Technical Case Study Sauber F1 Team

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1 Technical Case Study Sauber F1 Team By Magnus Frey, Head of IT, Sauber Motorsport AG Innovation at 300 Kilometers per Hour Fanatical crowds, fever-pitch emotions, to-the-edge drivers, thunderous engines, screaming tyres that hit speeds of more than 300 kilometers per hour, devastating defeats and exhilarating wins, champagne and celebrity it s all part of Formula One racing. But it s also composite engineering and carbon-fibre/aluminum honeycomb monocoques (the driver s workplace and safety cell); high-tech, three-kilogram seats that cushion against 4 g of lateral acceleration; a 140-meter-long wind tunnel tube; and world-class computational fluid dynamics (CFD) programs for aerodynamics research. Formula One racing is clearly a sport of passion, but it s also a sport of technology at the highest level. IT and the design and production processes we support are at the core of Sauber Motorsport AG activities. In fact, we ve turned our capabilities in IT into a competitive advantage that helps our privately owned Sauber F1 Team successfully race against much larger, more generously funded teams with such well-known names as Ferrari, Mercedes, and McLaren. The FlexPod data center platform from NetApp and Cisco and NetApp MetroCluster storage solutions are fundamental to our IT infrastructure. NetApp solutions deliver the speed and agility we need for critical decision-making in a sport in which seconds can be the difference between winning and losing. The Formula for Success Sauber Motorsport AG, founded by Peter Sauber, operates the Sauber F1 Team. We employ some 300 people who collaborate on the design and production of our race cars. Our headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland, houses the main office, a factory building, and the wind tunnel building where we test race car prototypes for aerodynamic performance. Most of the tests run on 60% scale models because of Formula One regulations that limit full scale testing. Our sport is heavily regulated in both technical and sporting elements. Regulations direct everything from engine and tyre specifications to where we can position the exhaust, the height of the nose cone, and even how much time we can spend testing in the tunnel. Such regulations make it even more critical for us to focus on what we can control aerodynamics and race strategies, for example to differentiate our team and to make the adjustments that will give us that all-critical lap-time advantage.

2 Competition is fierce and it happens at 300 kilometers per hour. Often, milliseconds can be the difference between winning and losing. 01:20:005 2nd place 01:20:000 1st place Finding that adjustment which can be a miniscule change in a part design takes attention to detail and fast but sophisticated analysis of the huge amounts of data generated during the development of the car and on the track. In both arenas, NetApp storage plays a mission-critical role. FlexPod on the Road A mobile data center Our partnership with NetApp began in 2007 when we implemented the first MetroCluster solution at our data center in Hinwil. It was only natural that we would consider NetApp again when we needed a movable system essentially a complete, but mobile data center for the racetrack. We selected the FlexPod data center solution, jointly created by NetApp and Cisco, for its small size and weight, which enable us to conveniently transport it on planes or in trucks; its functionality we can run all our analysis tools right at the track; and its reliability. The FlexPod must operate dependably and it does, whether it s a cold day at the track in Germany, sweltering in Singapore at 38 Celsius, oppressively humid, or truck rattling windy. Reliable Formula One teams travel to racing venues on the Monday before the race weekend. Race cars arrive partly in pieces and are assembled by Thursday, after which they are scrutineered by FIA officials and team crews practice pit stops. Track action begins on Friday with two practice sessions, followed by another practice session and qualifying events on Saturday. With just two days to analyze data in preparation for Sunday s race, we can t tolerate system downtime. The FlexPod platform travels with our team to every race that is, to 20 racing events in 19 countries every year. Races occur in different countries on average every two weeks between March and November. Driven or flown, the FlexPod platform must survive the vibrations and shock of transport to operate across the season s wide range of environmental conditions. Once the system arrives on site, we bring it up quickly we can have our crew working within two and a half hours after arrival. 2

