Business-Critical Data in Good Hands

Here is the latest successful implementation of our recently certified ES-8700JDSS Cluster from EUROstor for URSAPHARM, the German pharmaceutical manufacturer.

URSAPHARM, the German pharmaceutical manufacturer, needed a new data storage solution due to their increased demand in terms of data storage capacities, both in the production and manufacturing environments.

The requirements for a suitable storage solution included:
  • The ability to minimize potential downtimes
  • A system that could provide high performance and lower latencies
  • The ability to deal with higher data loads
  • Data storage in separate locations to increase overall security
  • A proven VMware certified system due to the company’s long-term reliance on ESXi
  • Cost efficiency or Low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
  • The system should have High Availability (HA) architecture for the highest performance
case-study brochure icon
Download brochure

File size: 3.9 MB

Challenges Faced


In order to understand why the data in this system has such enormous importance, it is essential to comprehend that production principles - principles like absolute transparency, coupled with constant quality controls in the manufacturing process - are an indispensable industry standard. Monitoring software (as virtual machines) runs around the clock on VMware virtualization servers, accompanying and thoroughly documenting the entire production process. The collected data, for example, particles, cleanroom monitoring, or chromatography, must be kept on the storage system ”almost real-time” and must be constantly reachable.

The Chosen Solution


After all key figures and expectations had been agreed upon, EUROstor offered URSAPHARM a customer-specific data storage system, specifically designed for their needs. Open-E JovianDSS was chosen as the supporting software. The solution, consisting of two independent nodes, JBODs, and switches, had impressed the customer with its extreme reliability. This ”redundancy at all levels” approach ensured smooth operation. In addition to synchronized data in two fire or building sections, it also offered additional protection thanks to built-in On- & Off-site Data Protection technology. Should a hardware defect occur, High Availability clustering allowed one of the devices to fail without affecting day-to-day business. In the event of a disaster, the software would automatically trigger a so-called “failover” which would switch the production nodes.

Satisfied Customer


URSAPHARM was immediately impressed by the proposed timeframe of the migration and the complete integration of the new system. Profound knowledge in the data storage field and excellent technical support have rounded off the range of services.

Hardware details


Configuration per cluster node
Server: ES-8700JDSS Cluster - FC Metro-Cluster
Chassis: 2U server chassis, 19 inch -Rackmount
Motherboard: SuperMicro X11DPH-T
Power supply: Redundant Power Supplies and System Fan
Processor: 2x Intel® Xeon® Gold 5222 Processor, 3.80GHz, 4 Cores – 8 Threads
RAM: 192 GB DDR4-2933 registered ECC DIMM
HBA: 2x Dual-Port QLogic 16-Gigabit Fibre Channel Adapter
Network interfaces: 2x 10GbE RJ45 onBoard 2x Dual Port 10 GbE SFP+
Boot: 2x SSD SATA (Mirrored - RAID 1)
Cache: All -Flash RAM / SSD tiered

Storage configuration


JBOD: 2x JBOD - 2U, 19 inch rackmount, 25x 2.5 inch slots
SSD: 2x 20 pieces Samsung SAS SSD 1.92TB 12Gb/s, 2.5 inch
Zpool: 2x zpool - 10 mirror VDEVs
Storage capacity: 29.88TiB usable divided into two zpools with active-active load balancing
EUROstor has been a manufacturer of storage systems since 2004. Originally, RAID systems were produced. Today the largest part of the product portfolio consists of server-based systems that function as flexible storage servers and are tailored to customers’ needs. The solutions range from small file servers and CCTV storage (video surveillance) to highavailability storage clusters, scale-out clusters, and cloud solutions. EUROstor is based in Filderstadt near Stuttgart (Germany). Their customer base stretches across Europe and involves a wide variety of SMEs including universities, research institutes, and data centers.

Visit partner website

URSAPHARM Arzneimittel GmbH - a leading pharmaceutical manufacturer from Saarland, Germany. For more than 40 years, the name URSAPHARM has stood for the consistent transfer of innovative pharmaceutical concepts into successful medical products. Since it was founded in 1974, the pharmaceutical manufacturer has developed into a globally operating group of companies. Numerous innovative products and patents secure the company’s future and offer over 600 highly qualified employees at the headquarters in Saarbrücken and the sales countries excellent working conditions and promising future prospects. As a pharmaceutical manufacturer in particular, there are unique demands on IT. Essential factors, in addition to appropriate development, validation and training environment, are above all the availability, security, and reliability of the data in production as well as quality control.

Visit customer website