【 Weak current College 】 how to complete the integration of storage features

Consolidation is currently many data centers are launched in a strategic project. Using virtualization for server consolidation, 10Gb Ethernet based infrastructure consolidation, there are around the large highly scalable storage fragmented storage consolidation, but there is no storage consolidation. Ideally, the store features seem to be moving in the opposite direction, also is to present many data centers face "store features decentralized."

Storage features decentralized refers to storage infrastructure adds multiple distributed components to improve the functionality of a specific pain points. This question occurs is due to the mechanical hard drive since 1999 had reached the degree of transformation 1.5 million, in order to prevent the encounter drive features qualified users and storage manufacturers had to think up new essentials from this decade had not improved capabilities hinder access to more features.

Many treatment options for multiple-drive RAID group distributes data to an array of all the drive, and then a short click drive, this led to lower usage, high cost and low efficiency. These temporary treatment programmes and reduce the cost of making solid state disk constantly been introduced to reduce the number of mechanical drive and further progress functionality. However, the use of solid state disk can be further add complex, because this is a new tier of storage, you must decide what data you want to migrate to this layer, how and what time the migration.

These qualified people had to invest heavily in hardware to progress storage capabilities. Storage of fragmented supplier's primary focus on the provision of like snapshots, space optimization and thin provisioning and other additional data services, rather than on these large array group maintenance functions. Storage i/o capabilities of progress based on the number of added drive first and foremost, progress i/o bandwidth and adds solid state disk. And investment in storage hardware is quite similar to progress the functional characteristics and storage software stack of intelligence does not have to invest too much effort.

Resolved to add hardware to handle the function in question is a challenge that must be universally applicable, and the cost is very high. For example, if there are questions about NASI/O function, typically handling essentials is purchased is configured with a faster storage processors, high bandwidth network adapter and a solid state hard drives new NAS unit.

Apart from the obvious cost of doubt, another challenge is that had to progress in specific NAS equipment used and the potential capabilities of the data, not the throughput of the entire environmental progress. Each NAS equipment, every server and every access to the data of the user to have to progress to obtain the progress of the bandwidth. Especially for solid state disk skills, data services (snapshot, copy and optimization) can become a bottleneck. All features related components must be individually and manually implement maintenance, this will no doubt give IT skills staff brought additional burden.

Normally, when the design features a bottleneck is in the environment, you must implement to optimize the structure to respond to the needs of the peak periods I/O. The peak load design means that the environment of most components must be kept updated to understand the function of progress. In ideal environments, high demands are rarely continues to occur, usually these requirements come from different sources and occur in different areas and, therefore, most of the work is more "quiet", that is to be at a lower level. Thus, additional features are most of the time structure in the shape of the low-usage.

A treatment plan should be permitted on a fragmented NAS features implemented integration without having to replace existing NAS equipment or promotions to higher bandwidth, more expensive drives or skills.

Function integration usually stand-alone equipment features, the equipment can be cluster provides some availability while providing solid state disk based on DRAM, and SAS (depending on the data access method) drive skills to assign dynamic data sets, but only to serve as a Storage Manager one i/o. The user and equipment will be redirected to this equipment, equipment and as a back-end services and equipment to implement communication, these NAS NAS to hold and defend the near dynamic and static dataset.

The result is that the equipment functions be integrated, NAS hardware or OS does not make any changes. Function progress without advance hardware I/O, add drives or upgrade drive skills. Moreover, the NAS has no changes of bandwidth. In contrast, dynamic data feature is set to high load time of functional integration of fragmented, then lower the load time is assigned to the original NAS layer.

Resolution of the main points of the front end function integration equipment are as dynamic data and high speed access to the stage area. It automatically copies the data from the environment of existing NAS fragmented in progress or reduction to the stage area. As data is fixed up equipment operation gradually bump, dynamic data is copied back to the NAS fragmented. And then save the NAS fragmented is used for all static data and dynamic data as additional copy. Storage Manager, you can use the NAS fragmented rich data services on the data introduced snapshot, optimize, and protect. The most important is that the data service operation does not affect functionality.

Function integration's role is to prevent features decentralized. This back-end NAS fragmented can save more principle configuration without promotions drive or adding bandwidth. Resolved to integrate the entire NAS infrastructure features, this structure can be increased to capacity major rather than function. Before those who can not fit in the environment of economical NAS fragmented today can also be used, and does not affect functionality.

Function integration reduces the cost of subsequent NAS investment, also resolved that the solid state disk, high-speed SAS and 10Gb Ethernet bandwidth etc skills into a piecemeal simplifies the maintenance of the environment.