OREANDA-NEWS. March 25, 2009. IBS has built a data storage system for the chief information and computing centre of the Polar Division of OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, reported the press-centre of IBS.

The data storage network has been deployed based on IBM hardware, linking together server facilities of the chief information and computing centre. The project enhanced overall performance and reliability of the metals company’s server facilities and thus improved the quality of information support of division operations and management.

The Polar Division of OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, a key Norilsk Nickel production division, is located in the Taimyr Peninsula (entirely above the Arctic Circle). The chief information and computing centre provides IT support of division operations including the most critical applications of the mail system, the workflow management system, the file services, databases, etc. Until recently, those services relied on local data storage, which caused performance problems and required complicated support.

The storage system upgrade project was awarded by Norilsk Nickel to IBS on the basis of competitive bidding. The technical design involved building a unified data storage network based on the SAN architecture. The project also provided technical solutions for standardised connection of servers and optimised disk array operation by servers, and solutions enhancing backup quality.

In addition to the technical design services, IBS deployed the network, supplied, installed and provided adjustment and start-up services for the hardware on the site of the chief information and computing centre in the challenging arctic region environment. Other challenges included the requirement to migrate data without stopping operation of information systems. This involved thorough preparation and special data migration solutions, which were developed.

The project relied upon products from the IBM stack as the hardware platform. The high-performance IBM Total Storage DS8300 disk array is at the core of the storage system, supplemented by network solutions for building the SAN and a tape library for the backup system.

“We pay a great deal of attention to development of information technologies as a key tool for enhancing production and management efficiency. Norilsk Nickel traditionally maintains a high level of IT investment, reinforcing its status of a high-tech company. And this project is no exception. Implementation of this project highlights our commitment to consistent development of all components of our corporate infrastructure in order to provide better quality of IT support for the business,” noted Gennady Bauman, Director, Information Technologies Department, OJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel.

The project significantly improved reliability and performance of the chief information and computing centre server facilities, reduced data backup and recovery time,  while disk centralisation served to simplify monitoring and administration of the data storage system and, as a result, reduced the related support costs.

The project was completed within six months.