March - SMI-Lab’s ScaleFest yields impressive results!

With SMI-S now being broadly deployed, key concern by the end-users are scalability and performance, particularly when managing large numbers of zones, LUNS, etc. These were the focus for the March 2008 SMI-Lab plugfest. This event relied on the participation of both clients and providers; 17 companies participated. Deliverables included:

• Integrate clients across providers to identify scaling and performance issues
• Build a performance baseline across implementations
• Improve SMI-S specification text as needed
• Gain information for best practices documentation targeted to developers

The results were impressive. 15 arrays with over 24,000 LUNs and a FibreChannel fabric with 300 zones were utilized. Different SMI-S commands involve different levels of device activity, but in several cases, applications were able to respond in under 40ms. Across the board, all SMI-S components operated well; though a few participants found areas for improvement.

To learn more about the SMI-Lab or future activities please contact Paul von Behren or Tom Mancuso.

• SMI SPECIFICATION
• SMI-Lab
• CONFORMANCE TESTING
• VENDORS/PRODUCTS