HP has brought new disaster recovery software to its
mid-range arrays, refreshing the trend among storage vendors trying to fill
in data protection gaps for medium-sized businesses.
The new packages — Metrocluster, Continentalclusters and StorageWorks Cluster Extension
EVA (enterprise virtual array) — are middleware layers that tie application services on HP arrays to
clustered operating systems and applications, thereby stretching cluster
availability over the distance of a city or beyond.
The software minimizes downtime from synthetic or natural disasters, which
can wreak havoc in financial services businesses that depend on continuous
trades or other transactions to serve customers. Storage infrastructure
providers have seized upon this as an opportunity to create additional
revenue from clients that fear network outages.
While HP rivals IBM and EMC
make storage
software for medium-sized businesses, Kyle Fitze, marketing director for HP
StorageWorks SAN, said mid-range failover
replicate and failover either the server cluster or the storage.
Fitze said HP aims to differentiate itself by offering automatic failover
for applications on both the server cluster and storage. The software
checks to make sure data integrity is being preserved
consistently. It also allows users to read or write to data of storage that is
mirrored from afar, curtailing the effects of an outage or disaster.
Specifically, Metrocluster provides automatic data and applications
failover between remote datacenters on HP-UX systems. The software can cover
a cluster of up to 16 HP 9000 and Integrity servers over 260 kilometers.
Also designed for HP-UX environments, Continentalclusters supports up to 32
HP 9000 and Integrity servers. And it works with data replication products, such
as HP Continuous Access XP, HP Continuous Access EVA, EMC SRDF and Oracle
standby database. The software works over long distances between replicated
sites.
StorageWorks Cluster Extension EVA is host-based software that integrates
Continuous Access EVA remote mirroring. The product extends a local cluster
beyond one data center, providing failover for metropolitan- and wide-area
networks. Cluster Extension also integrates with Microsoft Cluster
Service.
The three products will be available later this month.
HP Cuts to the Middle of Disaster Recovery
