Import Substitution Part 2. Huawei OceanStor Family
Today, there is a bit of confusion on the market for disk arrays from Hauwei. This is due to the fact that in less than a year Huawei announced as many as 2 new generation storage systems, while leaving a number of solutions from the previous lines on the market. At the same time the difference between the generations is quite significant.
Therefore, I decided to talk about current Huawei offers to clarify this issue.
So, now there are 3 different generations of Huawei OceanStor data storage systems on the market.
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From the first generation remained a budget array Entry level OceanStor S2200T V1.
The second generation is represented by the Low-end OceanStor S2600T V2 array.
And the Mid-range starts with the third generation - the updated OceanStor 5300 V3 and higher.
The High-end line is 18000, which has not yet received an update in the third generation. However, the youngest of the High-end OceanStor 18500 V2 turned out to be equal to the new border mid-range OceanStor 6800 V3 array, which will gradually push it out of the Huawei model range.
Let's see how it all began, and why it all came.
The first generation of OceanStor was a fairly balanced line of block arrays with a rather weak functional component:
The S2600T V1, S5500T V1, S5600T V1 and S5800T V1 models were unified, i.e. it was possible to configure them with file access. This was done according to the most common scheme - using a separate file head (File Engine). The file head was a fail-safe bundle of duplicate servers with a total height of 4U.
Such an approach to building unified arrays won in terms of performance as compared to āfair unifideā (for example, EMC VNXe3200, NetApp) due to scalability, however, it lost in terms of budgeting and banal savings of rack space.
From the point of view of functionality, the first generation lagged behind modern market leaders - there was no multi-level tiring, partition, etc. Therefore, Hauwei decides to update the model range, releasing the second generation of arrays.
In fact, the second generation differs from the first only in the updated microcode. By rewriting it from scratch, they significantly expanded the functionality of their storage systems, but they made extremely illogical restrictions:
The main feature of the second generation was the updated approach to the organization of disk spaces - technology RAID 2.0+
And don't be confused by the name - this technology has nothing to do with RAID levels. In essence, this is virtualization of system disks for organizing a single pool. Further, this pool is divided into chunks, chank-groups and extents, from which classic LUNs are already assembled. A similar approach uses HP in its 3Par and Hitachi systems in HUS.
From the obvious advantages of this approach can be identified:
ā¢ Uniform distribution of load between physical carriers.
ā¢ Acceleration of data recovery from checksums in case of carrier failure.
ā¢ Acceleration of pool expansion and rebuilding of RAID groups in case new media are added to the system.
ā¢ Change the type of section (multi-level \ single-level) "on the fly"
From the added functionality can be distinguished:
ā¢ SmartPartition - the selection of isolated pieces of cache for the selected sections.
ā¢ SmartTier - multi-level data storage. Automatic "vertical" data migration between disks of different levels (7.2k, 10 / 15k, SSD) based on the statistics of the frequency of access to them.
ā¢ SmartMotion - āhorizontalā data migration between physical media and load balancing. In fact, without this license, all the above advantages of RAID 2.0 technology will not be available.
ā¢ SmartQoS - Quality of Service. Prioritization of your sections based on the criticality of hosted applications. Depending on the priority set, the system will guarantee the allocation of cache to this section or, conversely, limit the memory consumption of this section.
ā¢ SmartVirtualization - virtualization of third-party vendor arrays according to the compatibility list.
Adding this functionality has increased the burden on computing resources that have remained the same since the first generation. Therefore, the OceanStor S2200T V1 Entry array remained in the first generation, since it did not physically pull the updated microcode, and the S2600T V2 array is now available for order only in the configuration with 16 Gb cache.
However, Huawei decided not to throw the S2200T V1 into agony. Instead, they updated the constructive, adding to the existing configuration of the controllers 12 * 3.5 "with 12 * 1 GE iSCSI ports the ability to order the configuration 24 * 2.5" with 8 * 8 Gbit / s FC. The ability to order a controller with pre-installed FC ports returned this solution to the market, making it competitive due to low cost.
