Pixel IT - Norhtern Storage Suite - Central storage resouce management

Complete Storage Resource Management

Northern Storage Suite is a Storage Resource Management solution; a software solution that targets the costs and complexities of managing stored data. Breaking SRM down into four goals; elimination of wasteful storage usage, controlling the behaviour that caused this misuse, facilitating a pro-active mind-set among users and providing the time and data required for methodical network development.

DASHBOARD

An overview of your storage situation as the NSS start page or in your mailbox.

Storage Analysis:

Current state - Total usage and total capacity within the environment.
Current paths - Paths at specific usage brackets and path growth rates.
Critical paths - Highlighting paths at dangerous levels.
Future critical paths - Paths that require immediate action.
Current users - Revealing average and excessive usage.
Future users - Projected levels of usage and future distribution among users.
File type growth - Changes in the size of file type groups and projected future sizes.

Warnings and Action Recommendations:

Warning flags: current status - Immediate communication of where action is needed.
Warning flags: future status - Dashboard identifies trends within the storage environment and projects what effect these trends will have. Dangerous trends are instantly identified and communicated.
Action recommendations - Taking the next step from identifying current and future problem areas – NSS: Dashboard offers expert, environment-specific advice as to how the identified problem areas can be managed and how the predicted future issues can be easily avoided.

QUOTA SERVER

Advanced quantity control policies allow you to minimise usage and growth rates:

High performance NAS quotas – a cached fast access list of file sizes ensures zero impact on NAS performance
Hybrid EMC Celerra quotas – advanced asynchronous monitoring and synchronous locking guarantees a secure quota policy and maximizes filer performance
Hybrid NetApp NAS quotas – asynchronous monitoring and synchronous locking warrants a secure quota policy and preserves filer performance
User-based quotas – set quotas on individual user accounts [available for Windows, Windows Cluster, EMC Celerra, NetApp NAS and SAN]
Directory and object level quotas - set quotas on all levels of file structure
User exclusion – lift quota restrictions for specific users within a quota [available for Windows, Windows Cluster, EMC Celerra, NetApp NAS and SAN]
Path exclusion – lift quota restrictions for specific paths within a quota [available for Windows, Windows Cluster, EMC Celerra, NetApp NAS and SAN]
Exchange quotas - set quotas on individual exchange mailboxes
Group-based quotas – make quota settings dependant on a users Primary Group membership [available for Windows, Windows Cluster and SAN]
Set quota wizard – a more efficient tool for designing and implementing quota policies
Smart quota columns – pick up Active directory data in the quota view for mass and micro management
Automated user quotas - create a template quota that automatically controls all existing and any new users [available for Windows, Windows Cluster and SAN]
Automated directory quotas - create a template quota that automatically controls all existing and any new directories
Asynchronous quota monitoring - user and device activity are not stalled by quota processes
Real-time quota controls - quotas are evaluated, displayed and enforced in real-time
Hard quotas - allow users to edit and save existing files, only save open files or save no files at all
Hard exchange quotas - lock mailboxes or just stop the possibility to send mail
Soft quotas - encourage compliance with notifications only
Active quotas - execute programs at quota thresholds to take remedial action when a quota is exceeded
Trigger notifications at usage intervals - send emails and popup messages at thresholds of quota usage
Customizable notification templates - localize quota notification templates to suit your specific needs

Content control policies allow you to prohibit unwanted file types:

File type blocking - do not allow users to store specific file types [available for Windows, Windows Cluster, EMC Celerra, NetApp NAS and SAN]
File type group blocking - mass-prohibit music, movie or program files [available for Windows, Windows Cluster, EMC Celerra, NetApp NAS and SAN]
Efficient file block - real-time scanning at file extension level [available for Windows, Windows Cluster, EMC Celerra, NetApp NAS and SAN], binary-level scanning performed in a scheduled report

Advanced quota management to achieve specific results:

Customizable quota workspaces - edit existing or create new workspaces, include or exclude columns, filter, subtotal and group
Delegate permissions - allow user groups controlled access to manage certain aspects of the quota policy
Storing quota settings - quota configurations can be stored in the local registry, in MS SQL or in Active Directory
Command-line tools - utilities offer straightforward integration into batch operations
Custom quota labels - label quotas for quick recognition and mass-management
Automated notification setup - use LDAP queries and custom variables to automate notification configuration

STORAGE REPORTER

Information-rich drill-down interface shows general storage status:

