december 2009

Article from MacNewsWorld™ Xsan

by Sherri Stirpe (vendorpartner@loop.ca), Vendor Partner Relationship Manager

Loop’s very own Richard Fraser, an Apple Certified system administrator and technician, was recently approached from Sean R. Barry, a senior data recovery engineer at Kroll Ontrack, to assist with an article on Xsan for the MacNewsWorld™. We are very pleased with this article and with Richard’s achievements of being Xsan certified, we wanted to share this article with you!

If you have any questions about Xsan or Data Recovery, please call Loop at 905-761-2185 or email our service department service@loop.ca and we’ll be happy to assist you!

EXPERT ADVICE
: The Winding Path to Xsan Nirvana

by Sean R. Barry, 
MacNewsWorld - 
10/13/09

Apple's Xsan provides a robust storage environment for any enterprise that has Mac users. As with any successful deployment, knowing the equipment and the software are key to having a painless system installation. However, Xsan systems require a special finesse, a dedication to details, an OS-neutral demeanor and a wide range of experience.

The Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) Xsan system follows the relatively common path that other SAN (storage area network) products have established, which is to simplify storage management, and the Xsan delivers -- but it takes a lot of planning to reach Xsan Nirvana.

An overview of the Xsan system requires technical and budget planning. Since its initial release, the Xsan has been hailed as a "high-performance enterprise-class SAN solution, priced at (US)$999." This is for the Xsan software only; the other components to make a complete system are more. All things being equal, here's the middle of the road cost for a 14TB system:

Xsan Installed* Xsan Storage only
$/GB: 2.70 0.94
GB/$: 0.37 1.05

Compare that with the comparison CapitalHead.com did last year between the base storage costs of a direct-attached storage (DAS) and an entry-level SAN system. The installed costs of the Xsan are only $1/GB higher. Top-of-the-line enterprise storage can go as high as $6/GB, so the Xsan is fitted nicely above entry-level SAN systems.

Setting It Up Right the First Time
As with all successful server installations, planning is required before deploying the equipment. Planning in this case means more than finding the best cost for hardware. Planning involves estimating your client's needs, knowing where the equipment is going to be sitting, configuring the network aspect of the Xsan, configuring the storage, setting up fibre channel fabric and port settings, and determining the access and permissions (Open Directory) method.

According to Aaron Freimark, the IT Director of Tekserve, an authorized Apple reseller and service provider, and also the founder of Xsanity.com, a forum and blog Web site for the Xsan IT community, the top three Xsan setup missteps are the following:

  • Incorrect Domain Name System (DNS) configuration
  • Inadequate cooling and cabling requirements
  • Overly conservative estimates of storage requirements

The book Apple Training Series Xsan 2 Administration: A Guide to Designing, Deploying, and Maintaining Xsan by Robert Kite is an excellent resource for your planning. At the beginning of chapter two, this warning stands out: "It's easy to add storage to an existing Xsan SAN, but reorganizing a SAN after you've set it up is not so simple. Therefore, it's important to plan the layout and organization of your SAN and its storage in advance." The same planning advice is required for the Fibre Channel and Ethernet infrastructures.

The underestimation of storage is a common problem reported by experts. Graham McGuiness, codirector of Root6, supplier, and integrator of broadcasting and film technology, says that having a realistic view of storage needs during the planning phase is a challenge. "Today's projects are under budget pressure," McGuiness says, "yet clients that are trying to deploy just the amount of storage they need now, quickly find out that they need more." Fortunately, Xsan storage is scalable, and adding additional terabytes of storage is easy.

Whatever the final environment looks like, there should be good documentation and a backup plan. Herein lies a challenge: Some Xsan installations have so much data that they cannot back it up. Here's where you may need to change hats from IT administrator to IT continuity planner. Richard Fraser, Apple certified system administrator and technician for Loop Enterprise, a managed IT service provider, says, "making a plan in case of failure rather than waiting for a failure to happen" is often a missed item during planning and deployment.

Xsan IT and Storage Management
A common misconception of users is that when a new server is purchased, the IT department unpacks the equipment, puts it in the corner, plugs it in and it just works. Any IT admin will tell you that this is just not the case no matter what the product is. Freimark, quoted earlier, says that the Xsan environment is a completely different world. "You have this organically linked network of computers; what happens to one [system], happens to everyone else. It's really important to pay attention to the whole network that you're creating. Because you're dealing with the network as a unit instead of a group of machines, it will expose any sort of problems your network has."

