Dell Equallogic Fs7500: Unified Storage Simplifies File Sharing and Accelerates Virtualization January 2012

SOLUTION BRIEF

DELL EQUALLOGIC FS7500: UNIFIED STORAGE SIMPLIFIES FILE SHARING AND ACCELERATES VIRTUALIZATION JANUARY 2012

With the introduction of the FS7500 NAS appliance for the EqualLogic PS Series, Dell customers now have a unified storage option to further reduce management overhead and improve efficiency. All too often, companies have been forced to deploy different storage platforms for different needs: NAS for file-based applications and user file shares and SAN for block-based applications and high-performance virtualized workloads. The FS7500 changes the game. Your unified storage solution should let you easily scale your file shares to handle today’s tremen- dous growth in unstructured data. It should also accelerate and simplify your virtualization efforts by giving you the freedom to choose the best storage protocol for each virtual workload based on your unique application requirements, skill sets, and existing storage investments. Moreover, your unified storage must handle unpredictable and spiky bursts in demand, without run- ning into traditional limits on file system size or adding more work for storage administrators. Per- formance must scale linearly with capacity, and you shouldn’t end up with islands of misfit and inefficient storage due to the limitations of any one array architecture. In this technology brief, we explore how Dell’s customers can benefit from the addition of scale-out NAS to the leading scale-out iSCSI SAN storage family.

UNIFIED VIRTUALIZED STORAGE: THE BEST OF BOTH STORAGE WORLDS In the virtual world, storage administrators need more from their networked storage:  It must handle the massive growth in unstructured file data of various types  It must help to virtualize more workloads without compromising storage efficiency Traditionally, customers have often chosen distinct storage solutions for these challenges. Today, most companies manage block and file data on separate, non-integrated networked storage. Both SAN (Storage Area Network, mainly utilizing Fibre Channel and iSCSI protocols) and NAS (Network At- tached Storage, primarily leveraging the CIFS and NFS protocols) can be used for unstructured data, but most customers choose NAS for their shared file requirements. NAS offers a consistent file system that is easily shared among heterogeneous clients, simple configuration, and well-established data protection strategies. On the other hand, most companies have chosen iSCSI or FC SAN for their server virtualization and consolidation efforts, because the most powerful hypervisor features (live virtual machine migration being top of list) were available first for these protocols. However, the major hypervisor vendors now support all key features on NAS storage as well, and an increasing number of companies are deploying virtual machines on a file-based storage platform.

Solution Brief

The result is that IT shops have assigned different workloads to specific storage platforms. This leads to “islands of capacity” throughout the datacenter, with varying degrees of scalability and performance. It’s often prohibitively complex to migrate data between platforms, and scale-up NAS storage, in particular, often imposes strict upper limits on file system size. These challenges have given rise to unified storage, which combines SAN and NAS protocols in the same physical devices. Most unified storage systems on offer today, however, are still based on rigid architectures that can limit performance, scalability, and the size of shared file systems. Demand spikes for files can lead to block performance bottlenecks; read/write performance for small files can be unacceptable; upgrades are costly and require weeks of data migration; and unified systems cost more in $/GB than the NAS systems they hope to replace. THE DELL FS7500: ADDING SCALE-OUT NAS TO THE LEADING SCALE-OUT SAN To attack these unified storage limitations head on, Dell started with its industry-leading midrange scale-out iSCSI SAN and added massively-scalable NAS capabilities. The result is a high-performance unified storage solution for a wide range of midsized customer deployments. The EqualLogic FS7500 is a 3U form factor system with a unified architecture, and is compatible with all existing EqualLogic back-end iSCSI block arrays with current firmware. This first unified storage solution built on the EqualLogic foundation enables storage admins to add file-based storage to existing block deployments without restrictive limits on file system size, and with the added benefit of a single interface to manage all file and block storage operations (iSCSI, CIFS, and NFS). Enterprise-class availability is ensured through the use of dual active-active controllers, redundant components everywhere, and a battery-backed cache. Capacity can be added on the fly with no downtime, as with all EqualLogic systems. The dual active-active controller design of a single FS7500 NAS appliance is combined with a large (24GB per controller) mirrored and battery-backed on-board cache for outstanding file serving performance. Each FS7500 appliance can front-end up to eight EqualLogic arrays. Customers can start with the minimum capacity they need and then expand the file system without any downtime by adding more EqualLogic arrays. Additionally, for enhanced performance, one more FS7500 appliance (for up to a total of two appliances, comprising four controllers) can be added to the cluster, thereby providing additional cache, CPU and network bandwidth for the file traffic. As a result, the FS7500 avoids the performance degradations seen when capacity is scaled using traditional scale-up NAS solutions. As the number of FS7500 controller pairs is increased, performance increases proportionate- ly. This is an essential feature for storage that supports rapidly-growing file shares and highly- consolidated virtualized servers. The FS7500 can be simply and quickly added to any existing EqualLogic storage groups, creating a NAS service that can be easily moved and expanded—and one that coexists seamlessly within existing SAN storage. New arrays and FS7500 appliances are automatically discovered and added to the available storage pool, and data is automatically load-balanced across all disks in the pool. DELL’S UNIFIED PLATFORM DELIVERS UNIFIED OPERATIONS Dell now delivers iSCSI, CIFS, and NFS protocols via a unified platform. This means that you can in- crease your storage efficiency through further consolidation onto a single high-performance platform. But Dell goes further, by increasing the efficiency of your storage operations as well. All file and block setup and ongoing management is via a single unified interface. The EqualLogic Group Manager provides graphically-rich and wizard-based tools for configuration of storage pools and volumes, crea- tion and expansion of CIFS shares and NFS exports, and configuration of authentication, quotas, snapshots, and NDMP backup services.

