SNIA SMI-S Version 1.3 Released

The Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) announced the availability of the Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S) version 1.3. SMI-S version 1.3 provides new support for storage virtualization, adding support for virtual tape libraries and NAS file servers, management of Storage Area Network (SAN) security and support for Redundant Array of Independent Disk (RAID) controller cards. Originally announced in version 1.2 of SMI-S, view class support has been extended to include Fibre Channel switches in version 1.3 to further enhance SMI-S solutions by speeding up discovery and monitoring larger device configurations.

"SMI-S contains sufficient breadth and depth of functionality such that the Storage industry can use the technology as the reference interface for managing enterprise storage solutions," said Paul von Behren, Chair of the Storage Management Initiative Governing Board. "With six years of focused industry investment, SMI-S continues to expand and mature as the first open framework for multi-vendor storage management."

In conjunction with release of version 1.3 of SMI-S, SNIA has also launched supporting conformance tests to ensure the specification is adopted in products with a high degree of interoperability and robustness. The first of the SMI-S committed vendors to pass the SNIA Conformance Testing Program (SNIA-CTP) provider suite for SMI-S version 1.3 storage management include EMC Corporation, Hitachi Data Systems and HP. Other conforming products will be published on the SNIA CTP webpage. Additional tests for different types of storage products, such as tape libraries and storage virtualizers will complete the CTP testing suite as soon as validated by vendors contributing to SMI-S CTP developments.

"Since 2004, EMC’s continued commitment to SMI-S has been demonstrated by quickly delivering SMI-S functionality for our Symmetrix and CLARiiON storage solutions. Now, that commitment has yielded the industry’s first and only SMI-S conformant implementation of Enterprise Flash Drives, ensuring that customers can take advantage of this breakthrough technology in multi-vendor storage environments today," said Jeff Nick, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, EMC. "Working collaboratively with other industry leaders, EMC continues to advance open industry standards like SNIA’s SMI-S to promote solution interoperability and extend the value of customers’ investments in next-generation enterprise storage technology."

"Adopting industry standards that add value for our users has always been a priority for Hitachi Data Systems," said Hu Yoshida, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Hitachi Data Systems. "Becoming one of the first to implement and pass conformance testing for version 1.3 of the SMI-S across virtually our entire storage systems product line provides Hitachi customers with the confidence that our solutions provide the value-added standards-based features."

In addition to new conformance tests, the SNIA has launched a new series of plugfests at the SNIA Technology Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The plugfests allow the industry to actively work together to improve SMI-S technology with actual hardware and management software. SMI-S plugfests are scheduled for October 2008, February 2009, and April 2009.

2008 members of the SNIA’s SMI include:

• 3PAR
• Brocade
• Compellent
• EMC
• Fujitsu
• Hewlett–Packard
• Hitachi Data Systems
• IBM
• NetApp
• Olocity
• Pillar Data Systems
• Sun Microsystems
• Symantec