Externalizing Large SharePoint 2010 Objects with EMC VNX Series and Metalogix StoragePoint. Reference Architecture

Transcription

1 Externalizing Large SharePoint 2010 Objects with EMC VNX Series and Metalogix StoragePoint

2 Copyright 2011 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published February, 2011 EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. The information in this publication is provided as is. EMC Corporation makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. For the most up-to-date listing of EMC product names, see EMC Corporation Trademarks on EMC.com. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. Part number: h8166 2

3 Table of Contents Reference architecture overview... 4 Solution architecture... 7 Key components... 9 Validated environment profile Hardware and software resources Conclusion

4 Reference architecture overview Document purpose EMC's commitment to consistently maintain and improve quality is led by the Total Customer Experience (TCE) program, which is driven by Six Sigma methodologies. As a result, EMC has built Customer Integration Labs in its Global Solutions Centers to reflect realworld deployments in which TCE use cases are developed and executed. These use cases provide EMC with an insight into the challenges currently facing its customers. This document describes the reference architecture of the Externalizing Large SharePoint 2010 Objects with EMC VNX Series and Metalogix StoragePoint solution, which was tested and validated by the EMC Unified Storage Solutions group. Introduction to the new EMC VNX series The VNX series delivers uncompromising scalability and flexibility for the midtier while providing market-leading simplicity and efficiency to minimize total cost of ownership. Customers can benefit from the new VNX features such as: Next-generation unified storage, optimized for virtualized applications Extended cache using Flash drives with FAST Cache and Fully Automated Storage Tiering for Virtual Pools (FAST VP), which can be optimized for the highest system performance and lowest storage cost simultaneously on both block and file. Multiprotocol support for file, block, and object with object access through Atmos Virtual Edition (Atmos VE). Simplified management with EMC Unisphere for a single management framework for all NAS, SAN, and replication needs. Up to three times improvement in performance with the latest Intel multicore CPUs, optimized for Flash. 6 Gb/s SAS back end with the latest drive technologies supported: o GB and 200 GB Flash, GB, and 600 GB 15k or 10k rpm SAS, and TB 7.2k rpm NL-SAS o GB and 600 GB 10k rpm SAS Expanded EMC UltraFlex I/O connectivity Fibre Channel (FC), Internet Small Computer System Interface (iscsi), Common Internet File System (CIFS), Network File System (NFS) including parallel NFS (pnfs), Multi-Path File System (MPFS), and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) connectivity for converged networking over Ethernet. The VNX series includes five new software suites and three new software packs, making it easier and simpler to attain the maximum overall benefits. Software suites available VNX FAST Suite Automatically optimizes for the highest system performance and the lowest storage cost simultaneously (FAST VP is not part of the FAST Suite for the VNX5100). VNX Local Protection Suite Practices safe data protection and repurposing. VNX Remote Protection Suite Protects data against localized failures, outages, and disasters. VNX Application Protection Suite Automates application copies and proves compliance. 4

