SNMR IA2 AB

1. List and explain NAS File Sharing Protocol.

Two common NAS file sharing protocols are:

1. NFS – Network File System protocol Traditional UNIX environment file
sharing protocol
2. CIFS – Common Internet File System protocol Traditional Microsoft
environment file sharing protocol, based upon the Server Message Block
Protocol.
CIFS
CIFS is client/server application protocol, which enables clients programs
make requests for files and services on remote computers on the
Internet. CIFS is a public (or open) variation on Microsoft’s Server
Message Block (SMB) protocol. SMB is widely used on LANs. Like SMB,
CIFS runs at a higher level than, and uses the Internet's TCP/IP protocol.
CIFS is viewed as a complement to the existing Internet application
protocols such as the File Transfer Protocol (FTP) and the Hyper Text
Transfer Protocol (HTTP). The CIFS protocol allows the client to:
i) Get access to files that are local to the server and read and write to
them
ii) Share files with other clients using special locks
iii) Restore connections automatically in case of network failure
iv) Use Unicode file names
In general, CIFS gives the client user better control of files than FTP. It
provides a potentially more direct interface to server programs than
currently available through a Web browser and the HTTP protocol.
CIFS runs over TCP/IP and uses DNS (Domain Naming Service) for name
resolution. These file system protocols allow users to share file data
across different operating environments as well as provide a means for
users to transparently migrate from one operating system to another.
1. File system is mounted remotely using NFS or CIFS protocol
2. Application I/O requests transparently transmit data to the remote file
system by the NFS/CIFS protocol. This is also known as redirection.
3. Utilizes mature data transport (TCP/IP) and media access protocols
 NAS device assumes responsibility for organizing block level data (R/W)
on disk and managing cache ensuring efficient management and data
security.
NFS and CIFS enable the owner of a file to set the required type of
access, such as read-only or read-write, for a particular user or group of
users. In both of these implementations, users are unaware of the
location of the file system. In addition, a name service, such as Domain
Name System (DNS), Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), and
Network Information Services (NIS), helps users identify and access a
unique resource over the network. A naming service protocol creates a
namespace, which holds the unique name of every network resource
and helps recognize resources on the network.
NFS
NFS is a client/server application that enables a computer user view and
optionally store and update files on a remote computer as though they
were on the user's own computer. It uses Remote Procedure Calls (RPC)
to communicate between computers.
The user's system requires an NFS client to connect to the NFS server.
Since the NFS server and client use TCP/IP to transfer files, TCP/IP must
be installed on both systems.
Using NFS, the user or system administrator can mount all or a portion
of a file system (which is a portion of the hierarchical tree in any file
directory and subdirectory). The portion of the file system that is
mounted (designated as accessible) can be controlled using permissions
(e.g., read-only or read-write).
 2. Draw BC planning lifecycle.

3. List different components of Information System.

Components of Information System

Technology:
Technology can be thought of as the application of scientific knowledge
for practical purposes.
The first three components of information systems – hardware,
software, and data – all fall under the category of technology.
People:
A focus on the people involved in information systems is the next step.
From the front-line help-desk workers, to systems analysts, to
programmers, all the way up to the chief information officer
Process:
The last component of information systems is process. A process is a
series of steps undertaken to achieve a desired outcome or goal.
Information systems are becoming more and more integrated with
organizational processes, bringing more productivity and better control
to those processes.
4. Define RTO and RPO.
Recovery Point Objective (RPO) defines the criticality of the data and
determines how much data your business can acceptably lose if a failure
occurs. The more critical the data, the lower the RPO.
 Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the estimated repair time and
determines the acceptable amount of time needed for recovery.

5. Define Query Structure.

A query consists of one or more conditions that must be met by each
work item in the result set.