3 FlexPod s mobility, size, and level of integration are amazing. But it s the reliability that s critical we have never had a failure. If we did, it would be disastrous we could not even safely start the car, let alone optimize it for speed. And, without a reliable infrastructure to support critical decisionmaking both on and off the track, it would be like going back more than 20 years, when drivers had to go it alone they really would not be competitive against technology-assisted teams. We are always in go-live mode; there is no coming back to do it over. If we miss the opportunity, it s gone. At the track, we use data on the FlexPod system to fine-tune vehicle setup, qualifying tactics, and race-day strategy. The FlexPod platform collects new data from the car any time it is running. Real-time data, including petrol usage, temperatures, engine information, and other sensor feedback, transmits via radio to the FlexPod platform. We use this telemetry data along with track conditions data to run new simulations on the FlexPod system before and during the race, comparing how the virtual model performs with the actual vehicle setup and track data versus with the ideal parameters and factory car design. From the track-based results we make on-the-fly adjustments to the driver s strategy and fine-tune the car for performance for example, the team might make a front-wing change, modify cooling, or adjust pit stops to maximize how long we can run a set of tyres without risking overheating and blistering. We currently collect data from more than 100 sensors on each vehicle. While sensors are key to design and decision-making, their benefit is always measured against the additional weight they add to the car. 100 sensors on the Sauber F1 Team cars send data to the FlexPod in real-time. On track engineers analyze the data to improve performance. FlexPod components Our FlexPod platform integrates a dual-head NetApp FAS2040 cluster with NetApp SyncMirror software for replicating data across the cluster, eight Cisco Unified Computing System blade servers, and a Cisco Nexus switch (see Figure 1). Although we did look at alternative blade solutions, our experience with Cisco networking and NetApp storage and the benefits of prevalidation made the FlexPod platform uniquely advantageous. 3

4 During practice sessions, qualifying runs, and at the end of each race, we replicate race data via NetApp SnapMirror technology to a MetroCluster in Hinwil. Data transmits to Hinwil via an MPLS link at a maximum rate of 4Mb/sec. The communications link is provided by a dedicated communication partner at every track with transmission rates dependent on the network speeds available in each country. The average track-to-headquarters delay would be 15 minutes. Right up until race time (and then afterward for the next venue), engineers in Hinwil collaborate with the track team to fine-tune car setup and race strategy. Races run an average of 306 kilometers and by regulation cannot exceed 2 hours. Even as the race winds down, crews are already packing equipment for transport to the next venue. NetApp MetroCluster at Headquarters We run all of our corporate systems on a NetApp MetroCluster solution that provides storage to two Hinwil data centers one primarily for business systems and a second for engineering. In total we run 40 major business and technical applications and annually generate about 20TB of new data, with an increasing trend every year. Mobile Data Center at the Race Track VMware vsphere and vmotion Data Analysis and Database Applications Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) C250 Cisco Nexus 5020 Switch NetApp SnapManager Realtime Upload of Data to the Factory NetApp FAS2040A Running Data ONTAP 8.0 NetApp Snapshot FlexPod Telemetry Data from the Cars Timing Data Video Data GPS Data from Other Cars Figure 1. Mobile FlexPod data center solution at the track. 4

5 Keeping Track by the Numbers Per-lap data (speed, movements, g forces, pressures, temperatures, engine data, etc.): 4MB per lap from race car to pit systems via real-time radio transmission; 20MB to 30MB downloaded from the car when it arrives back in the pit after each run Telemetry data collected per three-day race weekend: 25GB Data transmitted to Hinwil during one hour of free practice: 600MB Flexible On the technical side, engineers continually strive to make our cars faster, better, and easier to drive. From year to year, we basically develop and build a completely new car, depending upon track results and new regulations. In April of each year, engineers start work on concept designs for the next year, using our CAD systems to develop 6,000 to 7,000 individual components (including car parts and the tools to manufacture them). At the same time, they re making changes to this year s car in response to driver feedback and what has happened on the track. As we adjust for track differences and periodically upgrade design elements based on the latest race data, we re effectively putting a newly modified race car on the track almost every other week. MetroCluster gives us fast access to the large amounts of data engineers need for decision-making. In the development process, designers analyze a broad set of data to most effectively balance regulated design elements such as stiffness and weight, with the overall design. We buy the complete powertrain from Ferrari, for example, but we develop, design, and build the rest of the car. The goal is always to increase aerodynamic efficiency that is, to maximize the amount of downforce for the smallest amount of drag. Available In today s motorsports, aerodynamics offers the most promise for improving performance. For us, that means keeping our wind tunnel and CFD systems running continually to enhance our design and correlate model data with actual race data. When we improve aerodynamic efficiency, we re effectively reducing lap time in the next race. Ultimately it s all about lap time and where we can shave off a couple of tenths of a second more. Competition during the 2012 racing season, for example, was particularly tight. During any given race, qualifying times of the first 15 cars were likely to be within a span of just one second. A fraction of a second can be the difference between qualifying or not in the top 10. Since strict Formula One regulations prohibit testing on the track during race season, we can t use the race track to test efficiency, so we rely heavily on our CFD tools and the wind tunnel. MetroCluster keeps our aerodynamicists, model designers and model builders, CFD engineers, and other staff working, helping to provide availability of wind tunnel technology, including data acquisition and model motion systems. These systems are in use 24/6 by our own team and for third-party projects. Continuous data availability is important across the company downtime delays design, testing, or production processes but it s essential for the wind tunnel. Every hour it s down is an hour we aren t improving the car. MetroCluster components Data is replicated synchronously across two MetroCluster nodes, one a NetApp FAS3240 system in the factory building and the second a NetApp FAS3240 array approximately 75 meters away in the wind tunnel building (see Figure 2). With 460TB of capacity across both nodes, MetroCluster gives us always-on data service, built-in data protection, and the ability to scale performance and capacity without disrupting operations. By centralizing all of our data services, we ve been able to significantly reduce the complexity and costs of IT management. 5

