C A S E S T U D Y
Dagbladet
Qlogic Steals Headlines with
End-to-end Storage Network
Problem
Slow and decentralised back-up endangered
business continuity
SAN Solution
3 SANbox2 16-port switches
26 SANblade QLA2300 host bus adapters
4 SANblade QLA2310 host bus adapters
Applications
Sun Solaris
Result
A SAN that provides storage on demand to users
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Dagbladet is the second largest daily newspaper in Norway with a circulation
in excess of 191,000 readers and an increasing product portfolio. As a result,
the existing noncentralised direct-attached storage (DAS) system was unable
to deal with this huge increase in data throughput. The system became
difficult to manage with storage utilisation low and growing storage burdens,
limiting server and back-up performance. Dagbladet introduced a storage area
network (SAN) utilising QLogic SANbox2™-16 port switches and SANblade™
host bus adaptors to offer much needed operational efficiency and flexibility.
Prior to the introduction of a SAN, effective back up and restore of critical
data was vulnerable. The existing infrastructure was not keeping pace with
continued growth of data throughput. As the incumbent back-up solution was
not centralised, restoring data was taking long periods of time to execute.
This needed to be addressed, as in the event of a malfunction, Dagbladet’s
business could be dramatically affected.
“Our incumbent solution was becoming very cost ineffective and following the
launch of the online newspaper, security became a major concern,” comments
Asamund Berget, IKT-Manager, Dagbladet. “We realised we needed to have
an infrastructure in place that would allow us to increase our service level in
order to retain our position as a leading player in the market. To continue to
be the first to market with new products we need to ensure we have reliable
infrastructure to support our efforts.”
A SAN was deemed the best solution to meet Dagbladet’s needs. Replacing
the DAS infrastructure, the SAN uses a cluster file system, which incorporates
three QLogic SANbox2 16-port switches. Within the SAN environment sits
the Lotus Notes mail, Internet and editorial system, newspaper distribution
system, online newspaper development server, back-up, finance system
and one domain controller. All servers are connected with QLogic SANblade
QLA®2300 and QLA2310 HBAs.
“Our new SAN solution provides us with a centralised system that enables us to
restore data in just a couple of minutes as opposed to a couple of days,” com-
ments Asamund Bergot. “The overall result is that we are now able to provide
storage on demand and better serve our customers.”
– Asamund Berget, IKT-Manager
