliable distance connectivity
over the metropolitan area network (MAN). IBM
DS4000 storage and GlobalMirror software complete
the solution for disaster recovery using asynchronous
remote mirroring.
Result
Using the QLogic iSR6142 router enabled the Société
générale de financement du Québec (SGF) to improve
several areas in their day-to-day operations. Mission-
critical application data could be mirrored across
the MAN from Montreal to Québec (250km), without
impacting productivity or requiring additional IT
management resources.
Building Opportunities by Building a SAN
Société générale de financement du Québec (SGF) was founded in 1962 with
the express purpose of playing a key role to enable development activity,
business investments and provide financial expertise within Québec’s
industrial community. SGF’s investment portfolio totaled nearly $2.5 billion
at the end of 2007, creating 9,580 direct and indirect (person-years) jobs
that year.
As with many companies today, fast growth leads to new IT requirements.
SGF recruited Robert Bryant to oversee their system enhancements. The
first thing that Bryant encountered was possible improvements through
storage consolidation: each server used internal or direct-attached storage.
Furthermore, the expected growth of SGF indicated that a remote site for
storing and protecting data would ensure uninterrupted operations.
To provide a smooth integration, Bryant engaged an outside audit firm to
help with the analysis and recommendations. They presented three key
findings to management:
Current operations were acceptable, but SGF’s strategic growth would1.
need an expanded data infrastructure and network topology.
A remote disaster recovery plan was needed to prevent catastrophic2.
interruptions in day-to-day operations.
Storage consolidation within a SAN environment would help support the3.
DR solution, insure sustained growth and reduce IT management costs.
The team quickly realized that SGF should expand and upgrade their data
storage environment to continue their mission of providing financial growth
opportunities to Québec’s business community. Bryant and his team were
immediately commissioned to create requirements and a deployment plan.
“The QLogic iSR6142 was really the only viable choice for our DR plan. I had tried
other router products at a previous company, but switched to the iSR6142 for its
low-cost, worry-free operation and excellent customer support. When it came to
picking a solution for SGF, nothing else came close to QLogic.”
—Robert Bryant, IT Technical Coordinator,
Société générale de financement du Québec

CASE STUDY
SGF Société générale de financement du Québec QLogic iSR6142 router helps prevent financial disasters
ISR630901-00 A 2
QLogic Router Chosen for Cost, Reliability, and Support
The first step for Bryant and his team was to create a consolidated
SAN infrastructure. Protecting data remotely was nearly impossible
with the existing layout; servers would have required manual
administration to move data. Meeting a recovery point objective of
15 minutes required an automated data mirroring system.
Data storage for each server in the Montreal main data center was
consolidated onto a 4TB IBM DS4700 Storage System. With the data
now centralized, the DR plan could be realized.
The second step was to create a MAN link between Montreal and
the existing remote office in Québec, which is 250km away. An ATM
connection with a 100-Mbps line rate was chosen for its speed and
reliability.
“At this point in our design, we knew that the QLogic router was
the key ingredient for the MAN connection,” Bryant explained. “We
knew that bridging from FC to IP networks could be expensive, tricky,
or both. My previous experience with the iSR6142 ensured me that
we could meet or goals for bandwidth, reliability and support, while
staying within our budget.” The 6142 is less than half the cost of
similar products.
The iSR6142 was directly connected to the controller on the IBM
DS4700 via Fibre Channel, and then the router’s iSCSI ports were
connected to the internal LAN to establish the FCIP route. From there,
a gateway to an ATM 100-Mbps MAN line provides the link between
the facilities. A similar configuration is used in Québec to route from
the MAN to the internal LAN. Another iSR6142 is then used to bridge
the IP network via the iSR6142 to the Fibre Channel ports on a 2TB
IBM DS4200.
The storage arrays run IBM GlobalMirror for asynchronous mirroring
between the two sites.Application data is replicated every 15 minutes
bidirectionally across the MAN. Bryant said that another important
benefit of the router solution was its ability to act simultaneously as
an initiator and target in each direction. This allows him to mirror
data created remotely back to the data center.
Keeping People Connected
SGF account managers need to build relationships and manage
investments across the province. Therefore, they are in constant
communication with clients and financial institutions. Disruptions to
e-mail services would have a negative impact on SGF’s reputation
and their ability to execute.
After the two locations were connected via the iSR6142, Bryant could
implement an MS Exchange Cluster running between the sites. This
filled a large gap in their strategy for daily operational efficiencies.
The account managers and staff would get better productivity with
an e-mail system that’s less prone to outages.
Financially Sound
Bryant further tells us, “We were able to work with all of our vendors
without any conflict. The QLogic router allowed seamless integration
with the switches and networks at each end of the MAN. Since the
router operates so reliably and can be administered from the data
center, we didn’t need to add any staff for DR or Exchange Cluster.”
With the new systems in place, SGF can focus on their primary task
of economic development. The data and network systems can now
easily grow with the business — without hurting productivity or the
budget.
SGF discovered that the QLogic iSR6142 intelligent Storage Router
provides a safe and sound DR plan to ensure that their business and
Québececonomicdevelopmentwillproducereturnswellintothefuture.
QLogic iSR6142 Router Simplifies Distance Connectivity for
Disaster Recovery and Business Continuance
As seen in this illustration, the iSR6142 intelligent Storage Router
provides line-rate connectivity between IBM DS4000 storage in
remote locations. The IT staff can easily configure and administer
the router from the main data center in Montreal.
IBM DS4700
System Storage
IBM DS4200
System Storage
Qlogic iSR6142
Qlogic iSR6142
1000BaseT
Intranet
1000BaseT
Intranet
ATM UBR
100Mbps
SGF Montreal
Main Data Center
SGF Québec
Remote DR Site
Fibre Channel

CASE STUDY
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SGF Société générale de financement du Québec QLogic iSR6142 router helps prevent financial disasters
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without notice, to make changes in product design or specifications.
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