6. Explain are the different forms of virtualization.

Various forms of Virtualization are memory virtualization, network

virtualization, server virtualization, and storage virtualization.
1. Memory Virtualization
Virtual memory makes an application appear as if it has its own
contiguous logical memory independent of the existing physical memory
resources.
With technological advancements, memory technology has changed and
the cost of memory has decreased. Virtual memory managers (VMMs)
have evolved, enabling multiple applications to be hosted and processed
simultaneously.
In a virtual memory implementation, a memory address space is divided
into contiguous blocks of fixed-size pages. A process known as paging
saves inactive memory pages onto the disk and brings them back to
physical memory when required. This enables efficient use of available
physical memory among different processes. The space used by VMMs
on the disk is known as a swap file. A swap file (also known as page file
or swap space) is a portion of the hard disk that functions like physical
memory (RAM) to the operating system. The operating system typically
moves the least used data into the swap file so that RAM will be
available for processes that are more active. Because the space allocated
to the swap file is on the hard disk (which is slower than the physical
memory), access to this file is slower.
2. Network Virtualization
Network virtualization creates virtual networks whereby each
application sees its own logical network independent of the physical
network. A virtual LAN (VLAN) is an example of network virtualization
that provides an easy, flexible and less expensive way to manage
networks. VLANs make large networks more manageable by enabling a
 centralized configuration of devices located in physically diverse
locations.
Consider a company in which the users of a department are separated
over a metropolitan area with their resources centrally located at one
office. In a typical network, each location has its own network connected
to the others through routers. When network packets cross routers,
latency influences network performance. With VLANs, users with similar
access requirements can be grouped together into the same virtual
network. This setup eliminates the need for network routing. As a result,
although users are physically located at disparate locations, they appear
to be at the same location accessing resources locally. In addition to
improving network performance, VLANs also provide enhanced security
by isolating sensitive data from the other networks and by restricting
access to the resources located within the networks.
A virtual SAN/virtual fabric is a recent evolution of SAN and
conceptually, functions in the same way as a VLAN.
3. Server Virtualization
Server virtualization enables multiple operating systems and applications
to run simultaneously on different virtual machines created on the same
physical server (or group of servers). Virtual machines provide a layer of
abstraction between the operating system and the underlying hardware.
Within a physical server, any number of virtual servers can be
established; depending on hardware capabilities.
Each virtual server seems like a physical machine to the operating
system, although all virtual servers share the same underlying physical
hardware in an isolated manner. For example, the physical memory is
shared between virtual servers but the address space is not. Individual
virtual servers can be restarted, upgraded, or even crashed, without
affecting the other virtual servers on the same physical machine.
4. Storage Virtualization
Storage virtualization is the process of presenting a logical view of the
physical storage resources to a host. This logical storage appears and
behaves as physical storage directly connected to the host. Throughout
the evolution of storage technology, some form of storage virtualization
has been implemented. Some examples of storage virtualization are
host-based volume management, LUN creation, tape storage
virtualization, and disk addressing (CHS to LBA).
The key benefits of storage virtualization include increased storage
utilization, adding or deleting storage without affecting an application’s
availability, and non-disruptive data migration (access to files and
storage while migrations are in progress).
The storage virtualization solution must be capable of addressing issues
such as scalability, functionality, manageability, and support.
o Scalability
Consider the scalability of an environment with no virtualization.
This environment may have several storage arrays that provide
storage independently of each other. Each array is managed
independently and meets application requirements in terms of
IOPS and capacity. After virtualization, a storage array can no
longer be viewed as an individual entity. The environment as a
whole must now be analysed. As a result, the infrastructure that is
implemented both at a physical level and from a virtualization
perspective must be able to adequately handle the workload,
which may consist of different types of processing and traffic
distribution. Greater care must be exercised to ensure that
storage devices are performing to meet the appropriate
requirements.
o Functionality
Functionality is another challenge in storage virtualization.
Currently, the storage array provides a wide range of advanced
functionality necessary for meeting an application’s service levels.
This includes local replication, extended-distance remote
replication and the capability to provide application consistency
across multiple volumes and arrays. In a virtualized environment,
the virtual device must provide the same or better functionality
than what is currently available on the storage array, and it must
continue to leverage existing functionality on the arrays. It should
protect the existing investments in processes, skills, training, and
human resources.
o Manageability
The management of the storage infrastructure in a virtualized
environment is an important consideration for storage
administrators. A key advantage of today’s storage resource
management tools in an environment without virtualization is that
 they provide an end-to-end view, which integrates all the
resources in the storage environment. They provide efficient and
effective monitoring, reporting, planning, and provisioning
services to the storage environment.
Introducing a virtualization device breaks the end-to-end view into
three distinct domains: the server to the virtualization device, the
virtualization device to the physical storage, and the virtualization
device itself. The virtualized storage environment must be capable
of meeting these challenges and must integrate with existing
management tools to enable management of an end-to-end
virtualized environment.
o Support
Virtualization is not a stand-alone technology but something that
has to work within an existing environment. This environment
may include multiple vendor technologies, such as switch and
storage arrays, adding to complexity. Addressing such
complexities often requires multiple management tools and
introduces interoperability issues. Without a virtualization
solution, many companies try to consolidate products from a
single vendor to ease these challenges. Introducing a virtualization
solution reduces the need to standardize on a single vendor.
However, supportability issues in a virtualized heterogeneous
environment introduce challenges in coordination and
compatibility of products and solutions from different
manufacturers and vendors.
7. Types of Indexing.
1. Primary index
2. Secondary index
3. Clustered index
4. Dense index
5. Sparse index
6. Multilevel index

