Storage Virtualisation is the technology that separates the logical representation of storage from the actual physical storage components and thus delivers the true benefits of Storage Area Networks. With its innovative, “off the data path” architecture, StoreAge’s Storage Virtualisation Manager (SVM(TM)) appliance provides centrally managed storage pooling and virtual volume allocations for the entire SAN.

It enables the independent scalability, top performance, and high availability of all SAN resources. The SVM brings a substantial improvement to managing enterprise-class storage networks, reducing administration cost and improving utilisation of expensive storage resources as well as enabling the implementation of advanced disaster recovery and back up applications.
SVM is server and storage device agnostic and works in a heterogeneous SAN environment. With SVM, storage can be flexibly allocated to the servers and applications. Managed via a web-based GUI, storage can be organised into stripe sets, storage pools, and then selectively allocated to one or more servers. The SVM appliance (or a redundant pair) is connected to a Fibre Channel loop or switched fabric, and is capable of monitoring the status of physical devices connected to the SAN.

The SVM manages storage off the data path, acting as a SAN metadata centre. This design allows a full utilisation of network performance and provides superior scalability and reliability. SVM is a key enabler for advanced disaster recovery strategies and other enterprise storage applications, implemented above the virtualisation layer.