Solution Brief

As with all EqualLogic systems, automation is paramount. Automated load balancing across all disks, RAID sets, connections, cache and controllers can dramatically reduce the management burden on administrators and helps ensure the highest levels of performance across both file- and block-based workloads. With these features, the FS7500 expands and deepens the EqualLogic family value proposition: pay- as-you-grow scale-out, radical simplicity, enterprise-class availability, linear scalability in both capacity and performance, and all-inclusive pricing.

DELL’S FLUID FILE SYSTEM: GROWTH WITHOUT SACRIFICING PERFORMANCE File capabilities are delivered via the new Dell Fluid File System (FluidFS), a massively-scalable clus- tered file system built on IP Dell acquired from its acquisition of Exanet. FluidFS is engineered to overcome the restrictions and limitations on scalability and file system size imposed by most traditional scale-up NAS and unified storage solutions. With FluidFS, the FS7500 solution can scale up and out to the limit of the underlying EqualLogic iSCSI arrays (currently tested up to 509 TB of usable file storage)—in a single namespace. This means you can consolidate further without limiting the scratch space or file share size of even your most de- manding applications. FluidFS was architected with several key design principles in mind:  No single point of failure. Cross-cluster reliability is achieved via active-active controllers, high-speed cluster interconnects, write cache mirroring, failsafe journaling, data integrity checks and redundant power supplies.  High availability. Any write to a single controller node is mirrored to the peer node controller before acknowledgement. In the case of node controller failure, cache is dumped to local disk and the cluster is placed into failsafe journal mode, while the file system re- mains fully available.  Robust data integrity. FluidFS manages file system data integrity with metadata that is replicated on separate EqualLogic volumes. All metadata updates are journaled and check-summed on disk with automatic recovery from inconsistency (no FSCK). Equal- Logic arrays provide physical data integrity with RAID protection.  Performance that scales with capacity. All FluidFS nodes in a cluster support active I/O and automatic load balancing sends client requests to the node with the least-current workload. Network traffic is also load-balanced. Scale-out is non-disruptive.  Unlimited file system/share size. FluidFS presents a single global namespace and imposes no limit on file share size. It is also optimized for both large and small file sizes to concurrently support both active user directory shares and simultaneous access to large shared files.  Powerful data protection. FluidFS utilizes redirect-on-write snapshots instead of the more common copy-on-write type. This feature requires only a single I/O operation and delivers higher write performance overall.  Multi-protocol support. FluidFS provides full-interoperable and multi-protocol file sharing for UNIX, Linux, and Windows clients using standard CIFS and NFS protocols and authentication methods (AD, LDAP, and NIS).

Solution Brief

FS7500: DESIGNED FOR TODAY’S TOP FILE SHARING AND VIRTUALIZATION NEEDS In our view, the FS7500 with FluidFS delivers a powerful combination of performance and scalability for a wide range of use cases and deployment environments. These include file-intensive user shares that are growing rapidly with files of various types; highly-available NAS and unified storage for growing SMB customers who need to keep their storage protocol options open; and virtualization projects that include extensive NFS data requirements in addition to performance demands that are best met by block storage.