5 VNX Security and Compliance Suite Keeps data safe from changes, deletions, and malicious activity. Software packs available VNX Total Efficiency Pack Includes all five software suites (not available for the VNX5100). VNX Total Protection Pack Includes local, remote and application protection suites. VNX Total Value Pack Includes all three protection software suites and the Security and Compliance Suite (the VNX5100 exclusively supports this package). Solution purpose The purpose of this reference architecture is to demonstrate how to use EMC s expertise and proven technologies to externalize and manage binary large objects (BLOBs) in the SharePoint farm. This solution is built on an EMC VNX5300 platform with multiprotocol support, which enables Fibre Channel (FC) block-based storage for SharePoint databases and CIFS-based storage for BLOB data. The purpose of this solution is to: Design a Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 environment with external BLOB storage on a unified storage platform. Realize space-saving benefits in the SharePoint farm content databases as a result of external BLOB storage. Back up and restore SharePoint databases and the BLOB store by using VNX SnapView and VNX Replicator technologies through EMC Replication Manager. This reference architecture is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to every aspect of the solution, but only to offer an overview of the architecture and discuss the benefits of deploying an external BLOB storage solution by using the EMC VNX series. The business challenge SharePoint 2010 facilitates collaboration, provides content management features, and implements business processes. It provides an integrated platform to plan, deploy, and manage intranet, extranet, and internet applications across and beyond the enterprise. SharePoint uses multiple servers in various roles to organize and deliver website collaboration and information sharing across organizations. In a typical enterprise deployment of SharePoint Server, a large proportion of data is stored as unstructured, binary data streams (or BLOBs) associated with SharePoint files. However, SQL Server is not the most efficient option to store unstructured binary data streams because relational databases are designed to handle structured relational data. The inclusion of this kind of data in a SQL Server database allows SharePoint to be very flexible, and enables many key document management features. But, this also create management challenges for the database administrator. 5

6 The technology solution This solution demonstrates how to use a VNX platform to store external BLOBs for a SharePoint 2010 environment. In this solution, Metalogix StoragePoint externalizes the SharePoint documents from SQL Server databases to a VNX file system. Replication Manager protects SharePoint databases by creating application-consistent SnapView snapshots and the Continuous File System Replication technology of VNX Replicator protects the SharePoint BLOB store file system. Solution benefits The benefits of this solution are as follows: External BLOB storage frees database resources: Storing BLOBs in file systems outside the SQL database frees valuable space, and thus reduces the cost of tier 1 storage space. A 92.2 percent reduction in space was observed in the SQL content database disk usage report. File system storage introduces features such as deduplication: With SharePoint documents in dedicated file systems, advanced features of the VNX series can be used to reduce storage space requirements. With an average BLOB size of 220 KB, a minimum of 20 percent storage savings was observed in the environment. One platform to store and back up the SharePoint databases and BLOB store file systems: Replication Manager creates application-consistent snapshots of SQL databases and VNX Replicator protects BLOB store file systems with Continuous File System Replication technology. This product combination protects externalized BLOB content and makes it easy to protect SharePoint database and BLOB stores. StoragePoint provides features such as compression and encryption: External BLOBs can be compressed to save space and can be encrypted for added security. 6

7 Solution architecture Architecture diagram The following diagram shows the logical architecture of the solution. Reference architecture overview The validated solution is a SharePoint 2010 farm that uses the EMC VNX5300 to store SharePoint databases and externalized BLOB contents. The key components of the architecture are: A SharePoint web front-end server that runs StoragePoint software A SharePoint application server A SQL Server 2008 R2 server An EMC VNX5300 platform to store SharePoint configuration databases, content databases, search databases, content index files, external BLOBs, SnapView snapshots, and a VNX file system replica 7

8 Storage layout The following diagram shows the overall storage layout of the solution. The BLOB store file system was placed on the high-capacity storage spindles of the VNX platform. Storage layout overview The VNX platform stores the following: SharePoint virtual machine Virtual Hard Disk (VHD) files, search index files, databases, logs, and tempdb BLOBs offloaded from SQL databases to the BLOB store file system that is accessed through the Common Internet File System (CIFS) share. Snapshots of SharePoint databases and replicas of the BLOB store file system Virtual machine VHD files and SharePoint search index files: A RAID 5 (4+1) group of spindles stores the system volumes, Hyper-V virtual machine VHD files, and search index files. SharePoint logs and tempdb: The configuration tested in this solution uses RAID 1 (1+1) groups to store the tempdb and log files. SharePoint databases and the BLOB store file system: The validated solution uses a RAID 5 (4+1) group of SAS spindles for SQL databases and a RAID 5 (4+1) group of NL-SAS drives to store externalized BLOB content. Replica of the BLOB store file system: A RAID 5 (4+1) group of NL-SAS spindles stores the replica of the BLOB store file system. Reserved LUN pool: A RAID 5 (4+1) group of NL-SAS spindles stores the reserved LUN pool used by SnapView snapshots. 8

