White Paper

Compaq SANs for Billing

August 2001

15JW-0901A-WWEN
Abstract: This White Paper discusses the challenges facing
Prepared by:
Storage Division Telecommunications and other Service Providers, as they work to
Compaq Computer Corporation differentiate their offerings in today’s complex market.
In particular, the promise of innovative billing structures, service
Contents bundling and advanced Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
The Need for Flexibility............... 3 applications may seem difficult to realize for many companies. The
Storage as an Independent impositions of legacy systems, heterogeneous platforms, multi-
Resource...................................... 3 vendor applications, and the need for 24/7 business continuance all
Billing: a Competitive Asset ....... 4
Rapid scaling for new create apparent obstacles to the rapid adoption of new services and
offerings ..................................... 5 the promise of convergent billing.
Service bundling ........................ 5
Convergent billing ...................... 5 This document presents a new paradigm in storage  the Storage
Customer Relationship Area Network, or SAN  that dramatically addresses these business
Management.............................. 6 needs and offers many other advantages as well. Compaq SAN
Data locality ............................... 6
technology enables a new level of IT flexibility immediately on
Non-disruptive backup and
data mining ................................ 7 deployment, and it maintains that flexibility to support future
Compaq SANs ............................. 7 business growth and change.
The industry leader .................... 7
The Compaq vision.................... 8
Customization ............................ 8
Rapid implementation and
upgrade ..................................... 9
Support during ramp-up and
beyond....................................... 9
Compaq Protects Your
Investment ................................... 9
Compaq SANs for Billing 2

Notice
SANs for Billing
White Paper prepared by Storage Division
First Edition (August 2001)
Document Number 15JW-0901A-WWEN
©2001 Compaq Computer Corporation. Printed in the U.S.A.
Compaq, the Compaq logo, ProLiant, and StorageWorks are registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office.
SANworks is a trademark of Compaq Information Technologies Group, L.P.
Microsoft, Windows, and Windows NT are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United
States and other countries.
Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corporation.
All other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
Compaq shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. The
information in this document is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind and is subject to
change without notice. The warranties for Compaq products are set forth in the express limited
warranty statements accompanying such products. Nothing herein should be construed as
constituting an additional warranty.

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The Need for Flexibility

Service Providers gain their competitive advantage by identifying emerging market needs and
responding rapidly with innovative billing structures and new offerings. The terrain is similar for
Telcos, Integrated Communications Providers and Application Service Providers. New market
entrants, such as Storage, Media, and Network Service Providers, feel the same demand to move
fast and make new offerings with a minimum of development time.
For example, service bundling is becoming an important offering. The pricing for various
bundled services may be figured by a combination of methods  subscription based, value based,
transaction based, and usage based. It takes significant flexibility from a company’s data systems
to support such diversity. As markets evolve this flexibility should ideally extend to new and
presently unforeseen possibilities.
Data storage has recently advanced to the point of a true paradigm shift. Today’s storage
technology can fully enable the next generation of billing systems and Customer Relationship
Management (CRM) applications, and it can do this for a lower Total Cost of Ownership than
conventional storage. The power, depth and flexibility that a Service Provider needs from their IT
system is now a reality.

Storage as an Independent Resource

For the past fifteen years, server design has used internal disk drives and directly attached
external disks for storage. As a result, critical information for billing applications is often
scattered over a large number of servers. In addition, storage was often acquired over time and
from different vendors, introducing variations in capacity and reliability. This mix of factors
makes direct-attached storage relatively inflexible. Conventional storage inherently limits an
organization's ability to access information whenever and wherever it is needed. It is exactly such
unrestricted data access that next-generation billing systems need.
A Storage Area Network, or SAN, enables new ways to configure and use storage. In a SAN, a
common data pool can be shared across servers and systems through fibre channel connectivity
and one or more switches. Because a SAN is managed centrally it offers higher availability, more
efficient use of capacity, and lower management costs.
A Compaq SAN offers “any-to-any” connectivity between servers and storage. This means a
service provider can keep all their data in one common pool (or in multiple pools) for easy access
and management. Businesses are looking to lower costs and, at the same time, achieve better
service levels. In the past, these two goals were usually contradictory. However, advancements in
storage technology, along with dramatic declines in storage system pricing now make this
scenario a win-win reality.

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In the Basic SAN diagram above, the data stored on the RAID array can be presented on multiple
servers  a UNIX server, an Intel Server, and a dedicated backup server. As more servers and
switches are added to a SAN fabric, the resulting configuration, known as a topology, can be
optimized for a large variety of needs. This support may include data locality, accessibility,
disaster tolerance, performance workloads, geographic layout, scalability and future migration.
SANs open up far-ranging possibilities to support the data requirements of billing and customer
care applications. Data storage is no longer restricted to an individual server, or limited to a single
application. Instead, the enterprise can organize and manage their data as an independent
resource, keeping it preserved in a common pool or in multiple pools where it is available for
easy access by any application across the enterprise.