Scale-Out, High Performance File Sharing Is the FS7500 right for your file sharing needs? In our view, you should explore the FS7500 if any of the following statements applies to you:  I’m an existing EqualLogic customer managing separate Windows/UNIX/Linux file servers and/or scale-up NAS systems for my user file-sharing requirements.  I have too many dedicated file servers, islands of underutilized data, and storage boxes; storage costs and complexity are hurting my storage ROI;  It’s too difficult to scale my current file shares and application workspaces because of limitations on my current NAS storage—I can’t keep up with user demands;  I spend too much time managing file data across servers to maximize utilization and to ensure adequate performance for a range of users and applications.

In short, the Dell FS7500 unified storage solution offers the simplicity of NAS with the scalability and performance of SAN. With the FS7500 architecture and FluidFS, Dell has overcome the consolidation challenge and the file system scalability challenges that hold back most NAS solutions. Going further, Dell also includes unified storage management with the FS7500, to remove the opera- tional barriers to consolidating both NAS and SAN workloads. For a storage administrator, managing NAS and SAN storage with separate management interfaces is inefficient, time consuming, and complex—and the need for multiple tools leads to more risk of error and inconsistency, not to mention higher training and support costs.

THE BENEFITS OF UNIFIED STORAGE MANAGEMENT In the FS7500 solution, a full complement of NAS management features is integrated directly into the EqualLogic Group Manager. This provides a single point of control for all NAS and SAN administrative tasks, covering all the underlying EqualLogic arrays in your environment (Fig. 1). Examples of typical storage management activities that are simplified via Group Manager include:  Configuring Storage: Recognize and initialize the EQL iSCSI arrays, create storage pools and set up NAS reserves. The NAS reserve can be expanded non-disruptively as space requirements change over time. Changing the NAS reserve only involves a few clicks within the Group Manager.  Configuring File Systems and Shares: Multiple virtual NAS file systems can be created. On each, the administrator can create multiple CIFS shares, NFS exports or both across the same share. The file system includes a setting for file security style (mixed, UNIX, or NTFS), UNIX directory and file permissions.

Solution Brief

 Setting Quotas and Limits: Administrators can specify quotas to control the amount of file system space a user or group can use (or rely on service-wide defaults). Quota configuration settings include the ability to set space warning limits and notifications.  Enabling Authentication: Group Manager supports both local and remote authentication. In larger environment, the NAS service can be configured to use an external source to manage and authenticate clients via Active Directory, NIS or LDAP configuration. FS7500 also supports automatic and manual mapping between Active Directory and LDAP.  Scheduling Snapshots & Recovering a File System: A wizard-driven scheduler simplifies snapshot scheduling, and schedules can be enabled or disabled at any time. File system re- stores (even TB-plus) are easily initiated with a few clicks.

Figure 1. NAS Manager Interface, one console to manage and scale both file and block (NAS and SAN) storage.

Source: Dell

Taken together, these time-saving management features combine to deliver:  Single point of control. From one intuitive and wizard-driven GUI, administrators can con- figure all EqualLogic storage pools and assign volumes to serve both block and file needs. This allows more efficient utilization of all shared storage resources and simpler administration of the single namespace.  Feature-rich console. In addition to basic abilities such as configuring pools and volumes, the Group Manager can also be used to create and expand user shares across both CIFS and NFS protocols, set up authentication, quotas, snapshots, and engage NMDP backups.

Solution Brief

 Comprehensive Data Management. The EqualLogic FS7500 gives you the flexibility to use its single NAS file service to create multiple NAS File Systems, so that you can distribute data and access to meet various needs. Each NAS File System presents CIFS shares or NFS exports to users and client applications, and administrators can grow or shrink them on demand ac- cording to changing requirements—without downtime. Each NAS file system is also governed by unique snapshot, quota and security style policies.