General status - view status at enterprise, host group, host and path levels
Distribution across data types - view usage by file type group and individual file type
Distribution across users - view usage by user
History of usage - view history graphs for host group, host and path levels
History of file type content - view history graphs for file type group and file type levels
History of user levels - view history graphs for individual users
Projected usage - view projected usage for host group, host and path levels
Projected file type content - view projected file type group and file type levels
Projected user levels - view projected usage by user
Largest files - view largest files at host and path levels
Oldest files - view oldest files at host and path levels
Disk and I/O performance data - identify weakening devices
Customizable graphical displays - choose to display data as column chart, pie chart, a plain list or as icons
Export to MS Excel - export any data shown in the interface to Excel

Comprehensive scheduled reports reveal specific details of your storage environment:

File size - list all files above a certain threshold
File accessed date - list all files that haven't been accessed since a certain date
File modification date - show all files that haven't been modified since a certain date
File creation date - report on all files that were created before, after or on a certain date
File type - list all files of a specific type, using file extension or header data
File backup status - show all files that have their backup attribute set or not set
Files containing hidden streams - report on files that contain hidden streams
File type growth rates - show the file types that have grown the most during a specific time period
File duplicity - identify true duplicate files by matching file content, not just name and size
Folder size - see the usage per folder
Folder size per user - see the usage of every folder per user
Folder size per file type - see the usage of every folder per file type
User accounts - list all files owned by a specific user
User accounts that are obsolete - report on all files owned by obsolete accounts
Users that consume the most space - list the top users within your environment
User growth rates - show users with the fastest growing space consumption
Host forecasts - which hosts will reach a dangerous level of usage on a specific date
Path forecasts - which paths will reach a dangerous level of usage on a specific date
Quota report - easily see all the quotas above or below a certain size
Exchange report - see all the Exchange mailboxes above or below a certain size
Export to Excel - report output to blank work books or customizable templates
Graphical report output - inline graphs for clearer communication
Grouped report output - group raw data straight in the report

STORAGE PORTAL

User-focussed storage portal makes users responsible for the data they own:

Storage quota integration - portal reports scan quota paths and are provided through quota threshold notifications
User specific reports - individual storage reports offer users the tools they need to manage their own storage use
Interactive reports - users can open, move or delete files or groups of files from directly within these reports
Quota status report - displaying the users current quota status
File age report - provide users with a interactive report listing their oldest files
File size report - provide users with an interactive report of their largest files
Media file report - provide users with an interactive report showing their true media files, a report generated by a binary level scan
Duplicate file report - provide users with a list of their true duplicate files, a list generated by a binary level scan and pattern matching
Files owned by others report - show users all files owned by other accounts that are stored within the path of their storage quota

Controlled growth rates and decreased administrator involvement:

Grace limit rules - define rules to handle quota increase requests, allowing usage to grow by a specific percentage over a specific period
Group membership dependency - define different rules for different User Groups
Automatic or manual handling - have increase requests evaluated automatically or queued for administrator approval

Customizable user experience:

Localize portal language - translate the component text to ensure quick understanding
Localize portal message - use the available text fields to describe the details and motivations behind the company's SRM policy
Remove interface elements - if the users should not have the option to request a quota increase, simply remove it from the interface

STORAGE CHARGEBACK

Billing for storage use highlights the true costs involved:

File system analysis - invoice or report according to storage use
Exchange mailbox analysis - invoice or report depending on mailbox size
Quota analysis - invoice or report according to quota size
User level reporting/billing - send individual users an invoice or a cost report
Group level reporting/billing - send department managers an invoice or a cost report
Path level reporting/billing - send reports and invoices to project managers and customers
Open format outputs - calculation output is stored in MS SQL, and can also be exported to MS Excel and CSV

Granular pricing schemes match real-world business models:

Multi-tiered billing classes - use a flat pricing scheme or one where different usage thresholds trigger escalated costs
Pricing to match device types - charge a premium for high end storage and encourage infrequently used data to be kept on low end devices
Base cost - charge a start-up fee to cover administrative overhead

Scheduled reports offer financial analysis:

Identify cost growth patterns - the fastest growing user, group or path
Identify budget viability - forecast budget exhaustion dates according to current trends

STORAGE ASSISTANT

Use flexible event logics to trigger pre-defined actions:

