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Books:
Breaking the Availability Barrier, Survivable Systems for Enterprise Computing
ISBN 1-4107-9232-3, Published by 1st Books Library, 12/18/03
By: Dr. Bill Highleyman, Paul J. Holenstein and Dr. Bruce Holenstein
These people really understand the old school concept of keeping systems running. Coming from a Tandem background, they have a very solid grasp of what it takes to keep Enterprise Computing Systems up and running. They are great at taking everything from the fundamentals of systems design to the very technical concepts of High Availability and present it in a format that any IT Professional can understand and appreciate. Also, for the Uber-geeks out there, they back up their logic in mathematical formulae that the academic crowd will enjoy.
Designing Storage Area Networks: A Practical Reference for Implementing Fibre Channel SANs
ISBN 0-2016-1584-3, Published by Addison-Wesley Professional; 1st edition (September 8, 1999)
By Tom Clark
There is a second edition of this book now available (also written by Mr. Clark), but I have not had a chance to read it yet. However, the first edition was always at my side for several years. I always refer to it when customers ask me for a good source to get a vendor neutral understanding of Storage Area Networks. Mr. Clark presents everything from the basic to the esoteric concepts of Storage Area Networks and the Fibre Channel protocol in this book. If you are just starting out in the Fibre world, or are an advanced SAN Architect looking for a refresher or a second set of brains, this is the book to go to.
Principals of SAN Design
By Josh Judd and Dan Krueger, Published by Brocade with Infinity Publishing
If you are using Brocade FC Switches, this book is amazing. If you are not using Brocade FC Switches, this book is still amazing. It really details the Fibre Channel Protocol and Architecture. It covers all of the major and a lot of the minor details about FC design. Though it is Brocade focused, it is a really good reference book, and a must read for more advanced Storage Engineers.
Multiprotocol Routing for SANs
By Josh Judd, Published by Brocade with Infinity Publishing
If you need to get past the hype and buzzwords that vendors are pushing about iSCSI and FCIP, and really need to understand how they work, and what they are really used for, this is the book for you. Mr. Judd really digs into the technology behind these IP based storage protocols. Once again, it does lean toward the Brocade solutions, but it really does a great job of explaining how these protocols differ and what they are designed for.
Internetworking Technologies Handbook
Published by Cisco Press
Currently on the fourth edition, I use this book as a reference quite often. I’m not a networking engineer, but with the merging of storage and IP based networking, there are a lot of concepts that are starting to work together and I need to understand. This book makes for a great encyclopedia of IP concepts when designing IP based storage.
RAID Advisory Board Guide
Published by the (now defunct) RAID Advisory Board (RAB)
The RAID Guide is a book from several years ago that defines the classic versions of RAID. It doesn’t cover vendor specific variations, but rather is written as a technical document defining not only the basics of a RAID Logical Drive, but goes in depth to explain the math and geometry behind the RAID levels. The book is out of print, and I have not found an online version or any reprints, but if you can get your hands on a copy, and are really focused on the hows and whys behind RAID, it’s a good read.
Websites/Magazines
infostor.com (website, eZine, paper magazine)
A website that is focused on reviewing current, as well as up and coming storage technologies. It can give some good insight as to where the industry is going. However, most of the content is vendor centric, and based on vendor information and press releases. I do like the independent reviews and the most valuable product sections. Keep in mind that a lot of the technology you read about here may (or may not) be ready for production or even available. But, it does help keep your thumb on the pulse.
eWeek.com (website, eZine, paper magazine)
This magazine used to be called PC Week. They changed the name a few years back when the “e” craze got rolling. Despite the historical name, they are not focused on desktops. eWeek gives a really good, overall snapshot of the state of computing technology affairs. Ranging topics from Enterprise to Desktop, Linux to Windows, Networking to Software, they really provide a great summary of where computing is, and where it could be going. Two of my favorite columns are Peter Coffee and Spencer Katt.
byteandswitch.com (website)
A really good reference for the latest technology and industry back stories. Focused on storage from the hardware and software perspective. They have a lot of really good recourses available on the site. From what company financial information, to the latest releases of everything. A definite must read site. Sign up for the newsletter, and use the forums.
theregister.co.uk (website)
Focused on the overall technology industry, and very UK centric, it is a great source for not just industry information, but gossip as well. Written in a rather snarky prose, they do a great job of getting the information out there. Think of it as the “People” Magazine of technology.
snia.org (website)
Storage Networking Industry Association, the grandfather of networked storage if you will. SNIA is the central clearinghouse of both information and standards in the networked storage world. Not only are they vendor neutral, they are vendor encompassing. They have a building in Colorado where all storage vendors are encouraged to bring their products for testing and compatibility testing. Think of SNIA as the “Consumer Reports” of Storage.
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