
SAN usage
Storage area network (SAN) devices are the standard configuration for larger storage requirements
such as SQL databases that require backup and maintenance. SAN storage is a valid method for
storing your SQL database, but adds a potential layer of complexity to your SQL implementation that
should be understood.
A SAN engineer might maintain the SAN and not be familiar with McAfee ePolicy Orchestrator and its
heavy I/O requirements. If you deploy the McAfee ePO server SQL database on a SAN you must have
your SAN engineer involved early in the process to assist in planning your architecture.
Many SANs are grouped into a generic classification known as tiers. The three tiers are:
• Tier 1 SAN — The most expensive, fastest, and redundant storage array. If you have 75,000 nodes
or more, use a tier 1 SAN to store your SQL database.
• Tier 2 SAN — Used to store critical data that requires redundancy. Plus, this data is accessed often
but does not perform excessive transactions on the SAN.
• Tier 3 SAN — Used for databases that do not require much space and have little I/O.
Refer to the following articles that describe putting the SQL database on a SAN:
• Deploying SQL Server 2005 with SAN #1
• Deploying SQL Server 2005 with SAN #2
• Deploying SQL Server 2005 with SAN #3
Determining the server hardware needed
The critical questions to ask are, how many McAfee ePO servers and SQL Servers do I need and what
hardware should I use? Remember, the primary job of the McAfee ePO server is to distribute policies
and collect events.
The McAfee ePO server does not have to distribute any McAfee software or content. You might think
you need one McAfee ePO server for each major geographical region for efficient bandwidth utilization,
but that is not true. Many McAfee ePO server users with large and small offices dispersed all over the
world use only one McAfee ePO server. These users have repositories, which are simple file shares, at
each office to handle the distribution of content. See Repositories.
Configuring your hardware for ePolicy Orchestrator software
SAN usage
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McAfee
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ePolicy Orchestrator
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Best Practices Guide for use with ePolicy Orchestrator versions 4.5.0 and 4.0.0
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