6 The MetroCluster node (configured with FC drives) in the wind tunnel building supports all of our UNIX - and Linux -based technical systems. The NetApp systems also store summary results of calculations run on a high-performance compute cluster comprised of hundreds of nodes configured with minimal internal capacity. Wind tunnel systems generate significant data from measuring downforce, pressure distribution, air resistance (or drag), and other processes related to the design and testing of both individual components (such as a new wing) and the fully assembled car. In the office building, the NetApp MetroCluster node (configured with SATA drives) provides storage for our production and office systems. The environment is currently 90% virtualized. This node supports both physical servers and five VMware ESX servers hosting upward of 55 virtual server instances. We expect to implement an additional cluster to support some 100 virtualized desktops, which will enable us to retire up to 80 physical desktops and make it financially feasible for individual engineers to work in multiple-desktop environments. MetroCluster meets our requirements for 99%+ uptime. All data is synchronously written in both data centers, so if we experience a loss of power or another failure event in one of the buildings, we immediately fail over to the second data center with no data loss. It takes just two or three seconds to restore data services at the second site, so in most cases our users are not even aware of the failover. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Calculation Data Center 1 Hinwil Data Center 2 Hinwil CFD pre- and postprocessing VMware vsphere and VMotion VMware vsphere and VMotion NetApp SnapManager NetApp FAS3240 NetApp MetroCluster NetApp Snapshot NetApp FAS3240 Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) C250 Capturing Vehicle Data at the Race Track Cisco Nexus 5020 Switch NetApp FAS2040A Running Data ONTAP 8.0 FlexPod Figure 2. Storage infrastructure and data communication at Sauber Motorsport AG headquarters in Hinwil, Switzerland. 6

7 The Need for Speed Faster, More Innovative, and Efficient on NetApp Increasing technical regulations on testing, equipment, and profiling, as well as various sporting regulations (to improve safety, ensure a level playing field, and reduce costs), require innovation in other areas like IT. To meet our IT challenges, we ve for some time relied on NetApp beginning with the 2012 season, NetApp became an official Technical Partner of the Sauber F1 Team and UP-GREAT AG, our provider for information technology and infrastructure. Together they ve helped us replace numerous individual solutions with a more high-performance, resilient, and costeffective architecture. Magnus Frey Head of IT Sauber Motorsport AG Born and raised in Basel, Switzerland, Magnus Frey studied economics and computer science at Universities Basel and St. Gallen. His career includes six years at various consulting companies working on projects related to IT strategy, IT infrastructure management, and IT service management, and five years in the IT infrastructure management department of a Swiss bank in Zurich and New York. Magnus came to Sauber Motorsport AG in January Outside of work, he is an F1 fan and actively enjoys biking and golf. He says he would like to learn how to fly a plane if I m bold enough! Simpler, smarter data management Intelligent data management increases efficiency and gives us an edge over other teams. Because time is restricted in the wind tunnel, for example, we strive to find more innovative procedures to measure even more on the model, analyze it faster, and more quickly start the next run. NetApp data management helps streamline processes it s easy to increase/decrease volume size, and it takes just minutes to provision virtual servers or desktops, so we are able to respond faster to requests and with fewer IT staff. Routine administration of the MetroCluster nodes typically takes less than 10% of one person s time. It s also advantageous to use the same platform and tools for all of our operating environments Windows, Linux, and UNIX at both data centers and on the track. Consolidating data onto a single architecture gives us a seamless data stack and eliminates data copying so it s easier and faster to access data which ultimately means faster design and faster decision-making. We re also able to complete all major IT technology refreshes during the two week break when by international agreement all Formula One racing teams cannot work. With MetroCluster, we can do updates during that break and with zero downtime. We fail over one node while we upgrade it, then fail back and upgrade the second. UP-GREAT completed this year s upgrade in two hours. Marcel Keller, storage and backup specialist at UP-GREAT, agrees that this could not have been done without MetroCluster. He jokes that if it wasn t for this annual maintenance upgrade, his support team would have nothing to do. We did the necessary maintenance of the FlexPod platform going to the track in an hour, a process that used to take four weeks when we had four racks of equipment we had to fly back to Hinwil for upgrades. We re a data-driven company, and IT is truly an enabler of innovation. But we maintain limited IT staff just five people at headquarters and one or two at the track. We know that IT efficiencies really do help our team compete and maximize the team s direct investments in the car. High performance + reduced costs On-demand storage scale and performance help enable us to accommodate whatever changes race and design teams may make to data collection, as well as support more and faster compute platforms. We ve also seen tremendous performance gains by using NetApp Flash Cache intelligent caching in the Hinwil MetroCluster solution. One of the benefits is that we re able to use cost-saving SATA drives without sacrificing speed. In the virtual server environment where we use deduplication in conjunction with Flash Cache, we re saving capacity at the same time we re improving performance by as much as three times. For example, because we deduplicate 40 virtual machines, only the first is read from disk; the next 39 load directly from the high-speed cache. Database users also report extremely fast response times, particularly during major updates of data tables. 7

