This IBM® Redbooks® publication describes the IBM storage area network (SAN) and IBM Spectrum™ Virtualize, and SAN Volume Controller Enhanced Stretched Cluster configuration when combined with VMware. It describe guidelines, settings, and implementation steps necessary to achieve a satisfactory implementation.

Business continuity and continuous availability of applications are among the top requirements for many organizations today. Advances in virtualization, storage, and networking make enhanced business continuity possible. Information technology solutions can now be designed to manage both planned and unplanned outages, and to take advantage of the flexibility, efficient use of resources, and cost savings that cloud computing offers.

The IBM Enhanced Stretched Cluster design offers significant functions for maintaining business continuity in a VMware environment. You can dynamically move applications across data centers without interruption to those applications.

The live application mobility across data centers relies on these products and technologies:

• IBM Spectrum Virtualize and SAN Volume Controller Enhanced Stretched Cluster Solution
• VMware Metro vMotion for live migration of virtual machines
• A Layer 2 IP Network and storage networking infrastructure for high-performance traffic management
• Data center interconnection

Chapter 1. Introduction

Chapter 2. Hardware and software descriptions

Chapter 3. Enhanced Stretched Cluster architecture

Chapter 4. Implementation

Chapter 5. VMware environment

Chapter 6. Enhanced Stretched Cluster diagnostic and recovery guidelines