Powering Virtualization “Freedom of Choice” Virtualized workloads can be hosted on two types of network-based storage devices: SAN block devices (most deployments today) using iSCSI, FC, or FCoE; or a NAS device (the popular choice for many new deployments) via CIFS or NFS. The choice of which is best for your particular mix of workloads depends on multiple factors, including your current storage investments, your storage expertise, and your performance and scalability requirements. Using a NAS datastore for a VMware virtual environment can be easier to implement and manage than using traditional SAN volumes. The VMware hypervisor handles datastore provisioning and mapping in much the same way that users connect to folders on a shared NAS file server. No special- ized SAN training is required for this option, and it requires less administrative overhead. NAS-based datastores in a VMware environment provide nearly all the major features of block-based storage volumes. So, is the FS7500 the right choice for your VMware environment? If your expertise and application requirements are leading you to a NAS implementation, we think the answer is yes. Why? If you choose the EqualLogic platform, you don’t have to worry about making the wrong protocol choice in advance. You’re not locked into a single storage protocol for either current or future virtualization projects. Leveraging VMware’s Storage vMotion technology, you can define multiple storage tiers for each virtual workload, tailoring your storage for each virtualized application’s needs. Some workloads can utilize block-based iSCSI volumes, while others with more unpredictable capacity requirements can be migrated to NFS volumes for easy expansion. Or, you can provision virtual machines on NFS volumes and later migrate them to block storage. Moreover, all workloads with multi-tiered datasets (such as OLTP applications and virtual desktops) can also benefit from the auto-tiering capabilities of all PS Series arrays. The highly-scalable FS7500 can easily handle a growing virtualized environment without costly fork- lift upgrades or unnecessary downtime. The FS7500 also ensures that whichever storage protocol you choose, your performance will scale linearly as you add additional capacity.

SIMPLIFYING VIRTUAL DESKTOP DEPLOYMENTS Centralized virtual desktops are an increasingly popular choice for deploying user workspaces. The security, availability, and mobility benefits of virtual desktops are well established. But desktop virtualization can be difficult to manage from a storage standpoint. This is because there are two primary data types underlying all virtual desktops: virtual machine (VM) data and user data. VM data consists of the virtual machine image, including the OS and applications, while user data comprises the files and individual preferences of a particular user of the virtual desktop. To maximize virtual desktop performance, consistency, and portability, it often makes sense to separate VM data from user data. Virtual desktop VM images demand high performance and low latency, plus the ability to rapidly clone and provision hundreds or thousands of VMs from templates.

Solution Brief

User data, on the other hand, must be both device and location independent and demands robust data protection features—it is the lifeblood of the organization, after all. Because of these different requirements, VM and user data are usually stored differently. Using the FS7500 (with its PS Series back end), companies can easily and cost-effectively meet both requirements with a single unified storage platform. VM data can reside on iSCSI block volumes, while the FS7500 appliance provides CIFS and NFS services for file-based user data. Both VM and user data share the same underlying storage, including all the scalability and management benefits we’ve discussed. In addition, customers may choose to deploy both VM and user data on NFS volumes, for simplicity or to leverage in-house NAS storage expertise—the FS7500 provides an ideal solution for this use case as well (Fig. 2). Figure 2 illustrates the various virtual desktop deployment options in a VMware- based environment and how they are all supported by the unified FS7500 platform.

Figure 2. Unified NAS for VMware: Consolidating block and file storage with the FS7500

Source: Dell

Solution Brief

FS7500 FEATURE/BENEFIT SUMMARY

FS7500 Feature File Sharing and Virtualization Benefit Adds scale-out NAS to the proven PS Leverage the industry-leading scale-out SAN for pay-as-you- Series SAN solution grow, highly available unified NAS + SAN solution Consolidated block and file storage Optimize utilization and payback from existing EQL storage solution investments; lower TCO, higher ROI No-limits CIFS/NFS expansion with Overcomes the artificial 8/16/50TB limits of competing Dell Fluid File System scale-up NAS solutions; higher overall storage utilization Integrated block and file manage- Simpler, faster storage operations; lower operating costs; ment via Group Manager faster time to deployment; online scaling of file shares Multi-protocol, unified platform with Freedom to use iSCSI, CIFS, NFS for different applications PS Series family values and virtualization projects on a single platform Fully redundant components; High availability; continuous operation though faults and no battery-backed write cache single point of failure User accessible snapshots, NDMP Data always available; simple complete file system restore; backup; RAID 5,6,10,50 users can restore files without admin support

TANEJA GROUP OPINION Put simply, the FS7500 appliance for a unified EqualLogic storage platform lets you keep all your virtualization options open. You can replace standalone file servers with a true scale-out NAS. You can continue to leverage block-based storage for the best virtual machine image performance. And you can also use NFS for virtual workloads where it makes the most sense in your organization. Most im- portantly, you don’t have to worry about making the wrong decision up front, because you can resize, migrate and scale any workload up to the capacity of your high-performance back-end PS Series storage pool.

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