8. Explain any one NAS implementation method.

NAS implementations:
 There are two types of NAS implementations: integrated and gateway.
The integrated NAS device has all of its components and storage system
in a single enclosure (package). In gateway implementation, NAS head
shares its storage with SAN environment.
1. Integrated NAS:
o An integrated NAS device has all the components of NAS, such as
the NAS head and storage, in a single enclosure, or frame. This
makes the integrated NAS a self-contained environment. The NAS
head connects to the IP network to provide connectivity to the
clients and service the file I/O requests. The storage consists of a
number of disks that can range from low-cost ATA to high
throughput FC disk drives. Management software manages the
NAS head and storage configurations.
o An integrated NAS solution ranges from a low-end device, which is
a single enclosure, to a high-end solution that can have an
externally connected storage array.
o A low-end appliance-type NAS solution is suitable for applications
that a small department may use, where the primary need is
consolidation of storage, rather than high performance or
advanced features such as disaster recovery and business
continuity. This solution is fixed in capacity and might not be
upgradable beyond its original configuration. To expand the
capacity, the solution must be scaled by deploying additional
units, a task that increases management overhead because
multiple devices have to be administered.
o In a high-end NAS solution, external and dedicated storage
can be used. This enables independent scaling of the capacity in
terms of NAS heads or storage. However, there is a limit to
scalability of this solution.
2. Gateway NAS:
 A gateway NAS device consists of an independent NAS head and one or
more storage arrays. The NAS head performs the same functions that it
does in the integrated solution; while the storage is shared with other
applications that require block-level I/O. Management functions in this
type of solution are more complex than those in an integrated
environment because there are separate administrative tasks for the
NAS head and the storage. In addition to the components that are
explicitly tied to the NAS solution, a gateway solution can also utilize the
FC infrastructure, such as switches, directors, or direct-attached storage
arrays.
 The gateway NAS is the most scalable because NAS heads and storage
arrays can be independently scaled up when required. Adding
processing capacity to the NAS gateway is an example of scaling., adding
capacity on the SAN independently of the NAS head. Administrators can
increase performance and I/O processing capabilities for their
environments without purchasing additional interconnect devices and
storage. Gateway NAS enables high utilization of storage capacity by
sharing it with SAN environment.
9. Explain Symmetric and Asymmetric virtualization with neat labelled
diagram.

Symmetric Storage virtualization

In symmetric storage virtualisation the data and control flow go down the
same path (Figure).
This means that the abstraction from physical to logical storage necessary for
virtualisation must take place within the data flow.
As a result, the metadata controller is positioned precisely in the data flow
between server and storage devices, which is why symmetric virtualisation is
also called in-band virtualisation.
Advantages of symmetric virtualisation are:
The application servers can easily be provided with data access both on block
and file level, regardless of the underlying physical storage devices.
The administrator has complete control over which storage resources are
available to which servers at a central point. This increases security and eases
the administration.
Assuming that the appropriate protocols are supported, symmetric
virtualisation does not place any limit on specific operating system platforms. It
can thus also be used in heterogeneous environments.
The performance of existing storage networks can be improved by the use of
caching and clustering in the metadata controllers.
The use of a metadata controller means that techniques such as snapshots or
mirroring can be implemented in a simple manner, since they control the
storage access directly. They can also be used on storage devices such as
JBODs or simple RAID arrays that do not provide to these techniques
themselves.
The disadvantages of a symmetric virtualisation are:
Each individual metadata controller must be administered. If several metadata
controllers are used in a cluster arrangement, then the administration is
relatively complex and time-consuming particularly due to the cross-computer
data access layer. This disadvantage can, however, be reduced by the use of a
central administration console for the metadata controller.
Several controllers plus cluster technology are indispensable to guarantee the
fault-tolerance of data access.
As an additional element in the data path, the controller can lead to
performance problems, which makes the use of caching or load distribution
over several controllers indispensable.
It can sometimes be difficult to move the data between storage devices if this
is managed by different metadata controllers.
Asymmetric Storage virtualisation
In contrast to symmetric virtualisation, in asymmetric virtualisation the data
flow is separated from the control flow. This is achieved by moving all mapping
operations from logical to physical drives to a metadata controller outside the
data path
The metadata controller now only has to look after the administrative and
control tasks of virtualisation; the flow of data takes place directly from the
application servers to the storage devices. As a result, this approach is also
called out-band virtualisation.
The following advantages of asymmetric virtualisation can be established: •
Complete control of storage resources by an absolutely centralised
management on the metadata controller. • Maximum throughput between
servers and storage devices by the separation of the control flow from the data
flow, thus avoiding additional devices in the data path. • In comparison to the
development and administration of a fully functional volume manager on
every server, the porting of the agent software is associated with a low cost. •
As in the symmetric approach, advanced storage functions such as snapshots
or mirroring can be used on storage devices that do not themselves support
these functions. • To improve fault-tolerance, several metadata controllers can
be brought together to form a cluster. This is easier than in the symmetric
approach, since no physical connection from the servers to the metadata
controllers is necessary for the data flow.
The disadvantages of asymmetric virtualisation are:
Special agent software is required on the servers or the host bus adapters. This
can make it more difficult to use this approach in heterogeneous
environments, since such software or a suitable host bus adapter must be
present for every platform. Incompatibilities between the agent software and
existing applications may sometimes make the use of asymmetric virtualisation
impossible.
The development cost increases further if the agent software and the
metadata controller are also to permit access on file level in addition to access
on block level.
A performance bottleneck can arise as a result of the frequent communication
between agent software and metadata controller. These performance
bottlenecks can be remedied by the caching of the physical storage
information.
Caching to increase performance requires an ingenious distributed caching
algorithm to avoid data inconsistencies. A further option would be the
installation of a dedicated cache server in the storage network.

