Storage Virtualization: Technologies
for Simplifying Data Storage and
Management by Tom Clark
Tom Clark Clarifies Storage Virtualization Very Well!
Storage virtualization is a new field that has considerable interest
forinformation technology managers. There is currently no single work
thatprovides an objective, technical explanation of virtualization
technologies.This book examines new storage virtualization technologies
that automate datastorage processes, including data placement,
replication, and back-up. Storagevirtualization is designed to ease storage
management by presenting yourstorage networks physical assets in a
logical form. Making storage networkseasier to manage can save a
company money and make a storage network moreefficient. Storage
Virtualization provides a technical overview of howvirtualization
applications work and also includes practical case examples fromthe real
world. Topics covered include: virtualizing at the host level,

fabricbasedvirtualization, virtualization appliances, virtualized file
systems,virtualization engines, and virtualized tape back-up.
Personal Review: Storage Virtualization: Technologies for
Simplifying Data Storage and Management by Tom Clark
Tom Clark is one of most lucid, current writers on storage networking
topics. His books on Designing Storage Area Networks and IP SANS are
good introductions to these topics. His latest book, Storage Virtualization
(2005 Addison Wesley press), provides a much-needed Rosetta Stone for
interpreting and putting into perspective the various meanings for this
much ballyhooed concept.
The book gives a good overview of files and records, basic storage device
and system architecture, as well as storage interconnects. It also provides
a guide to techniques for virtualization as well as in many uses to which
storage virtualization can be used. He gives us a detailed description of
various paths to storage virtualization including virtualization at the host, at
the storage target, as well as in the storage network fabric. The book also
discusses specialized virtualization appliances and virtualization services
such as pooling heterogeneous storage assets, mirroring, point-in-time
snapshots, and hierarchical storage management (also known as ILM).
Clark covers more advanced topics such as virtual tape, virtualization and
storage automation, and finally storage as a utility. He also provides
descriptions of numerous commercial solutions where appropriate. His
description of the fiber application interface standard (FAIS) in chapter 8 is
the best I has seen.
This book is accessible to several levels of readers from undergraduate
and graduate students, IT administrators, as well as storage professionals.
It will serve as a good textbook which I recommend for inclusion in a class
covering advanced network storage concepts. The book is organized into
14 short chapters, each followed by a comprehensive review at the end of
the chapters. It also includes useful appendices including vendors for
various storage virtualization solutions, short observations and speculation
by various analysts and practicing storage professionals, and a
comprehensive glossary.
Although there are a few grammatical errors, they do not lead to serious
misunderstanding of the excellent content. Overall, I highly recommend
this book and enjoyed reading it.
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