Billing: a Competitive Asset

Billing has now moved from back office to business critical. It has gained global recognition as
an essential source of service differentiation and customer retention. The requirements of an
effective Billing Support System revolve around accessing customer-specific data from deep
within the organization, perhaps over many disparate applications, and making that data available
to the billing application on a real-time or near real-time basis.
True multi-service, bundle-focused billing solutions require an IT infrastructure that can support
complexity. They must deal with heterogeneous platforms, multi-vendor systems, and varied data
accessibility requirements. A Compaq SAN offers exactly this kind of flexibility.
Compaq also offers an attractive third alternative to the two conventional choices for SAN
storage: ownership or leasing. Compaq SAN storage can be billed as utility rather than as a
capital expense. With this Private Storage Utility solution, added capacity is available on-
demand, and billed only as the requirements of the billing system grow.
Because Compaq integrates, manages, and deploys the SAN, these demands are removed from
the company’s internal IT staff. This frees up capital and allows the enterprise to focus assets on
their core business goals and competencies. The need for extended planning and budgeting cycles
is greatly simplified by the utility model, further accelerating the time-to-market for new products
and services.

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Rapid scaling for new offerings

When a new service offering is launched, billing support may need to scale quite rapidly to
accommodate the increase in data. With traditional storage, the addition of a new application can
create lowered availability, performance bottlenecks and even out-of-disk crashes. If a new
offering is held up from its timely release because of scalability or availability issues, the
competitive edge may be lost.
Fast, non-disruptive scaling is a major strength of a Compaq SAN. More disk space can be added
easily, quickly and non-disruptively. Part of the initial design choice with a Compaq SAN is the
accommodation of future migration paths. This provides for new configurations, increased
connectivity and capacity expansion with no interruptions in day-to-day functioning.
A Compaq SAN also offers greatly improved application service levels. A topology can be
designed that provides different levels within the same SAN, thus meeting the varied needs of
different applications. Service levels can range from single component, single path designs up to
the highest availability, or No Single Point Of Failure (NSPOF).

Service bundling
Many service providers, and especially Integrated Communications Providers (ICPs), are
exploring service bundling. For example, basic fixed line telephone service, wireless, and data
services may be offered and billed as an integrated package. This creates a challenge for the
billing system, which must first collect the data for all the bundled services. Then the system can
offer a composite view to the customer, at both the summary and detail level.
To gain the business efficiencies that make these billing strategies most profitable, the final bill
cannot merely “staple together” results that are taken from disparate applications. For example,
both cross product discounting and value-chain rating software need a data infrastructure that
truly integrates all the relevant information.
This data is gathered by many different applications, spread over many servers and a mix of
platforms. By moving from directed-attached storage to a Compaq SAN, a business can maintain
one common data pool for any server on the SAN fabric. Information is always available to the
application that needs it in the moment, no matter the platform.

Convergent billing
The World Wide Web has opened new horizons for billing. Many providers have begun to offer a
browser interface where their customers can review the details of their bill. This self-service
option is usually focused on customer retention and gaining a competitive advantage with the
more technologically advanced client.
But simple web presentation of billing details is only a first step. The ability to accept payment
over the web, bypassing the paper based billing system altogether, is an even more promising
goal. This development, called Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP), is a very
attractive future step for most providers.
In order to accomplish true EBPP, scores of legacy systems and applications must be integrated.
With conventional data storage, implementing and managing a full featured on-line billing and
payment system may not even be feasible.

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A heterogeneous, scalable SAN is the ideal data storage solution to improve performance within
such complexity. Through its ability to present one common set of data to any number of servers
or applications on the fabric, a SAN can make EBPP a reality. Every CDR (Call Detail Record),
every moment of logged-in time on a web application and every detail of a particular customer
account can be shared in real time with any application on the SAN fabric, thus enabling the
promise of truly convergent billing.