8 At the racetrack, deduplication gives us a savings of 8GB to 10GB per desktop, an important benefit when space is at a premium and extra weight increases travel costs. And deduplication helps enable us to scale efficiently. Saving capacity is always beneficial, but it s particularly important for the track platform. Moving to a virtual server/desktop environment in the highly efficient FlexPod frame, we were able to shrink our footprint from four to two cabinets and weight by 50% to reduce transportation costs. We also cut power requirements in half that s particularly important at venues where unreliable local power sources make our team reliant solely on the power available from our trucks. Overall, by cutting the footprint of the track system in half we saved in transportation cost more than the entire cost of the FlexPod platform. Summary Partnering with NetApp and UP-GREAT to deploy an agile IT infrastructure, and focusing on both IT innovation and efficiency, have helped us meet the advancing technology demands of this pinnacle of motorsport. We re managing more data, refining our tools, and ultimately improving the car more quickly and better than ever before. NetApp storage infrastructure gives us the benefits of rapid adaptability, standardization, manageability, and room to grow to support more sensors, collect more data, or support new functionality such as taking databases to the track or adding video feeds from the track. FlexPod provides the same benefits in a small-footprint platform for the road. I don t know of any other technology stack that could deliver a better solution for our purposes. FlexPod gives us the best space efficiency plus the versatility we need for critical on-track operations, including real-time data collection, analysis, and decision-making. Of course the biggest test of our capabilities as a team comes on the track. So far in the 2012 season we ve won four podium finishes. In Italy, Sergio Perez, one of our two drivers, scored a second-place finish. Our other driver, Kamui Kobayashi, took third in Japan, and overall the team is already ahead of last season s total points. Monisha Kaltenborn, our Team Principal and CEO, believes that we re getting better all the time. I d have to agree. 8

9 About Sauber F1 Team The Sauber F1 Team competes in Formula One racing, a March-to-November seasonal circuit of 20 three-day practice/qualifying/race events at race tracks in 19 countries around the world. Sauber Motorsport AG, headquartered in Hinwil, Switzerland, employs some 300 designers, engineers, and support staff. Another 100 full-time employees of suppliers and service providers in the region depend for their livelihood on the company founded in 1970 by Peter Sauber. In 2012, the Sauber F1 Team marked its 20th season in the Fédération Internationale de L Automobile (FIA) Formula One World Championship. About NetApp NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that deliver outstanding cost efficiency and accelerate business breakthroughs. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at Go further, faster Key Products and Technologies Data Center NetApp: FAS3240 (440TB x 2) Flash Cache MetroCluster Data ONTAP 8.03 FlexVol Deduplication Snapshot SnapManager for SQL Server, SAP, and SharePoint SnapRestore FC/NFS/CIFS VMware: VMware ESX Server 5.0 VMware vcenter Server 5 VMware vmotion 5 VMware vsphere 5 Microsoft Windows environment: Microsoft Exchange 2007 Microsoft SQL Server Microsoft SharePoint SAP R/3 ECC 6.0 UNIX/Linux environment: Dassault Systemes CATIA CFD (proprietary) Racetrack (Mobile) FlexPod: Cisco Nexus switch Cisco UCS Server NetApp FAS2040 system VMware View 4.5 VMware vsphere 5 Another NetApp solution delivered by: NetApp, Inc. All rights reserved. No portions of this document may be reproduced without prior written consent of NetApp, Inc. Specifications are subject to change without notice. NetApp, the NetApp logo, Go further, faster, FlexPod, FlexVol, MetroCluster, SnapManager, SnapMirror, SnapRestore, Snapshot, and SyncMirror are trademarks or registered trademarks of NetApp, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Cisco and Nexus are registered trademarks and Unified Computing System is a trademark of Cisco Systems, Inc. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. VMware, vmotion, and vsphere are registered trademarks and vcenter and View are trademarks of VMware, Inc. Windows, Microsoft, SQL Server, and SharePoint are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. SAP is a registered trademark of SAP AG. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such. NA A4