Why is Open-E JovianDSS a perfect storage solution for VMware?
There are plenty of storage solutions on the market, but not all of them are…
Read MoreVirtualization is the process of creating a simulated (virtual) computer environment that uses physical resources determined in the configuration implementation – that’s the short definition.
The virtualization system and storage for virtualization should guarantee high availability, data safety, and good performance. Just to have everything clear – storage for virtualization is a set of physical devices managed by software where virtual machine images and user data are actually stored. As storage is the foundation of virtualization solutions, hardware, and software used for such implementations must meet the highest standards.
Undoubtedly, Open-E JovianDSS should be taken into consideration when it comes to software for storage for virtualization as the software actually specializes in collaboration with virtualization platforms as storage for them. 80% of Open-E implementations involve virtualization, which is proof of its outstanding usability in this scenario as the software can be set up on physical servers or as a virtual storage appliance.
In fact, Open-E JovianDSS is a perfect choice for any solution with virtualization, whether it’s storage for virtualization or virtualized storage, as it supports VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Hyper-V, and ProxMox.
In today’s article, we’d like to highlight the technical tips and recommendations for Open-E JovianDSS as storage for virtualization. We’ll answer the following questions:
Let’s start with the problems, which are going to be quickly fixed.
Of course, when optimizing your Open-E JovianDSS as storage for virtualization you might encounter a couple of issues. Let’s have them listed:
As you can see in the list above, the issues that might show up involve hardware. Therefore it is critical to use proper and high-quality hardware. Fortunately, Open-E specialists have provided a comprehensive list of hardware tips to avoid those issues and how to make your storage for virtualization solution with Open-E JovianDSS as optimal as possible, in an uncomplicated and affordable way.
So, let’s talk about the hardware that is recommended to be used to make such a solution optimal.
As for the data groups, it is recommended to use HDD SAS disks, preferably 10k RPM. For more demanding environments, we’d suggest using All-Flash storage based on dual-port SSD for shared storage clusters or All-Flash storage based on high-capacity, multi-layer 3D NAND SSDs for non-shared storage clusters.
For read cache, a fast, read-intensive SSD is recommended, as the capacity depends on the hot data footprint (strictly speaking – the number of virtual machines). When it comes to All-Flash storage, read cache is not required, or you can consider using L2ARC read cache for metadata only.
Talking about recommendations for writelog, the following recommendations have been collected by our specialists:
For optimization from the CPU’s side and for extremely intensive load installations, we recommend a fast processor around 3.0 GHz (the preferred line is Intel Xeon Gold or an equivalent from AMD). For standard load installations, the Intel Xeon Silver CPU with a 2.4 GHz clock is enough. Keep in mind that the number of cores depends on the number of storage controllers, network adapters, and other devices such as NVMe disks that will be included in the storage server.
For RAM, you should use a large (at least 64GB) and fast (adapted to the controller in the CPU) RAM for even better IOPS. When it comes to the storage controller, there are no special requirements.
For network controllers, we recommend high-speed network adapters with RDMA support for the mirror path with the number of ports that allow using the MPIO in the connection to the client.
In the case of network switches, they should definitely be of high quality and high speed with Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP) support to prevent any bottlenecks in network connectivity.
Take a look at the 8 points below and remember them for the future configuration of the Open-E software for use as storage for virtualization:
In the case of the Open-E Non-shared Storage High Availability Clusters, fast NICs on the mirror path (25+ GbE recommended) can be helpful to achieve a good throughput on the HA cluster replication. NICs with RDMA support are recommended for even better performance in large data operations. The general rule is that network bandwidth should be balanced with storage performance.
Talking about High Availability even further, use static discovery in all SAN initiators and extend timeouts in all SAN. Also, make sure that the resource switch time is within an acceptable range, especially in the case of non-shared storage HA clusters and a large number of disks. If the switchover time is too long due to a large number of disks, it can be fixed by means of the RAID controller.
After you finish the configuration process, pre-production tests should be conducted – performance and basic failover operations/triggers should be checked (system restart, power off, manual move of resources). Don’t forget that the second ring is recommended in the HA cluster, and up to six ping nodes are recommended.
All in all, virtualization is a technology that provides not only high performance, great efficiency, and flexibility, but also a range of other benefits. Investing in proven storage for virtualization solutions and at the same time, following the strict implementation rules results in building a future-proof, reliable, and high-performing storage solution that will last for years.
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