The flip side of the coin was the removal of the SmartCache functionality (expansion of the cache memory at the expense of SSD drives) and the rejection of the use of SFF 2.5 "drives in the OceanStor S2600T V2 array. I did not find any reasonable reasons for this.
The use of āoldā hardware and the inability to expand the cache was a clear disadvantage of Huawei arrays. And, the lack of 2.5 "disks in the S2600T array generally threw him out of the market.
Therefore, in December 2014, Huawei announced a new third generation of its unified data storage systems OceanStor V3.
The third generation is a global update of the entire model range. In addition to the new hardware and functionality, Huawei decided to change the approach to the organization of unified access. They abandoned separate file nodes, organizing file access at the expense of block controller resources.
In addition to this global change, the functionality has been updated:
ā¢ Deduplication implemented on the basis of ASICs.
ā¢ SmartErase function (āannihilationā of recorded data) to comply with safety procedures and regulations.
ā¢ SmartMigration function - one-time migration of all data from a legacy array to a newly acquired Huawei array.
The licensing model has also changed: SmartThin, SmartMulti-tenant, SmartMigration, SmartErase functionality has been included in the database (it is acquired together with the array).
With a license upgrade to a unified solution, file dedup and compression will be added to the basic functionality.
Software bundles appeared:
ā¢ Data Protection Software suit: includes HyperSnap, HyperCopy, HyperClone, HyperMirror.
ā¢ Storage efficieny Software suit: includes SmartCache and SmartTier.
When buying bundles, a saving of about 30% is declared compared with the āpieceā purchase of licenses.
With the upgrade of iron, the computing power of the models changed, therefore, the positioning in the market was slightly changed.
For example, OceanStor 6800 V3 became a full-fledged High-end, replacing OceanStor 18500 V2.
As already mentioned, deduplication and compression will appear in the third generation. They will be implemented by separate ASICs, which will take over the calculation of fingerprints. However, the meta-data will still be stored in the controller's cache, so that when a large amount of functionality is activated, the cache will be the thinnest point.
Updates touched and I / O ports. 16Gbit / s FC, 10 Gbit / s iWARP (scale-out LAN) interfaces, as well as a back-end 12 Gbit / S SAS interface appeared.
And, once again, Huawei did not listen to the market and did not release a 2U shelf for 3.5-inch disks, the absence of which is a noticeable weak point of the entire OceanStor family. (you need to place 5 3.5 "disks - buy a 4U shelf). This is especially surprising against the background of the release of high density shelves: High density 75 * 3.5" 4U.
A very ambiguous update that is present in the third generation is the support for 8 controller configurations for all models, including the younger mid-range 5300 V3. As it seems to me, it will be implemented as a connection of four 2 controller pairs in 10 GE.
And the most interesting thing is that currently the OceanStor V3 arrays are already available for ordering, but, for now, with an incomplete list of updates:
ā¢ there is no file access as such;
ā¢ while there are no deduplication and compression modules for ordering;
ā¢ there is no 8 controller configuration (currently only 2 controller configurations).
In this regard, Huawei left the second generation OceanStor V2 available for ordering in order not to restrict its customers in the use of unified solutions. However, the withdrawal date for V2 sales is December 2015.
All unrealized, but the declared functionality, Huawei promise to release gradually by the end of this year. And, as an addition, the re-release of the S2200T V1 and S2600T V2 based on the third generation is announced. What they will be is not yet clear.
Summarizing the available information, in terms of choosing a solution for specific projects, I can advise:
1. In cases where the fundamental factor in choosing a solution will be the price for 1GB of stored data, and the functionality is not needed - you should use the S2200T V1 as the most budget solution.
2. S2600T hung in a market vacuum, not finding its niche.
3. If you need functionality and high performance with block access - you can safely consider the third generation of OceanStor.