9 Key components Introduction This section briefly describes the following key components of the SharePoint 2010 tiered solution by BLOB externalization: EMC VNX series Metalogix StoragePoint EMC Replication Manager Microsoft Windows 2008 R2 Hyper-V EMC PowerPath Hardware and software resources section on page 13 provides details on all the components that make up the reference architecture. EMC VNX series The EMC VNX series is a dedicated storage array optimized for files and block access, delivering high-end features in a scalable and easy-to-use package. The EMC VNX series delivers a single-box block and file storage solution, which offers a centralized point of management for distributed environments. This makes it possible to dynamically grow, share, and cost-effectively manage multiprotocol file systems and provide multiprotocol block access. Administrators can take advantage of simultaneous support for the NFS and CIFS protocols by using VNX for file s filelocking mechanisms to allow Windows and Linux/UNIX clients to share files. In addition, they can use iscsi or FC for high-bandwidth or latency-sensitive applications. EMC VNX for file provides five 9s ( percent) availability through advanced failover, high availability, and fault-tolerant networking options. Metalogix StoragePoint Metalogix StoragePoint is a software that uses External BLOB Storage (EBS) and Remote BLOB Storage (RBS) provider application programming interfaces (APIs) to enable organizations to seamlessly move BLOB content when it ages, becomes less relevant, or inactive from SQL content databases to high-capacity storage tiers based on simple-to-configure rules. Customers can use multiple tiers of storage consisting of virtually any mix of network-attached storage (NAS), storage area network (SAN), and cloud storage platforms, and thus use the most appropriate storage based on performance, compliance, or budgetary requirements. When StoragePoint is installed, it is integrated with the SharePoint Central Administration. StoragePoint also optimizes SharePoint manageability, scalability, and security without affecting the functionality, performance, or end-user experience. EMC Replication Manager EMC Replication Manager is a software platform that automates and simplifies the management of disk-based replicas. It orchestrates critical business applications, middleware, and underlying EMC replication technologies to create and manage replicas at the application level for a variety of purposes, including operational recovery, backup, restore, development, simulation, and repurposing. Replication Manager also helps customers safeguard their business-critical applications, such as Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2, by using either point-in-time disk-based replicas or continuous data protection sets that can be restored to any 9

10 significant point in time. Replication Manager has deep application integration with Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2. Replicas are created by coordinating with Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to ensure a complete copy of SQL databases (even active databases). Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V is an integral feature of Windows Server 2008 R2 that enables users to implement server virtualization with ease. Hyper-V enables users to make the best use of server hardware investments by consolidating servers and enabling a high-performance virtual environment. It eases IT infrastructure management and reduces costs while retaining and enhancing competitive advantages, such as flexibility, reliability, scalability, and security. Windows Server 2008 R2 Hyper-V supports hot plug-in and hot removal of storage. By supporting the addition or removal of VHD files and pass-through disks while a virtual machine is running, Hyper-V makes it possible to reconfigure virtual machines quickly to meet the changing workload requirements. Windows Server 2008 core installation is a minimal server installation for computers running on the Windows Server 2008 operating system or later versions. Server Core provides a low-maintenance server environment with limited functionality. However, it provides all the required features for virtualization and is highly secure. This validated solution utilizes the failover cluster feature in a Hyper-V virtualized environment to provide a comprehensive solution for Microsoft applications. The benefits of Microsoft failover clustering in this solution are: Failover clustering in Windows Server 2008 R2 can help users build redundancy into the network and eliminate single points of failure. This helps to reduce downtime and total cost of ownership (TCO), and guard against data loss. Windows Server 2008 R2 failover clusters are less expensive than other comparable systems. Ease of deployment and affordability make Windows Server 2008 R2 an ideal high-availability solution for organizations of all sizes. The integration of Windows Server 2008 R2 with Windows PowerShell enables the creation and management of clusters using scripts. EMC PowerPath PowerPath is a server-resident software solution designed to enhance performance and application availability. PowerPath combines automatic load balancing, path failover, and multiple I/O capabilities into one integrated package. PowerPath enhances application availability by providing load balancing and automatic path failover and recover functionality. 10

