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Server virtualization transforms more than just how small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) manage their application servers. It changes how they manage their
storage as many of these SMEs acquire network attached storage arrays like the NEC M100 for the first time to support their virtualized environments.
Yet as they do, their focus remains primarily on the benefits server virtualization delivers which results in them failing to capitalize on the value proposition of
these arrays. To address this concern, NEC now bundles its Storage Manager Express software with its M100 storage array so SMEs can drive as much value from the M100 as they do from their virtualized environment.
Maximizing the Value of Network Attached Storage Arrays
Server virtualization prompted many SMEs to deploy network attached storage arrays for the first time as they facilitate even more robust VMware functionality.
Typical use cases include everything from hosting more virtual machines on a single ESX host· (these storage arrays provide better performance than inter -
nal disk) to using advanced VMware features such as its Site Recovery Manager (SRM) option. Yet network attached storage arrays are much more than internal hard disk drives (HDD) with RAID func-tionality which SMEs may be accustomed to manag-ing. These arrays offer a multitude of features that are designed to help solve the specific data protection, performance and storage maintenance challenges that server virtualization creates. To do so IT staff must first recognize the availability of these features and know how to manage them. Yet IT staff may be:
• Using iSCSI or FC storage networking protocols for the first time
• Have never before had access to advanced storage management software
• Do not necessarily understand what makes these storage arrays better than their current HDDs or confuse a JBOD with a full feature RAID array To address these concerns NEC bundles its Storage Manager Express software with its new M100 storage array.
The NEC M100 Storage Manager Express Software
NEC’s M100 Storage Manager Express software provides SMEs with the storage management software they need right away. As one of the main reasons the M100 is likely acquired is to support their server virtualization environ-ment, SMEs may not know what software is available to manage and optimize the storage array. Storage Manager Express, which is bundled with the M100 storage array, gives them those features that they are most likely to need:
•·· · Path management
•·· · Access control
•·· · Thin provisioning
•·· · Replication
•·· · Automated storage operation
for data integrity and reliability By having access to these features SMEs can improve their environment in six key ways.
#1 - Improves Application Availability and Performance
Host connections on network attached storage can fail for any number of reasons including human error, planned maintenance or simple product failure. Theimpact of such an event to a single ESX server running dozens of hosts could be devastating as all of its VMs would lose access to storage, which is why two ormore network paths to the M100 are typically deployed.The M100’s PathManager takes advantage of multiple paths to disk. If one path to the M100 fails, PathManager instructs the server to automatically use its alternate network path to the M100. While a number of operating systems offer their ownmulti-pathing software which work with the M100, PathManager communicates with the M100 storage array through these network paths. In this way, it canproactively balance the load or even shut down a network path if it detects network congestion or a failed path and provide SMEs both improved availability andperformance for their virtualized environment.
#2 – Secures Your Storage
A single M100 storage array likely provides storage to both physical and virtual machines (VMs) so some mechanism must be in place to ensure each server canonly access its own storage. Here NEC’s AccessControl assigns one or more storage volumes (known as Logical Unit Numbers or LUNs) to specific servers.To ensure each server only gets the LUNs they are supposed to have, each server has a unique ID. The AccessControl software then assigns this unique server IDto each LUN so it may only be accessed by that server. AccessControl also takes into account the large number of VMs that may exist and concurrently access the M100’s storage. All of these requests for storage may cause, on other storage arrays, controller crashes, erratic performance or even data corruption. To prevent this from occurring NEC has made software enhancements to AccessControl so as to make this scenario an unlikely one.
#3 – Optimizes Your Storage Capacity
Better utilizing available storage capacity on internal HDDs is a battle every organization faces. Utilization rates typically hover around 20% on their Windows and Linux servers, which often results in a great deal of wasted storage capacity. NEC’s Thin Provisioning eliminates wasted storage capacity by only allocating storage to a VM when it actually writes data. So even though the VM may be assigned 100 GBs, the M100’s Thin Provisioning feature only allocates the actual amount of storage capacity to the VM that it needs to store its data. Further, when a VM is deleted, the M100 recovers its stranded storage capacity by zeroing out the storage that was allocated to it and returning it to the M100’s storage pool for use by other VMs.
#4 – Reduces or Eliminates Backup Windows
One of server virtualization’s dirty little secrets is that VM backups are complex to manage as backups on each VM compete for the same physical server’sresources. The M100’s DDR Express feature can fix this problem before it ever becomes one. DDR Express replicates a volume or LUN associated with a VM to a secondary volume and then presents that copy to the backup software so it can back that volume up. This eliminates the backup impact to VMs, frees SMEs to do backups at any time and may even negate the need to put backup agents on some VMs.
#5 – No Impact Recoveries from Disk Drive Failures
The M100 still uses HDDs, which will inevitably fail from time to time. The difference is that with dozens or even hundreds of VMs accessing data on the M100, SMEs run the risk that the time and overhead that the M100 needs to rebuild a failed HDD could impact performance on these VMs. The M100’s SuperPhoenix feature addresses this concern. Before the M100 starts an HDD rebuild, it first determines the extent of the HDD failure, if a rebuild of the HDD is even necessary and then, if it is, it rebuilds it in such a way that any potential for application performance impact is controlled and minimized. Moreover, SuperPhoenix also can assess and evaluate whether a false-positive failure condition has arisen. In those cases where a true failure has not occurred, SuperPhoenix prevents expensive and intrusive No-Trouble-Founds.
#6 – Stand Alone Array Management
Storage Manager Express delivers all the benefits of comprehensive array management without having to dedicate an application server for this task. Using either the M100’s web-based GUI or CLI, SMEs can enjoy the M100’s benefits without the added expense of a dedicating application server to do so. Storage Manager Express Lights up the Value of M100 in Virtualized Environments
The value of server virtualization is already apparent to SMEs but with many of them bringing in networked storage for the first time, the value the NEC M100
provides may be overlooked. However by NEC bundling Storage Manager Express with the M100 that becomes less likely. Including Storage Manager Express eliminates objections SMEs might have about the cost of such software. Instead it frees them to leverage the M100’s features and fully see its value in their virtualized environment by improving the performance of their ESX environment, optimizing their storage capacity, providing them a better, less intrusive way to protect their VMs and ensuring continuous availability to their data storage assets and resources.
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