4. If out-of-the-box file access is required for your tasks, then you will need to contact the second generation and their file nodes.
Therefore, I decided to talk about current Huawei offers to clarify this issue.
So, now there are 3 different generations of Huawei OceanStor data storage systems on the market.
')
From the first generation remained a budget array Entry level OceanStor S2200T V1.
The second generation is represented by the Low-end OceanStor S2600T V2 array.
And the Mid-range starts with the third generation - the updated OceanStor 5300 V3 and higher.
The High-end line is 18000, which has not yet received an update in the third generation. However, the youngest of the High-end OceanStor 18500 V2 turned out to be equal to the new border mid-range OceanStor 6800 V3 array, which will gradually push it out of the Huawei model range.
Let's see how it all began, and why it all came.
First generation
The first generation of OceanStor was a fairly balanced line of block arrays with a rather weak functional component:
The S2600T V1, S5500T V1, S5600T V1 and S5800T V1 models were unified, i.e. it was possible to configure them with file access. This was done according to the most common scheme - using a separate file head (File Engine). The file head was a fail-safe bundle of duplicate servers with a total height of 4U.
Such an approach to building unified arrays won in terms of performance as compared to āfair unifideā (for example, EMC VNXe3200, NetApp) due to scalability, however, it lost in terms of budgeting and banal savings of rack space.
From the point of view of functionality, the first generation lagged behind modern market leaders - there was no multi-level tiring, partition, etc. Therefore, Hauwei decides to update the model range, releasing the second generation of arrays.
Second generation
In fact, the second generation differs from the first only in the updated microcode. By rewriting it from scratch, they significantly expanded the functionality of their storage systems, but they made extremely illogical restrictions:
The main feature of the second generation was the updated approach to the organization of disk spaces - technology RAID 2.0+
And don't be confused by the name - this technology has nothing to do with RAID levels. In essence, this is virtualization of system disks for organizing a single pool. Further, this pool is divided into chunks, chank-groups and extents, from which classic LUNs are already assembled. A similar approach uses HP in its 3Par and Hitachi systems in HUS.
From the obvious advantages of this approach can be identified:
ā¢ Uniform distribution of load between physical carriers.
ā¢ Acceleration of data recovery from checksums in case of carrier failure.
ā¢ Acceleration of pool expansion and rebuilding of RAID groups in case new media are added to the system.
ā¢ Change the type of section (multi-level \ single-level) "on the fly"
From the added functionality can be distinguished:
ā¢ SmartPartition - the selection of isolated pieces of cache for the selected sections.
ā¢ SmartTier - multi-level data storage. Automatic "vertical" data migration between disks of different levels (7.2k, 10 / 15k, SSD) based on the statistics of the frequency of access to them.
ā¢ SmartMotion - āhorizontalā data migration between physical media and load balancing. In fact, without this license, all the above advantages of RAID 2.0 technology will not be available.
ā¢ SmartQoS - Quality of Service. Prioritization of your sections based on the criticality of hosted applications. Depending on the priority set, the system will guarantee the allocation of cache to this section or, conversely, limit the memory consumption of this section.
ā¢ SmartVirtualization - virtualization of third-party vendor arrays according to the compatibility list.
Adding this functionality has increased the burden on computing resources that have remained the same since the first generation. Therefore, the OceanStor S2200T V1 Entry array remained in the first generation, since it did not physically pull the updated microcode, and the S2600T V2 array is now available for order only in the configuration with 16 Gb cache.
However, Huawei decided not to throw the S2200T V1 into agony. Instead, they updated the constructive, adding to the existing configuration of the controllers 12 * 3.5 "with 12 * 1 GE iSCSI ports the ability to order the configuration 24 * 2.5" with 8 * 8 Gbit / s FC. The ability to order a controller with pre-installed FC ports returned this solution to the market, making it competitive due to low cost.