Calendar events - use dates, date ranges, days and times to trigger actions
Timer events - use time intervals to trigger actions
File watching events - use changes in file or directory properties as triggers for actions
Internet watching events - monitor for specific strings or simply any changes in web pages and trigger actions when changes occur
System watching events - monitor for system events like a service start-up and trigger actions
Multiple events - group events to create advanced triggers
Integrated events - create logical relationships between events to only trigger actions when all are true, only one, or none are true
Repetition control - control the number of times the event can be true

Define flexible actions to automate your specific processes:

File delete action - permanently remove unwanted files, filter on type, size, modified or accessed date
File copy action - make copies of files for backup or simple monitoring purposes
File move action - archive or quarantine files according to type, size, accessed or modified date
Directory replicate action - maintain a mirrored copy of directories across multiple devices or sites
Execute program action - trigger compression tools, custom scripts or batch files
FTP/HTTP actions - upload, download or run scripts via ftp or http protocols
Notification actions - send smtp or popup notifications include variables to make notifications event sensitive
Multiple actions - group actions to extend automation processes
Integrated actions - create logical relationships between actions to add fault tolerance into the automation process
Result passing - pass results between actions to more closely integrate their function
Repetition control - control the number of times an action can be executed

Open interface ensures complete transparency of automation processes:

Goal-specific views - status, history, timeline and statistics views provide the information needed to manage an advanced automation system
Common building blocks - processes are automated with standardized and open building blocks

Manage the enterprise:

Multi-host display - all workspaces can include data from all devices
Multi-host management - all workspaces allow concurrent management of multiple devices
Email protocol support - send notifications using SNMP, MS Mail, MS Exchange, Windows Messenger and command-line messaging
Operation Manager support - post warnings and information messages to the Event Viewer
COM API - integrate storage control policies with COM aware applications
SQL database store - quota settings, usage and cost data, billing class definitions, etc. are all stored in an open SQL database

Active Directory integration - LDAP is used extensively to automate configuration wherever possible

Run Northern's Free Analysis Tool
Get a quick overview of your current storage situation. See the number of media files being stored, how much capacity the top five percent of users are currently using, the age pattern of files and more. Find out now and get a taster of what Northern Storage Suite offers by downloading Northern’s Free Analysis Tool - within minutes you will have an overview of what’s stored on your file servers... in 6 easy steps!

1. Download the free tool (1.66mb)
2. Run the executable
3. Choose where to store the report
4. Select the path to be scanned
5. Wait for the scan to finish
6. View the results

Click here to download the Free Analysis Tool!

Whitepapers

10 ways to boost storage efficiency

Northern Storage Suite Real World Scenarios - As a means of highlighting the very real meaning of SRM this White Paper will describe the storage-related issues experienced by four organizations. It will further show how these organizations overcame these issues using a very practical definition of Storage Resource Management. These are four very common scenarios that serve as a usable description of what form storage-related issues can take and, more importantly, how Storage Resource Management should best be defined.

Re-Defining SRM Intelligent Management of User Data - For any organization about to head down the SRM path, there are three critical areas to consider: how do we define SRM, what must we address now, and what will we have to address as our needs grow and our competitive environment changes.

Northern Storage Suite Comparison Table (all platforms)

The Concept and Practical Application of a System of Internal Billing - An in-depth look at the reasons behind why many organizations have taken the decision to implement a system of internal billing.

Legally Liable for User’s MP3s - Are you worried about unauthorized illegal MP3s on your servers?

NAS Meets SRM - This paper focuses on the most broadly shared SRM-related challenges among SMBs and shows how you can use Northern Storage Suite in conjunction with NAS technology to address them.

Manuals

Northern Storage Suite Deployment Guide
Northern Storage Suite Evaluation Guide
Quotering User Guide
Storage Reporter User Guide
Storage Portal User Guide
Storage Assistant User Guide
Storage Chargeback User Guide

Brochures

Northern Storage Suite - Software Product Description
Northern Storage Suite V8 for EMC Celerra
Northern Storage Suite V8 for NetApp

Case Studies

25,000 users regulated by Quota Server
An organization that grows as fast as UPMC requires a responsive, resourceful IT staff particularly if it’s in charge of maintaining peak network performance on a tight budget. Read more about how UPMC Health System uses NORTHERN's Quota Server to manage 25,000 of their users.
At-Bristol - Hands-on science centre holds the line on storage
At-Bristol selected Northern Storage Suite because it was priced right, was intelligently designed, offered comprehensible – and comprehensive – reporting and had the best overall look and feel. Read about how they manage their ever increasing amount of artwork and CAD drawings through quotas, reports and automation.
Lipson College - Actually Delivers
Read about how Lipson Community College uses Northern Storage Suite to manage users’ storage requirements efficiently, effectively and flexibly .
Jervis B. Webb Engineers a Solution to Streamline Storage Management
Read about how Northern Quota Server has allowed Jervis B. Webb to efficiently and flexibly manage user data while freeing up time to spend on other administrative tasks.
Making Connections at the University of Nebraska at Omaha
University of Nebraska chose Northern’s SRM solution based on its flexible, easy-to-use quota management and robust reporting features.