Customer Relationship Management

Electronic Bill Presentment and Payment (EBPP) offers an immediate and obvious efficiency
over paper-based billing processes, but it also holds a much greater potential. By gathering
information for all of a customer’s services in one web-enabled application, EBPP can also offer
the automation of customer care inquiries and Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
applications can be extended to include more interactive processes. As their CRM architecture
matures, an enterprise can develop both customer self-provisioning and real-time data mining.
Suppose a Service Provider wants to implement a single customer profile database. The idea is
that one set of data can be accessed by both front and back office support systems, as well as a
web-enabled EBPP application. This database might also include information on market segments
and customer demographics. In this manner, various service options and cross-selling possibilities
can be automatically presented to the appropriate candidates during the bill presentment process.
Clearly, this level of CRM requires a high degree of customization. Is the apparent obstacle the
required level of connectivity between servers and storage? A SAN can be designed, scaled or
migrated to a topology that offers the required capacity. Is the challenge the heterogeneous nature
of legacy systems? A SAN allows multi-vendor platforms and heterogeneous operating systems
to share the same data pool  “any-to-any” connectivity.
Perhaps the geographical distances involved between campus buildings and facilities stands in the
way. A Compaq SAN can support inter-switch segments of up to10 km for multi-segment fabrics
or up to 100 km for a single long distance segment fabric. Compaq SANs will also begin support
for Internet Protocol (IP) in the third quarter of 2001. By seamlessly integrating IP connectivity
with SAN fibre channel, Compaq will be offering significant scalability improvements and
simplified connectivity across long distances.
In short, a SAN provides the efficient, highly scalable, and highly available data storage that is
needed to support a mature, next-generation CRM architecture.

Data locality
Data locality concerns can be another hurdle in establishing a truly competitive billing system.
For instance, billing accuracy depends very strongly on accurate initial entry. This may mean that
billing system data requirements must be available in real-time during the customer sign-up
process, to capture and bypass errors from the start. This kind of tight integration between the
Billing System and the Operational Support System, between the front and back office altogether,
can offer an essential competitive edge.
With proper planning a SAN topology can be configured to support many data locality needs,
from a single centralized data pool, through multiple pools that are distributed strategically
throughout the SAN fabric. As these needs change, extra connections and switches can be added
to a Compaq SAN topology to enhance throughput for a specific application. In addition, through
Compaq’s Fabric Zoning and Selective Storage Presentation, complex and growing data
resources can be logically partitioned for centrally managed access and control.

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Non-disruptive backup and data mining

Service Providers of all kinds must make their offerings available 24/7. The complexity and
interdependence of legacy billing and operations applications can make traditional backups quite
problematic. In fact, some Tier 2 and Tier 3 carrier service providers do not do regular backups of
their billing applications. They cannot afford the downtime required by their present IT
infrastructure. Many organizations also struggle with data protection problems created by
incomplete or corrupted backups.
Similarly, data mining can be the lifeblood of a Service Provider’s business growth and market
responsiveness. Close to real-time analysis is a major asset in determining new market
opportunities. However, as with backups, data mining can also mean a significant drain on time
and IT resources, and may slow performance or even make data temporarily unavailable
A Compaq SAN can resolve this difficulty by creating and maintaining a virtual copy, or clone,
of any data set. This clone can then be presented to any server on the SAN fabric, including a
dedicated backup server, with no degradation of performance on the LAN. The enterprise can
perform routine backups, or mine the data from any application, by using the cloned volume
rather than the production volume. The result is 24/7 business continuance, with no disruption to
the production application.

Compaq SANs
Recognized for its vision and ability to execute, Compaq Enterprise Storage Group is committed
to radical simplification and investment protection for both enterprise and SMB customers. By
continuing to extend its Enterprise Network Storage Architecture (ENSA) in key areas such as
virtualization and automation, Compaq enables customers to efficiently manage complex, mixed
storage environments.
As one example of this commitment, Internet Protocol (IP) technology is expected to make
important leaps in the near future. This will mean great possibilities for long distance and even
global storage networks, and the early adopters will reap significant benefits. Compaq will
support IP-based storage solutions as they become workable, but these solutions will integrate
seamlessly with existing fibre channel technology. The customer who has no current need for IP
connectivity in their storage system will continue to receive Compaq’s strong support for their
investment in current technology.

The industry leader

Compaq Enterprise Storage is the number one global storage solutions supplier. According to
studies published in August 2001 by Gartner Dataquest and IDC, customers continue to turn to
Compaq in large numbers for the value and reliability of their enterprise storage products.
These reports cover a variety of measurement categories, including the number of storage area
network (SAN) array units shipped, server-based storage revenue share, and growth over the
previous year. In almost all of the Gartner Dataquest and IDC findings, Compaq achieved top
rankings. In addition, Compaq is one of only two storage vendors in the Leadership Quadrant of
Gartner's highly regarded ''SAN Integrator Magic Quadrant'' analysis.

