Turning to the data center virtualization, it can not do without servers SAN virtualization and storage virtualization, server virtualization and virtual SAN storage is the path to be taken in the data center virtualization. For enterprises, server virtualization, offers some important advantages, but to recognize it all the benefits, companies must overcome significant challenges facing storage. In many IT infrastructure, the challenge of more and more as storage directly connected to the server could not be shared between the physical server.
Can not do server virtualization, virtualization, SAN storage can do it. SAN allows servers to share centralized resources on a SAN-based storage virtualization is just the first step. In a virtual environment, the traditional direct-attached SAN storage encountered with the same predicament. In fact, some of the traditional direct-attached storage and SAN defects after the server virtualization is more prominent. When the virtual server storage connectivity and traditional, the administrator more difficult to respond to each application's storage needs.
An application may be able to from a specific business interface, or speed drive technology, RAID configuration, or to schedule snapshots to benefit; but with a direct-attached storage for virtual server environment, all applications running on physical servers are are forced to use a common feature of the same storage.传统 SAN solution also did not provide appropriate programs, they provide only a limited number of logical volumes, Huan Yun Xing enough to cope with the virtual server in a large number of Ying Yong Shang.
Server virtualization and virtual SAN storage is virtualized data center infrastructure, the architecture based on the core content is essential. Mr. Chen Jie that you want to create a virtual data center is more important, may have the three essential technologies: automated tiered storage, thin provisioning, space-saving snapshots and SAN boot. At the meeting, Mr. Chen Jie these three must-do in-depth analysis of technology.
Automatic Tiered Storage
The use of a variety of disk types expanded the complexity of SAN management. SAN many businesses have fast (expensive) and slow (economic) of storage, in order to provide different cost-effective option, the maximum optimization cost. However, the management of multiple disk types has increased the human burden. Administrators need to effectively analyze the use of data, manually migrate data to more economical disk, or faced with the dilemma: do not use the data retained in the fast and expensive storage.
In order to create high-performance, and economy of virtual data center, storage solutions must be able to optimize the use of a variety of disk types, through the use of tracking data, according to a preset rule, different types automatically migrate data between disks. Without administrator intervention, frequently access the data can remain in the fast storage, but not frequently accessed data pushed to slow, economy storage. Automatically high-performance disk out of non-activity data, the release of the disk space to improve access to all the virtual shared disk server performance.
Thin
Traditional SAN implementation, the need to reserve space utilization is not high. Administrators are often reluctant to approach a small increase in the purchase and distribution of storage, because allocated memory is a complex and time-consuming and affect the operation of the user availability.
Data center managers need to consider a virtualized storage solution, actually used in space before, it does not need physical space to the volume reserved. This method, also known as thin, can dynamically increase storage utilization, while reducing the need for future growth into account over-allocation.
Streamlined configuration to any number of virtual servers to quickly create volume without wasting space. Administrator for each virtual server to create a virtual volume without the need to reserve space before.
For example, a company may go up in one physical server to create 10 virtual machine. Each virtual machine may need to 1TB of storage. With thin provisioning, the administrator can allocate virtual storage volumes 10, each 1TB, by 10 independent virtual server, but actually only takes up 1.5TB of physical space. Each application can access all the storage space it needs. When companies do need more storage space, can maintain the case of business online and easily increase storage capacity.
This approach allows administrators to improve the storage utilization, reduce hardware costs, increase control because of the virtual server capacity resulting from rapid growth.
Intensive space-saving snapshots and SAN boot
SAN data protection to the more traditional challenges. Those who use the disk array data center, the cost of RAID storage expansion on a significant increase in overhead. When the storage space reserved for a specific application, many expenses for the reserve but did not use the space. Create a data snapshot of data protection are not lost or damaged, but the image of the SAN and the need to clone the snapshot volume and increase costs.
In the process of creation and restoration, space-saving snapshot do not need to clone the entire volume, and the mapping of storage consumed is negligible. This efficient use of storage, means that the same physical storage can reside on more intervals. Snapshot of creating a large number of IT departments to enable fast recovery within a few seconds any virtual server.
These snapshots can also help administrators test the new application or service pack, effective support for servers SAN boot operation, but also shorten the production system the actual backup window.
Business only through the combination of feature-rich SAN, including a complete storage virtualization capabilities, for example - to streamline the configuration, automatic classification of data storage and continuous snapshots, administrators can create a perfect for data center virtualization program.