Focusing on VDI: NetApp All-Flash FAS Storage System
Today, the virtual infrastructure of workstations offers companies many advantages. However, to build an effective VDI environment, it is necessary to carefully and carefully approach the choice of hardware, which is capable of ensuring maximum performance and at the same time reducing the costs of deployment and operation.
Building an efficient virtualized infrastructure is directly related to the performance of the storage system. The optimal storage environment for virtual workstations should be designed for a large number of read and write operations and withstand peak loads without degrading performance. When using disk or hybrid storage in an infrastructure with a large number of users, problems may arise, and expanding storage will increase the cost of ownership.
The solution to the problem lies in the application of storage systems based on flash drives. Correctly selected All-Flash array is able to withstand the loads of virtual workstations, while ensuring low latency.
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NetApp All-Flash FAS running the Clustered Data ONTAP operating system can be the optimal solution for VDI environments, which allows you to fully appreciate the benefits of flash technology in storage systems. All-Flash FAS is a multi-protocol, multi-user environment with the ability to scale using heterogeneous or homogeneous storage systems, as well as data management and volume reduction functions, including compression, deduplication, cloning and replication.
NetApp Clustered Data ONTAP operating system has a WAFL (Write Anywhere File Layout) file structure and is compatible with the use of flash data storage technologies. The optimized recording architecture of the OS makes it ideal for virtual workstations and provides several advantages. For example, the system processes incoming recordings in memory, saves them to NVRAM and instantly confirms them, which ensures minimum response time for write operations and removes the peak load from solid-state drives. Records are combined in memory and transferred from there by long chains of consecutive blocks to SSDs, which maximizes performance and reduces the cost of RAID memory. In addition, rewritable blocks are automatically written to another location, and the WAFL file structure does not overwrite existing data blocks, which reduces media wear. It is also worth noting that in Data ONTAP version 8.3, the reading path has been improved to optimize the performance of flash technology. These changes resulted in improved read performance up to 70% for existing systems.
In addition to the above-described standard features of the Data ONTAP system, NetApp All-Flash FAS implements the functionality of the next generation FlashRay platform, which provides additional efficiency, performance and usability.
In particular, it is worth noting the high efficiency of data compression in real time. It is achieved through the NetApp proprietary data compression protocol. In terms of performance, it is superior to compression algorithms, such as LZ4, and reduces decompression costs by more than 40%. In addition, the speed of read operations is increased. And the function of detection of incompressible data Incompressible data detection reduces the number of processor cycles, instantly identifying information that cannot be compressed.
Real-time deduplication of zero blocks speeds up the allocation of virtual machine resources by 20–30%. All data is hashed and matched with each other immediately upon entry into the system, and zero blocks are deleted. Similar information is noted for more thorough bitwise checking. It is worth noting that deduplication is performed every minute. This approach allows for consistently low latency.
Data ONTAP also offers a range of deployment options and software-defined management, which other solutions based on solid-state drives cannot boast. For example, the ability to store additional copies of VDI data on hard drives or in the cloud. The second option allows more economical use of storage.
Saving disk space is also provided through the use of compact clones. NetApp cloning technology allows you to create rewritable "copies" of virtual machines. These copies require additional capacity only when making changes, and using them saves 584: 1 disk space. For example, creating a hypervisor snapshot requires an additional 20% of disk space for metadata. NetApp's standard cloning feature eliminates the need for additional resources and provides increased data density.
In addition, Clustered Data ONTAP allows you to transfer data to the storage system at any time without interrupting the work of the applications used. The virtual workstation environment can first be deployed on a hybrid storage system, and in the future if it is necessary to expand it, it can be transferred to a storage system.
The process of developing and deploying virtual workstation infrastructure and managing them is complicated by the large number of involved solution components. To solve this problem, NetApp and Cisco have developed the FlexPod reference architecture, which allows the creation of a virtual workstation infrastructure that contains all the necessary hardware and software components for rapid deployment and easy administration.
FlexPod integrated and standardized components allow horizontal or vertical scaling to meet enterprise application requirements. By implementing each of the FlexPod systems, you can accurately estimate power consumption, footprint, available disk space, as well as performance and costs.