Incorrect configuration of the FC switch, Open Directory, or DNS can result in latency issues that make it appear that there is a bandwidth problem. Freimark recommends that if more than one FC switch is in place, then the IT staff should research "Domain Locking." This assigns the order of switches and defines who is first and second and so on, as well as the traffic being assigned to respective LUNs (logical unit number). If domain locking is not turned on and a reboot of the FC switch occurs, the LUNs won't be available. That can be a scary moment for an IT admin after firmware or software updates are applied and the LUNs do not show up.

The data volumes you create should have a documented naming convention and the more straightforward your storage configuration, the better off you'll be. It is also best practice to back up your "/Library/Filesystems/Xsan/config" folder. Freimark says this is the key to your SAN. The information in this folder could be rebuilt by hand, but you don't want to go through it. There was an example of this on the Apple discussion boards in 2007. Help from the Xsan community paid off, and the IT admin was able to discover and associate his LUNs and disks by their serial numbers and rebuild the Xsan config files. The effort was successful, but it was clearly a stressful experience.

Xsan logs can get very verbose and detailed. During a troubleshooting exercise, it may be easy to lose sight of what the real issues are. There are no easy shortcuts here. The logs tell you quite a bit, yet you'll have to determine through use and experience what is important and what is not. This is where the Xsan community comes in handy. By reviewing posted logs and how others have interpreted them, you will gain insight into analyzing your own logs.

Don't feel awkward about posting your own logs to get feedback from them other experienced IT admins. Additionally, if you discover something in your Xsan logs and are able to determine a work-around or maintenance item to watch for, post it on Xsanity or Apple discussion boards. The collective archive of knowledge can help someone else.

Professional Experience Required
The Apple Xsan was developed for high performance -- from the operating system to the file system, the SAN is built for speed. Apple Xsan deployments from the user perspective also require planning. Finally, helping Xsan users learn how use the system is an important project management step for a successful deployment.

Root6's McGuiness comments that users who used to save their work to their workstations now have to think differently -- they have to think in terms of a shared environment. "Users do not need training," McGuiness says, "just a little assistance to adapt to the new system." Once users get it, they can't see how they worked before without an Apple Xsan, according to McGuiness.

Sean R. Barry is senior data recovery engineer at Kroll Ontrack.

* Includes servers and Xsan License, FC switches, storage, HBA cards, installer/integrator/consultant fees

Back up, Back up, Back up!

by Glen Craven (service@loop.ca), Business Systems Analyst

The holidays are a time of year when many of us pause to consider that which we value most in our lives.

One thing that should be very much appreciated but is often overlooked is the data contained on personal and business hard drives.

At Loop, we try to underscore the importance of backing up data because we often work to assist individuals and companies in retrieving files that have been lost or damaged due to a failed hard drive. We’ve leant a hand in many distressing situations involving data that has taken weeks, months or even years to compile, including those in which family photo collections are in jeopardy and important business deadlines are at risk.

In the world of Information Technology, there is simply no worse experience than identifying a failed hard drive that has not been backed up. Fortunately, there are recovery tools designed to recover lost data. Efforts to retrieve information can even be escalated, by sending the hard drive to a facility equipped with a specialized ‘clean room,’ where a physical repair of the drive can be attempted. Such repairs though, can be very costly. And on occasion, data cannot be replaced or at best, involves many hours to reproduce.

The most disheartening thing is that situations like these are completely avoidable and the options for backing up data today are numerous. One simple approach is to attach an external hard drive to your computer and use the built-in time machine software available in Mac OS X 10.5 and higher versions. Similar backup utilities that are available to home users at a nominal cost include Carbon Copy Cloner and SuperDuper, both of which back your files up to an external hard drive or CD/DVD. Alternatively, you may opt to manually burn your data to a CD or DVD whenever there is a change for example, to your iPhoto library.

For businesses running on the Mac another solution is Retrospect, which allows you to set up scripts so that you can backup to the company server only the data you want from different users’ computers across the network.

It can’t be emphasized enough: backup, backup, backup. Unless your files are stored in at least two separate locations, you simply don’t have an effective recovery strategy for your data.

To find the right back-up solution for you give Loop a call. We will be glad to assist you in safeguarding all of your valuable information.

Introducing...Mac Mini Server

by Simon Strantzas (procurement@loop.ca), Product Specialist

Let's say you're in charge of the data for your company, but your company consists of only a few users. Or let's say you want to have a centralized place for all your data, but really there isn't that much of it and you don't need to access it that often. Or let's say you need to host your own FTP site, or own web site, but these aren't going to be complicated affairs. Oh, and you'd like to stick with Apple hardware. What do you do? Well, until now, you bought a machine far more powerful than you needed, outfitted it with server software and set it up. It worked, but the fact that you had this high-end computer doing low-end work always niggled at you. Isn't there a better way?