The flip side of the coin was the removal of the SmartCache functionality (expansion of the cache memory at the expense of SSD drives) and the rejection of the use of SFF 2.5 "drives in the OceanStor S2600T V2 array. I did not find any reasonable reasons for this.
The use of āoldā hardware and the inability to expand the cache was a clear disadvantage of Huawei arrays. And, the lack of 2.5 "disks in the S2600T array generally threw him out of the market.
Therefore, in December 2014, Huawei announced a new third generation of its unified data storage systems OceanStor V3.
Third generation
The third generation is a global update of the entire model range. In addition to the new hardware and functionality, Huawei decided to change the approach to the organization of unified access. They abandoned separate file nodes, organizing file access at the expense of block controller resources.
In addition to this global change, the functionality has been updated:
ā¢ Deduplication implemented on the basis of ASICs.
ā¢ SmartErase function (āannihilationā of recorded data) to comply with safety procedures and regulations.
ā¢ SmartMigration function - one-time migration of all data from a legacy array to a newly acquired Huawei array.
The licensing model has also changed: SmartThin, SmartMulti-tenant, SmartMigration, SmartErase functionality has been included in the database (it is acquired together with the array).
With a license upgrade to a unified solution, file dedup and compression will be added to the basic functionality.
Software bundles appeared:
ā¢ Data Protection Software suit: includes HyperSnap, HyperCopy, HyperClone, HyperMirror.
ā¢ Storage efficieny Software suit: includes SmartCache and SmartTier.
When buying bundles, a saving of about 30% is declared compared with the āpieceā purchase of licenses.
With the upgrade of iron, the computing power of the models changed, therefore, the positioning in the market was slightly changed.
For example, OceanStor 6800 V3 became a full-fledged High-end, replacing OceanStor 18500 V2.
As already mentioned, deduplication and compression will appear in the third generation. They will be implemented by separate ASICs, which will take over the calculation of fingerprints. However, the meta-data will still be stored in the controller's cache, so that when a large amount of functionality is activated, the cache will be the thinnest point.
Updates touched and I / O ports. 16Gbit / s FC, 10 Gbit / s iWARP (scale-out LAN) interfaces, as well as a back-end 12 Gbit / S SAS interface appeared.
And, once again, Huawei did not listen to the market and did not release a 2U shelf for 3.5-inch disks, the absence of which is a noticeable weak point of the entire OceanStor family. (you need to place 5 3.5 "disks - buy a 4U shelf). This is especially surprising against the background of the release of high density shelves: High density 75 * 3.5" 4U.
A very ambiguous update that is present in the third generation is the support for 8 controller configurations for all models, including the younger mid-range 5300 V3. As it seems to me, it will be implemented as a connection of four 2 controller pairs in 10 GE.
And the most interesting thing is that currently the OceanStor V3 arrays are already available for ordering, but, for now, with an incomplete list of updates:
ā¢ there is no file access as such;
ā¢ while there are no deduplication and compression modules for ordering;
ā¢ there is no 8 controller configuration (currently only 2 controller configurations).
In this regard, Huawei left the second generation OceanStor V2 available for ordering in order not to restrict its customers in the use of unified solutions. However, the withdrawal date for V2 sales is December 2015.
All unrealized, but the declared functionality, Huawei promise to release gradually by the end of this year. And, as an addition, the re-release of the S2200T V1 and S2600T V2 based on the third generation is announced. What they will be is not yet clear.
In the dry residue
Summarizing the available information, in terms of choosing a solution for specific projects, I can advise:
1. In cases where the fundamental factor in choosing a solution will be the price for 1GB of stored data, and the functionality is not needed - you should use the S2200T V1 as the most budget solution.
2. S2600T hung in a market vacuum, not finding its niche.
3. If you need functionality and high performance with block access - you can safely consider the third generation of OceanStor.
4. If out-of-the-box file access is required for your tasks, then you will need to contact the second generation and their file nodes.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/254593/
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