Building an efficient virtualized infrastructure is directly related to the performance of the storage system. The optimal storage environment for virtual workstations should be designed for a large number of read and write operations and withstand peak loads without degrading performance. When using disk or hybrid storage in an infrastructure with a large number of users, problems may arise, and expanding storage will increase the cost of ownership.
The solution to the problem lies in the application of storage systems based on flash drives. Correctly selected All-Flash array is able to withstand the loads of virtual workstations, while ensuring low latency.
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Powerful tandem
NetApp All-Flash FAS running the Clustered Data ONTAP operating system can be the optimal solution for VDI environments, which allows you to fully appreciate the benefits of flash technology in storage systems. All-Flash FAS is a multi-protocol, multi-user environment with the ability to scale using heterogeneous or homogeneous storage systems, as well as data management and volume reduction functions, including compression, deduplication, cloning and replication.
NetApp Clustered Data ONTAP operating system has a WAFL (Write Anywhere File Layout) file structure and is compatible with the use of flash data storage technologies. The optimized recording architecture of the OS makes it ideal for virtual workstations and provides several advantages. For example, the system processes incoming recordings in memory, saves them to NVRAM and instantly confirms them, which ensures minimum response time for write operations and removes the peak load from solid-state drives. Records are combined in memory and transferred from there by long chains of consecutive blocks to SSDs, which maximizes performance and reduces the cost of RAID memory. In addition, rewritable blocks are automatically written to another location, and the WAFL file structure does not overwrite existing data blocks, which reduces media wear. It is also worth noting that in Data ONTAP version 8.3, the reading path has been improved to optimize the performance of flash technology. These changes resulted in improved read performance up to 70% for existing systems.
Additional features
In addition to the above-described standard features of the Data ONTAP system, NetApp All-Flash FAS implements the functionality of the next generation FlashRay platform, which provides additional efficiency, performance and usability.
In particular, it is worth noting the high efficiency of data compression in real time. It is achieved through the NetApp proprietary data compression protocol. In terms of performance, it is superior to compression algorithms, such as LZ4, and reduces decompression costs by more than 40%. In addition, the speed of read operations is increased. And the function of detection of incompressible data Incompressible data detection reduces the number of processor cycles, instantly identifying information that cannot be compressed.
Real-time deduplication of zero blocks speeds up the allocation of virtual machine resources by 20–30%. All data is hashed and matched with each other immediately upon entry into the system, and zero blocks are deleted. Similar information is noted for more thorough bitwise checking. It is worth noting that deduplication is performed every minute. This approach allows for consistently low latency.
Economical storage
Data ONTAP also offers a range of deployment options and software-defined management, which other solutions based on solid-state drives cannot boast. For example, the ability to store additional copies of VDI data on hard drives or in the cloud. The second option allows more economical use of storage.
Saving disk space is also provided through the use of compact clones. NetApp cloning technology allows you to create rewritable "copies" of virtual machines. These copies require additional capacity only when making changes, and using them saves 584: 1 disk space. For example, creating a hypervisor snapshot requires an additional 20% of disk space for metadata. NetApp's standard cloning feature eliminates the need for additional resources and provides increased data density.
In addition, Clustered Data ONTAP allows you to transfer data to the storage system at any time without interrupting the work of the applications used. The virtual workstation environment can first be deployed on a hybrid storage system, and in the future if it is necessary to expand it, it can be transferred to a storage system.
Deploying VDI on a FlexPod platform
The process of developing and deploying virtual workstation infrastructure and managing them is complicated by the large number of involved solution components. To solve this problem, NetApp and Cisco have developed the FlexPod reference architecture, which allows the creation of a virtual workstation infrastructure that contains all the necessary hardware and software components for rapid deployment and easy administration.
FlexPod integrated and standardized components allow horizontal or vertical scaling to meet enterprise application requirements. By implementing each of the FlexPod systems, you can accurately estimate power consumption, footprint, available disk space, as well as performance and costs.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/309514/
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