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The Compaq vision

Compaq Open SAN technology offers “any-to-any” connectivity between servers and storage. A
business can choose storage system products that not only enhance their billing system, but also
integrate those storage benefits into the entire computing environment. With a Compaq SAN, an
enterprise can preserve their investments and build on their legacy systems, rather than replace
them.
A Compaq SAN can start small and grow large. For example, a Tier 2 or Tier 3 carrier can grow
from ten thousand to ten million subscribers, and a media or storage service provider can scale up
rapidly to multiple terabytes.
Compaq SAN advantages also include:
• Do-it-yourself configuration tools and templates that save setup costs and time, while
building in-house expertise. Web based tools offer embedded and centralized storage
management, which simplifies the configuration and integration of new billing systems and
gives them a faster time to market.
• Downtime-free expansion. Businesses can add servers or reconfigure applications without
interrupting normal daily operations. Business can continue as usual because billing data is
always available, even during periods of fast growth
• Continuous business operation during routine backups, through Compaq SANWorks
Enterprise Volume Manager (EVM) software. EVM also offers faster backup times and
dramatically improved restore times when compared to conventional backup methods.
• Unlimited capacity and scalable performance through modular RAID Storage units. This
gives an enterprise the flexibility to configure solutions in a small footprint, while allowing
for fine-tuned control of the Total Cost of Ownership.
• Multi-vendor operating environments and stringent availability requirements are supported
with both built-in and optional features. Compaq storage components allow for highly
customized solutions. They accommodate even the most demanding needs for Data
Protection, High Availability, and Unified Storage Management across heterogeneous
systems.
• Long physical distances are supported throughout a Compaq SAN. A fibre-channel SAN can
be implemented with up to 100 km in a single long distance segment fabric, or for inter-
switch segment distances of 10 km per segment in multi-segment fabrics.
Compaq SANs will also begin to integrate new technology, including support for Internet
Protocol (IP) in the third quarter of 2001. By seamlessly integrating IP connectivity with
SAN fibre channel, Compaq will be offering significant scalability improvements and
simplified connectivity across long distances.

Customization
Compaq-defined and qualified SAN design rules allow a service provider to customize its storage
solution and integrate it without disrupting existing IT infrastructure. This approach puts IT
professionals in charge of building a Storage Area Network around their own organizational
needs, with an optimal mix of data access, fault tolerance, scalability, and performance.
• Performance requirements for major applications will also help to determine a Compaq
SAN design. Applications can usually be classified as either high bandwidth or high

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throughput. A SAN can be designed to provide the enterprise’s billing applications with
the specific level of performance they need.
• A Compaq SAN topology can be chosen to support billing application requirements for
data locality:
-Local
-Centralized in a single storage pool (or pools)
-Distributed among several storage pools throughout the SAN fabric.
• Business-critical information can be easily replicated at a remote location. This provides
an additional level of availability for mission critical billing data.
• A major benefit of Compaq SAN design is the capability to grow or scale incrementally
as storage and connectivity needs increase. With pre-planning, a SAN will meet
immediate needs, and easily support future change and growth.

Rapid implementation and upgrade

To speed implementation, Compaq offers four pre-defined SAN topologies based on its qualified
SAN design rules. These provide a range of data access and connectivity levels optimized for
specific data access needs. All four topologies allow for non-disruptive upgrades of storage
capacity, a crucial benefit for the fast-growing, highly competitive telecom industry.
Based on the Compaq qualified SAN design rules, there are migration paths for each of the
topologies that provide for configuration flexibility, expansion and increased capabilities. By
taking potential scaling and migration paths into account during the initial SAN design, an
enterprise can accomplish future upgrades rapidly and effectively.

Support during ramp-up and beyond

The Compaq global service organization offers a complete business-critical SAN support strategy
that ensures nonstop performance. Through a program of expert, responsive service and support,
any business can be assured of a smooth process while implementing the new technology.
Compaq Telecom Services provides added installation and implementation support, specifically
tailored to the needs of Telecommunications and Service Provider industries.

Compaq Protects Your Investment

Compaq is positioned to deliver enterprise-wide network storage to enable next-generation billing
systems and CRM applications. Compaq’s Enterprise Network Storage Architecture (ENSA)
supports the creation of an open SAN environment  a standards-based storage infrastructure
with the many-to-many functionality needed for enterprise-wide data requirements.
Through this ENSA vision, Compaq is committed to protecting your enterprise’s present
investment as storage technology moves forward. A Compaq SAN environment is designed to
evolve as enterprise requirements grow and change. This encompasses not just integrated storage
hardware and software functionality, but all the services and support needed to design, install, and
maintain the total storage environment.
Learn more about Compaq StorageWorks and SANworks solutions by visiting:
www.compaq.com/products/storageworks/SAN/index.html

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