UralChem (Projects of DWH)

December 1, 2009. The Ameta Pro company announced end of ^[1] IT of infrastructure of the UralChem enterprise based on the IBM Blade servers and DWH.

Choosing a Solution

Due to the dynamic development "the UCC URALCHEM arose a situation when on production sites of the company separate IT structures functioned. Existence of the specific equipment and different standards on places led to the fact that after consolidation of the enterprises in an edinuyukompaniya the IT department of UCC URALCHEM met difficulties with management of IT infrastructure The decision on centralization and unification of IT infrastructure was made.

Goals and Objectives

Implementation of the unified information system allowing most quickly, qualitatively about use of the uniform normative reference information and methodology was a project objective on consolidation of IT structures to receive the consolidated statements for management company. For simplification of communications between the enterprises it was decided to centralize mail services, to provide high-quality telephone and video conference and also to use uniform monitors of operability of the distributed IT infrastructure. It was required to integrate information networks of the separate enterprises, to unify the used server hardware for the purpose of further deployment of the mashtabiruyemy iformatsionny systems.

Project Progress

To a new system a number of requirements was shown. First, a system had to be compact as expansion of the areas of the existing DPCs would require the considerable capital investments. Secondly, the equipment had to show the minimum energy consumption to cut down expenses on completion of power structure of DPC. At last, the possibility of operational scaling as further development of an information system would require consecutive accumulation of computing power was the important requirement.

Deployment of the server hardware and storage systems is made on four platforms: in URALCHEM management company in Moscow and at the plants: Voskresensk Mineral Fertilizers in the Moscow region, Kirovo-Chepetsk Chemical Works in the Kirov region, at the Azot plant in Perm Krai. Due to the remoteness of other platforms and also for the purpose of saving of time the decision to make configuring, setup and start of the equipment of the plants in laboratory of AMETA PRO company was made. After configuring the equipment was sorted, again packed and directed to the plants. On each plant the detailed instruction on assembly and start of the equipment on places arrived.

Today in management company two IBM BladeCenter E chassis, on the 14th blade servers of HS22 in everyone are put into operation. At each plant about one chassis with 14 HS22 servers is installed. In total URALCHEM deployed 70 servers of IBM. The configuration of the equipment allows to increase computing power step by step.

The storage system represents set of disk arrays of the class Midrange IBM System Storage DS4700 Express and tape libraries TS3200 with a possibility of complete backup of all disk arrays. These products were selected proceeding from the requirement of the maximum reliability and speed of reading/record. The company uses several disk shelves with high-speed hard drives for information systems, the most critical to the speed of work with storage, and regiments with slower hard drives for noncritical applications. Communication between disk arrays, tape library and baskets of the BladeCenter servers are organized through FiberChannel channels.

Project deliverables and advantages of implementing solution (technology)

In addition to the main production systems, on the new equipment controllers of domains, the Exchange servers, video conferencing servers, additional file servers and terminal servers for jobs of the company are unrolled. It allows to implement also budgeting systems, a MRO and monitoring of IT infrastructure. The architecture of a new system is capable to integrate earlier separated information environments of three chemical plants, several trading houses, logistic operators and management company. At the same time the installed server equipment can cope with loading, at least, three times exceeding present.

On this hardware platform the following applications are developed:

• accounting 1C 8.1 (as a part of modules of MTS, management accounting, RAS, tax accounting, payroll and personnel management, IFRS, consolidation of data);
• DBMS;
• controllers of domains;
• system of e-mail;
• video conferencing server;
• uniform corporate portal;
• file, terminal and other servers.

Notes