What a leading aerospace company did when it began running out of space
Alliant Techsystems, an aerospace and defense company, that employs approximately 11,500 people needed to find an efficient means of managing and tracking fast disappearing disk space. Users were backing up their hard drives to the home server, which was quickly filling up. It was then when they made the decision to implement NORTHERN’s Quota Server.
Prominent Boston Museum turns storage management into a fine art
Read about how the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston use Quota Server to manage their users storage.

Testimonials

"Disk space has become, for many large institutions like ours, a most valuable resource. Northern Storage Suite is the best quota software I have used to manage disk space utilisation.

From an IT administrator's perspective, Northern Storage Suite is simple to configure and manage. It's reporting features are comprehensive and flexible. Real-time control of disk space maximises our capacity and increases productivity. The end user interaction provides our staff with the tools needed to manage their own disk space. The results are more available disk space and, of greater importance, more efficiently and effectively utilised disk space."

Simon Winter, IT Coordinator, South Eastern Area Laboratory Services

"The Hutchins School have been using Northern Quota Server since version 5. Prior to the purchase of the Quota Server it was not uncommon for the IT support team to be informed that there was a problem saving, only to discover that one of the users had decided to store their entire music collection on the network and consume all the hard drive space.

It used to be a laborious and time consuming task to regularly play "storage police", discover who had exceeded a reasonable storage allocation and "convince them" to delete the excessive files.

The installation of Quota Server solved those problems. Users who were over quota were politely informed that they could not save files until they had deleted excessive files. We were also able to prevent the saving of "dangerous file types" and "unacceptable file types" by users, on a per user basis.

We have recently upgraded to the full version of Northern Storage Suite 2005 thanks to a very attractive offer from Northern. The reporting features of the full suite are now being put to good use. We can, at a glance easily see those users who are approaching their quota and advise them accordingly. It also allows us to proactively predict future storage requirements and plan accordingly.

We are in the process of evaluating the Storage Portal aspect of the Storage Suite which will allow users another avenue to request quota changes."

Ian MacRae, Information Technology Manager, The Hutchins School

"We have been using Northern Storage suite for the best part of 2 years.

When we migrated to Windows 2003, we found the inbuilt disk quota system was very basic and barely adequate for our needs. Northern Storage Suite allows us to have very fine control over disk quota based on folders or shares.
In addition, it allows us to control the type of files that can be written to students home drives. No longer do we have to patrol regularly for illegal MP3 and JPG files.

The reporting facility gives me the tools to plan for future server upgrades by allowing me to accurately plan for future disk capacity."

Martin Crockett, ITC Manager, Saint Peters College (Also customer of Diskeeper and Undelete)

"St Patrick's College cut over to Northern Quota Server six months ago from the native operating system quota service to take advantage of it's extended feature set and fine grain control.

In addition to managing and enforcing quotas we also make use of Quota Server's file blocking feature. This allows to us to exclude all file types that we deem as unsuitable in our environment. Quota Server's fine grain control allows us to precisely target quotas and file blocking right down to user's individual shares whilst excluding other directories on the same volume.
Quota Server's remote management console is intuitive and contains a number of wizards to facilitate the creation of quota and file blocking policies. Quota Server not only extends the creation and management of quotas but also adds a very powerful file blocking tool all in the same package.

This is the sort of product you can't do without in your next job."

Rafael Villalva, IT Manager, St Patrick's College

"We have been using Northern Quota Server at the Charles Darwin University to manage student quotas within the Faculty of Education, Health and Science, since 2001.

Many of our students have large data sets, so data storage is often a problem. However Northern Quota Server has given us the tools and ability to effectively manage this, down to folder level. The intuitive interface and flexibility of use has been a bonus in an ever increasing and challenging data management environment"

Mike Bellamy, Manager, Faculty IT Support, Charles Darwin University (Also customer of Diskeeper, Undelete, NetSupport Manager, DNA and NetSupport School)


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