HP Announces Comprehensive Architecture for Network-based Virtualization of Enterprise Storage

As customers increasingly add networked storage into their environments, virtualization will enable them to deploy today’s storage services across the enterprise. With network-based virtualization, delivered through HP VersaStor technology, HP is significantly expanding its ENSAextended strategy to provide customers with easily managed storage environments that are more controllable, resilient and extensible.

Enabled with network-based virtualization and heterogeneous storage services, an HP adaptive infrastructure will provide customers with the necessary elements of a storage utility.

“HP enables customers to adapt and optimize storage and service levels through advanced technologies such as virtualization, adding greater simplicity and utilization of storage resources,” said Howard Elias, senior vice president and general manager, HP Network Storage Solutions. “Today’s announcement demonstrates not only HP’s industry leadership in virtualization, but also our ability to deliver the products and solutions today and a clear architectural roadmap for the future with full investment protection, providing an adaptive storage infrastructure that is more controllable, resilient and extensible.”

Network-based virtualization will allow enterprise-wide pools of modular storage assets to be easily managed and provisioned, adding greater functionality and utilization. With more than 100 virtualization patents, HP currently ships the industry’s broadest portfolio of virtualization solutions today, including the HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array, the HP StorageWorks Virtual Array, and the HP OpenView Continuous Access Storage Appliance (CASA), a solution that enables heterogeneous storage services including replication, snapshot and data migration.

HP plans to extend the benefits of CASA services by integrating VersaStor technology into both the CASA platform and an intelligent switch platform. This will distribute processing across the storage network to more intelligently route input/output based on the data services required.

Based on a modular approach, HP’s network-based virtualization allows customers to adapt and scale their storage infrastructure, adding and allocating resources as required, while protecting existing IT investments. Customers can begin by adding CASA today to their SANs to provide replication and data migration services. Later this year they will be able to implement a VersaStor-enhanced CASA solution and add VersaStor-enabled switches into their existing fabrics. The solution will be managed today and in the future through HP OpenView Storage Area Manager software.

“In May, HP committed to integrating the virtualization capabilities of HP and Compaq into a logical, building block approach that protects customer investment,” said John McArthur, group vice president, Worldwide Storage Research, IDC. “Today’s announcement provides proof-points for that promise and a clear vision for the future.”

Additional information about HP’s virtualization offerings and HP OpenView CASA can be found at http://www.hp.com/storage/virtualization.

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