Yes, there is. Introducing Apple's new server, the Mac Mini. What's that you say? No, no, not the standard Mac Mini. Instead Apple has a new version made with just you in mind. They've removed the optical drive and replaced it with another 500GB hard drive, giving you the ability to RAID your drives for redundancy, and also preinstalled the unlimited version of Mac OS X Server 10.6 (aka Snow Leopard). Finally, you don't have to find a place to hide a whole computer when you need a simple server solution. The Mini can run headless, and be secreted in all sorts of tight corners where real estate is at a premium. Plus, because it's running Apple latest and greatest server software, you can connect an unlimited amount of users to it. Need more storage space? Connect an external drive! It couldn't be simpler!

The computer ships with a setup assistant, making basic server configuration a snap and if you require the ability to install software on the computer, Apple has an external USB optical drive specially designed to work with and compliment the Mini.

Now, the solution isn't for every setup. Unlike the Xserve, or even a Mac Pro running the software, there is only one network port in, which slows down in/out transfers. Plus, the Mini isn't as powerful as its bigger brethren. If you're pushing/pulling a lot of files, it may not provide the level of speed you require. We suggest you talk over your setup with a Loop Specialist to determine if this is the right unit for you.

Gift Giving this Holiday Season: Is it appropriate or not?

by Bryan Chiasson (sales@loop.ca), Sales Relationship Executive

That all depends! First, let’s think about what has happened over the last 12 months when it comes to the economy and your own company’s financial situation. Yes it’s true many of us have succeeded in pushing through tough economic times, but if you are looking for something in return, then think again.

Corporate gifts sent in a heartfelt manner can work well to firm up business relationships and even let clients know that they are appreciated. At the same time these are only meant for existing clients and not prospects. Gifts to prospects can be viewed as trying to buy their business when trust has not yet been earned.

One point to remember when you are the recipient of a gift is that you should call or acknowledge the gift as soon as possible. This will let the sender know you have received the gift and that it was not lost in the mail. All you need to do is reply with a sincere Thank you, but it does not mean it has to be reciprocated.

Below are a few tips for successful Business Gift Giving this Holiday Season:

  • Make sure that your client list is up-to-date with all the right addresses and contact names.
  • Be sure to find out what you client’s gift giving policy is so that you have not wasted your time and effort sending them something they are not permitted to accept.
  • Plan carefully your mailing date. It is important to know the closing dates of your different customers to ensure the gifts are received before they shut down for the holiday.
  • Try and personalize each gift, even if it is as little as adding a personal note telling them how much you appreciated their business this year and how you are looking forward to continuing the relationship into the New Year.
  • Remember that this is a way to say thanks for their business and not another way to market your company or services.
  • Keep the gift reasonable. Don’t buy high valued gifts to give as a personal gift. This can cause confusion to the client as to whether it is a gift or maybe you have another motive. If you send the gift to their office, remember that the staff may see it being opened, so keep the gift unique and memorable.

On behalf of the staff at Loop Enterprise Inc, and all of our families, we would like to wish you all the best this Holiday Season and we look forward to working with you all again in 2010. Enjoy the Gift Giving this season and make sure to give it some thought before doing so!

Don’t forget about our top 3 picks on our Store site http://store.loop.ca and just a reminder about our rebate offering:

Office Mac Business Edition Rebate

When purchasing a new Apple computer from Loop Enterprise, from October 5th, 2009 – January 29th, 2010, we are offering up to $70.00 in rebate off of Office Mac Business Edition 2008 English or French. Items must be purchased in conjunction to take advantage of the offer.

  • Office Mac Business Edition 2008 English: $70 Customer Rebate
  • Office Mac Business Edition 2008 English Upgrade: $40 Customer Rebate
  • Office Mac Business Edition 2008 French: $70 Customer Rebate
  • Office Mac Business Edition 2008 French Upgrade: $40 Customer Rebate

Eligible skus when sold as a bundle with a new Apple computer
4468440 GYD-00001 Office Mac Business Edition 2008 English 70$
4468441 GYD-00004 Office Mac Business Edition 2008 English upgrade 40$
4468442 GYD-00011 Office Mac Business Edition 2008 French 70$
4468443 GYD-00014 Office Mac Business Edition 2008 French upgrade 40$

Please visit our Online Store at http://store.loop.ca or call 905-761-2195 for details!

We appreciate your support throughout 2009 and we look forward to servicing you in 2010! Have a safe a happy holiday.