NetApp storage systems - generational continuity, problems and solutions

Who is interested in this article?

I was pushed to write this article by a case that happened to a respected company that has been successfully using NetApp data storage solutions for a long time. Data management by means of NetApp occurs on an international scale, including in Russia. The Russian representative office has a geographically distributed office structure and some of the local IT services are located in the regions: locations are scattered from headquarters in Moscow to the northern regions where polar bears roam, and the Internet is accessible only via narrow satellite communication channels.

The article will be interesting to those who:

1. loves polar bears;
2. has a geographically distributed structure of IT assets;
3. has been a current NetApp user for more than 5 years;
4. exploits NetApp (controllers and expansion shelves) that have switched and \ or aspire to EOS (End of Support) status;
5. with heightened attention and trepidation relates to the storage of data;
6. I am not ready to explain myself with guidance on the degradation of business software services and the loss of productive data.

Know yourself at least 5 points, then the article is for you.

I agree that Clause 1 is controversial, and I am rather wary of polar bears outside the zoo. And now to the essence of the issue and practical case.
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Initial data

At the Customer, the CO has a set of not too “fresh”, but quite productive iron itself - NetApp FAS3240 HA Filer with NetApp DS14MK4 FC expansion shelves. At the time of the acquisition and commissioning, it was considered a confident “Mid Range” class, however, and still quite confidently solves production problems. The branch network, consisting of four locations, is built on Starter class storage systems - NetApp FAS2040. All systems are running ONTAP 8.X in 7-Mode. Regional systems are replicated to the head system by standard NetApp SnapVault mechanisms.

The regions use a simple and reliable hardware scheme, consisting of a fleet of Dell PowerEdge servers running Windows, and a NetApp FAS2040 storage system. The servers have Open Systems SnapVault (OSSV) software installed, which allows you to make a Snapshot and act as a SnapVault Primary, with the subsequent transfer of snapshots to the SnapVault Secondary system, which NetApp FAS2040 regularly serves.

As a result, the full amount of regional data is collected in the CO, which is written by means of the Commvault backup system onto LTO tapes.

It all looks something like this:

Project Drivers

The key driver of the modernization project was the “bare economy”. The basic three-year service contract out of the box on the FAS3240 has long been successfully completed. The annual extension of service to the rapidly aging system cost a lot of tangible money. After weighing all the pros and cons, it was decided not to wait for End of hardware support on December 31, 2018, and redirect service money towards purchasing new hardware - FAS2650 HA System, Premium Bundle, thereby ensuring high-performance hardware and a three-year service. a period of cloudless life.

Problematics

And here the most interesting begins. Modernization, as a repair, which cannot be COMPLETED - it can only be STOPed. The first step was successfully made, and the new FAS2650 storage system was put into commercial operation. Data from the old woman FAS3240 is migrated by means of NetApp SnapMirror to the new FAS2650, it would seem, we live further and rejoice. But…

There is always a place in life BUT:

• The NetApp FAS3240 storage system is running ONTAP 8.X in 7-Mode;
• NetApp FAS2650 storage system is running ONTAP 9.X in C-Mode;
• NetApp FAS2040 data storage is managed by ONTAP 8.X in 7-Mode;

Wherein:

Upgrade FAS2040 from ONTAP 8.X to ONTAP 9.X is technologically impossible;
Downgrade FAS2650 from ONTAP 9.X to ONTAP 8.X is technologically impossible;
ONTAP 9.X does not support and will not support OSSV, which also has moved to EOS status.

• For NetApp FAS2040, end of hardware support came on December 31, 2017;
• For NetApp FAS3240 DSS, End of hardware support arrived on December 31, 2017.

Checkmate - a slim, multi-year scheme of the data storage complex is destroyed.

We smoke, we think, we look for options

The wisdom of the ages has taken its "Qui quaerit, reperit" - who is looking for, will gain.

The following possible scenarios were found that allow a relatively painless transition from “Life to ...” to “Life after ...”.

Scenario number 1 - replacement in the regions of FAS2040 with a fresh equivalent line FAS2620.


Scenario number 2 - the introduction in the regions of Software-Defined Storage (SDS) | NetApp ONTAP Select.



