LaScala

LaScala is a host-based volume manager incorporating advanced transaction management, locking, and clustering technology, which simplifies management and improves flexibility and reliability of shared storage environments. Multiple hosts can simultaneously share access to and administer storage volumes, and volumes can span multiple storage controllers. Assignment of host access to specific shared volumes is easily accomplished with native security tools. In conjunction with a shared file system like Melio FS, LaScala provides very high performance shared access to file on volumes striped across large numbers of disks on multiple controllers, without splitting file calls as is typical on Windows systems today.

LaScala provides easy-to-use disk management, including online configuration (e.g. creation, deletion, parameter modification, memory management), repair, hardware changes, and other maintenance of shared logical volumes. Windows technologies such as Active Directory, ACL security, DFS, Network Load Balancing, and MPIO are transparently supported by LaScala across the shared storage environment. With LaScala, the user can construct composite volumes combining different RAID levels, for example; a mirror can be made from two stripe sets, or volume set can be made of two RAID 5 volumes, which in turn can be made from stripe sets, etc. In this way every user can design and implement logical volume structure that best meet their needs. The configuration operations are fault tolerant by the use of journaling for all operations LaScala supports native Windows security and allows the use of ACL settings on volume-level security to assign access rights to volumes as shown below:

LaScala is designed for ease of use and is essentially transparent to the user familiar with native OS disk administration tools. Every operation possible with a normal volume is possible with a LaScala volume. Any modifications made to the volume structure are reflected immediately on all computers that are affected by the change. LaScala volumes behave identically in case of hardware failure so any existing software – like file system, backup software, etc. will function normally without modification.

advantages

• Aggregate storage and performance across multiple FC or iSCSI arrays.
• Supports native block sizes for applications—enabling enhanced performance for bandwidth-intensive uses.
• Stripe sets can now be aligned with controller RAID sets to further increase performance.
• Volumes can span multiple arrays and be non-disruptively expanded.
• Consistent drive Letter and path assignment thorough the cluster.
• Native Windows security permissions can be used to assign access rights to any node.
• Simplifies administration by elevating storage pool management to volume level instead of using zoning and LUN management