10. Write a note on Business Impact Analysis.

What is business impact analysis (BIA)? It’s a way to predict the consequences
of disruptions to a business and its processes and systems by collecting
relevant data, which can be used to develop strategies for the business to
recover in the case of emergency.

Scenarios that could potentially cause losses to the business are identified.
These can include supplier’s not delivering, delays in service, etc. The list of
possibilities is long, but it’s key to explore them thoroughly in order to best
assess risk. It is by identifying and evaluating these potential risk scenarios that
a business can come up with a plan of investment for recovery and mitigation
strategies, along with outright prevention.
11. Difference between Block level virtualization and File level virtualization.
Virtualisation on block level means that storage capacity is made available to
the operating system or the applications in the form of virtual disks
In virtualisation on block level the task of file system management is the
responsibility of the operating system or the applications
The task of the virtualisation entity is to map these virtual blocks to the
physical blocks of the real storage devices
Virtualisation on file level means that the virtualisation entity provides virtual
storage to the operating systems or applications in the form of files and
directories
The applications work with files instead of blocks and the conversion of the
files to virtual blocks is performed by the virtualisation entity itself(This means,
the task of file system management is performed by the virtualisation entity,
unlike in block level which is done by OS or application )
The physical blocks are presented in the form of a virtual file system and not in
the form of virtual blocks.
 12. Document Surrogate.

The most common way to show results for a query is to list information about
documents in order of their computed relevance to the query.
Alternatively, for pure Boolean ranking, documents are listed according to a
metadata attribute, such as date.
Typically the document list consists of the document's title and a subset of
important metadata, such as date, source, and length of the article.
In systems with statistical ranking, a numerical score or percentage is also
often shown alongside the title, where the score indicates a computed degree
of match or probability of relevance.
This kind of information is sometimes referred to as a document surrogate.
13. Explain SCSI client server model.
SCSI-3 Client-Server Model
 SCSI-3 architecture derives its base from the client-server relationship, in
which a client directs a service request to a server, which then fulfills the
client’s request. In a SCSI environment, an initiator-target concept
represents the client-server model. In a SCSI-3 client-server model, a
particular SCSI device acts as a SCSI target device, a SCSI initiator device,
or a SCSI target/initiator device.
 Each device performs the following functions:
1. SCSI initiator device: Issues a command to the SCSI target device, to
perform a task. A SCSI host adaptor is an example of an initiator.
2. SCSI target device: Executes commands to perform the task received
from a SCSI initiator. Typically a SCSI peripheral device acts as a target
device. However, in certain implementations, the host adaptor can also
be a target device.
 Following Figure displays the SCSI-3 client-server model, in which a SCSI
initiator, or a client, sends a request to a SCSI target, or a server. The
target performs the tasks requested and sends the output to the
initiator, using the protocol service interface.
 A SCSI target device contains one or more logical units. A logical unit is
an object that implements one of the device functional models as
described in the SCSI command standards. The logical unit processes the
commands sent by a SCSI initiator. A logical unit has two components, a
device server and a task manager, as shown in Figure 5-4. The device
server addresses client requests, and the task manager performs
management functions.
14. What is Stemming? Explain with example.
15. What is Multi-Linguistic Retrieval System?
16. BC terminologies.
17. Explain pyramid model of information system.