Scenario number 3 - the introduction of an integrated software solution NetApp and Commvault (IntelliSnap + OSDP).



All scenarios are functional and evaluated through a set of criteria:

• Project's budget;
• Technological advantages and limitations;
• Investment retention (basic and advanced):

Basic - connecting existing DS14MK4 FC shelves to the new FAS2650 system using the 12G IO module kit (X5720A) and Mini SAS HD cable kit (X66031A).

Enhanced - providing the ability to use the storage capacity of FAS2040 systems, to ensure the performance to their full technological "fatigue".

Resulting technical solution ratings

Comparative ratings should be viewed creatively, as well as with a certain amount of assumptions and limitations. Depending on the specific boundary conditions, the financial gap between the scenarios may be reduced and / or the position of the rating may change places.

The principal factors restructuring the rating can be:

• The need for strict submission to corporate standards in terms of server selection. The cost will fundamentally depend on the hardware manufacturer:

Brend - HPE, Lenovo, DELL EMC, Cisco, Fujitsu;
No Brend - Intel, Supermicro, etc.

• Availability of VMware hypervisor licenses and / or readiness to purchase and use them in the company. The recommended supported configuration is achievable only when using VMware solutions in edition not lower than Enterprise. At the same time, as of today, the Enterprise edition has moved to the EOS status and it is possible to purchase only the Enterprise Plus edition.

• The company has a Commvault solution for backup and recovery. Commvault IntelliSnap is a small logical component that is closely integrated with NetApp solutions. Obviously, a separate component will not work without the Commvault product core, and this is both the additional cost of acquiring licenses and the work on upgrading the Backup and Recovery subsystem, which I would like to avoid.

• Particular attention should be paid to the stability and throughput of communication channels, as a fair amount of data will be transmitted. The transport to move the Snapshot to the Primary storage system will be the Open Systems Data Protection (OSDP) protocol, which also has its own technical features and infrastructure requirements.

• Another good idea would be to look in advance on-line documentation on Commvault IntelliSnap. It is laid out in the public domain on the Commvault website, but less detailed and readable than the familiar and most detailed Administration Guide from NetApp.

findings

I consciously decided not to announce what kind of development strategy was chosen by the respected Customer, as well as specific prices for each of the options. The case itself is more interesting to consider more generally, as a guide to save time and facilitate the "flour of choice". It is advisable to take a decision in each specific case, relying on particular conditions and restrictions.

IMHO

Option Software-Defined Storage (SDS) | NetApp ONTAP Select personally seems preferable to me:

• Based on the virtualization of computing resources and storage resources, the last 10 years has been an active market trend, and the last 5 years is practically the standard for building IT infrastructure.

• It is based on the hyperconverged infrastructure model, which is gradually becoming a working tool from the fashionable IT trend.

• It allows saving in perspective, i.e. do not pay for branded servers and storage capacity, and migrate from platform to platform without any pain.

• Allows you to use all the functional advantages of NetApp solutions and a user friendly administration interface.

• Allows you to more smoothly expand storage capacity requirements in 1 Ter increments of the licensed model. This is important, as in the case of a hardware storage system, the volume expansion step is a whole shelf or ½ shelf.

• It allows you to get additional Skils for the engineering staff of the Customer, because technically interesting projects motivate staff to stay in the company for a long time. So indirectly solved the issue of "turnover" of personnel.

• Allows you to have \ support an interesting topic for conversation with colleagues in the shop.

• I personally like it - and this is one of the most powerful arguments for me personally :-).

If you are close to the idiom “The devil is in the detail” or its less common version “God is in the detail”, I am ready to help you understand each specific case taking into account architectural possibilities, organizational and financial constraints.

PS: When studying this subject topic, no Customer was hurt.

PS2: According to the results of the study of the subject in “Zakromakh Rodiny”, a selection of materials remained (marketing and technical descriptions of products \ siding requirements \ Administration Guide \ hardware and software specifications \ comparative tables \ justification of the need for modernization for the Customer’s management). In case of need and interest, it is ready to divide the point and / or help to adapt the documents to a specific situation.

So welcome!