Effective Data Storage Monitoring: A View for the 1990s
By Keith Elliott

This article examines the Sterling Software's SPACE MONITOR.

Keith Elliott is vice president of product marketing for the
Storage Management Division of Sterling Software, Systems
Software Marketing Division.

Today we manage a dynamic data storage environment, one that
is growing at the average annual rate of 45 percent. This growth
has triggered significant technological advances; however, 
many times we find that the methods for managing this changing 
environment have not kept pace. As our data centers approach, 
and surpass, the terabyte milestone, it is important that we
update our practices as well as our technology.

Often, our view of the data storage environment is extremely
limited. We are forced to manage tremendous growth in the dark. 
We are not able to see, quickly and easily, where the problems 
are or will be occurring. We cannot readily monitor whether 
our standards and procedures are effective for avoiding and 
resolving problems.

Through a Dark Glass

Currently, analyzing DASD consumption is like looking into 
a black hole because we are unable to see how space is being 
used. When DASD space becomes constrained, we initiate 
defragmentation, archive or data compression jobs -- without 
knowing exactly what is causing the problem or if the storage
management task we are initiating is the most effective one for
the job.

We are, essentially, blind to the current status of our storage
environment. Most storage management software still requires 
that we view the status of our storage environment via reports 
that take hours, or days, to run. For example, it is necessary 
to list VTOCs, gather totals and save the results before the
information can be processed either through a mainframe or PC. 
By the time reports are available, the storage environment has 
changed and the reports are obsolete. The reports themselves 
are cumbersome, burying storage administrators in volumes of 
paper that must be reviewed and analyzed. The entire process 
consumes valuable time and yields conclusions based on outdated
information.

Our view of data storage is restricted even further to what is
primarily a volume view. This is because IBM's VTOC, the only 
source for accurate space information, provides strictly a 
volume-by-volume view. Higher level information (storage 
pools, space used by a particular department/group, space
within a management class, etc.) is not readily available.

Current practices require that we work with limited access to
outdated information. We are unable to see our storage environment,
monitor it for potential problems or analyze the results of 
storage management functions. This unautomated approach 
significantly impacts our efficiency and ability to effectively
manage DASD growth. A Clear View Our rapidly growing and changing 
environments demand more effective means of data storage monitoring 
 and management. For example, most data centers have standards 
regarding archiving; specific volumes that are designated illegal
for allocation; and criteria for idle space release. Yet few data
centers have monitoring tools that provide current information 
about the results of standards enforcement. In fact, there's 
no way to ensure that standards are being enforced at all without 
a lengthy reporting process.

Real-time visualization of the current storage environment is
paramount to understanding and managing explosive DASD growth. 
Or, to use a well-worn cliche, a picture is worth a thousand 
words. This is a lesson learned from the PC world, where 
graphics are routinely used for data analysis. Hundreds of
pages of already obsolete reports can't communicate as
effectively as one crisp, clearly defined chart or graph 
based on information that's less than a few seconds old. See Figure 1.

Effective monitoring of the storage environment requires new
functionality -- a new point of view. The ability to see into 
our storage environment, monitoring it online and in real-time, 
in order to understand and respond to changes in the system is 
critical. This analysis should provide information that allows 
us to quickly isolate problems, focus on implementing procedures,
and determine if those procedures produce the expected results.
See Figure 2.

Today, efficient storage monitoring demands:

o a graphic, on-screen depiction of the storage system that
  provides instant insight into constantly changing storage 
  conditions; and

o the ability to view and manage data to the data set level and
  in logical groups (e.g., all accounting data or all of the 
  data related to an application), as well as the traditional divisions.

Information must be reported in the same way that data is managed
so that users can see what they manage and manage what they see. 
In addition, storage administrators must be able to use the 
monitor to establish rules and procedures that the system then 
automatically enforces. In this way, storage monitoring can also 
be a building block for the implementation of system managed 
storage. It can provide the information on which automation 
is based. For this reason, storage monitoring takes on a whole 
new importance. It's not just watching the system -- monitoring 
becomes the foundation for managing it.

A Window Into the Storage Environment

Sterling Software's SPACE MONITOR provides online, real-time
space utilization information and then uses that information 
to automate many essential storage management functions.

By providing online color graphic displays on DASD space usage 
as well as batch reports for historical trend analysis, SPACE 
MONITOR allows us to see into the current storage environment 
for real-time system status. It also collects information for 
further analysis.

Further, the product integrates both monitoring and automation
functions so that we can view and manage data using the same 
criteria. Its functionality allows us to define our view of 
storage based on the way it's used and managed -- at the data 
set, group, volume, pool or system level. It improves both
the understanding and resolution of storage management problems
through techniques that expand visibility into the storage environment
and automate storage management tasks.

The software provides a window into the data storage environment.
See Figure 3. It provides access to information that allows 
us to make decisions based on real data. Information that is 
then used in conjunction with SPACE MONITOR's automation functions 
to help us achieve optimum control of the data storage
environment.

As the 1990s progress and our data centers continue to grow,
SPACE MONITOR can become the foundation of the storage environment, 
advancing both data storage management technology and practices 
to effectively manage explosive DASD growth.

/*
Was this article of value to you? If so, please let us know by
circling Reader Service No. 00.
For more information on this product, please circle Reader
Service No. ##.FIGURE 1: Color Graphics Provide Valuable Information

Online, real-time color graphics provide easy-to-understand quota
information as well as space utilization
information for allocated, used and idle space.
FIGURE 2: Measuring Effectiveness of New Archive Criteria
FIGURE 3: SPACE MONITOR Displays Status of Storage Environment