11 Validated environment profile Profile characteristics The solution was validated with the following environment profile. Profile characteristic Value SharePoint farm user data 1.03 TB Concurrency 10% Enterprise portal collaboration site collections 1 Document library sites 10 Number of documents in the SharePoint farm 4,359,346 Size of content index files on the SharePoint application server Web front-end server (virtual machine) 1 SharePoint application server (virtual machine) 1 SQL Server 2008 R2 (virtual machine) GB SharePoint farm user load profile A typical Microsoft user load profile was used to determine the maximum user count that the SharePoint farm can sustain while ensuring that the average response time remained within the acceptable user limits. As per the Microsoft standard, a typical user performs 36 requests per hour (RPH). The following table lists the acceptable user limits for SharePoint operations: Type of operation Example Acceptable user response time Common Browse < 3 seconds Common Search < 3 seconds Uncommon Modify < 5 seconds Three user profiles were tested to help determine scalability. The following table lists the requests per second (RPS) and user response time values that were obtained. NOTE: The maximum user capacity is derived from the following formula: User capacity = Seconds per hour/rph/concurrency RPS Example: 3600/36/10% 5.67 = 5,670 typical users 11

12 User profile (browse/search/ modify) (%) User load profile (36 RPH) RPS Concurrency (%) Maximum number of users Acceptable user response time (s) (browse/search /modify) 80/10/10 Typical , /2.0/ /05/25 Typical , /1.45/ /20/30 Typical , /1.69/2.14 Key results summary Following are some of the important results that were obtained after validating this solution: Moved all the BLOBs from content databases, which is up to 92.2 percent of the total content database size, to a high-capacity storage tier with no loss of performance. Increased scalability of SharePoint data by percent approximately. The usable space is increased from 2.4 TB for Content and Configuration databases to 2.4 TB for the databases and additional space of 4 TB for SharePoint content or BLOBs without performance degradation. Simplified SharePoint database management by allowing fewer and smaller content databases to manage, while adhering to Microsoft guidelines. Improved storage efficiency by compressing the externalized data and saving 20 percent of capacity with minimal degradation in performance. Enabled rapid recovery of the SharePoint farm using advanced snapshot technology while maintaining database consistency. 12

13 Hardware and software resources Hardware The following table lists the hardware used to validate the solution. Hardware Quantity Configuration Servers Dell PowerEdge x 1 CPU, 3.0 GHz, 16 GB of RAM Dual-port QLogic HBA Dell PowerEdge x 1 CPU, 2.9 GHz, 4 GB of RAM Dell PowerEdge x 1 CPU, 2.9 GHz 2 GB of RAM EMC VNX Fifteen 600 GB (15k rpm) SAS disks Fifteen 1 TB (7.2k rpm) Near-line SAS disks Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 SharePoint web front-end server SharePoint application server Domain controller Replication Manager server Load Generator Software The following table lists the software used to validate the solution. Software Version Microsoft Windows Server Windows 2008 x64 Enterprise Edition R2 (3) Windows 2003 x32 Enterprise Edition R2 SP2 (3) Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 Enterprise Edition RTM Microsoft SQL Server 2008 Enterprise Edition R2 VNX operating environment (OE) for file Metalogix StoragePoint 3.0 VNX OE for block R EMC Replication Manager 5.3 SP1 EMC PowerPath 5.3 SP1 13

14 Conclusion Summary This reference architecture depicts a validated solution that externalizes SharePoint BLOB data to an EMC VNX platform by using Metalogix StoragePoint and uses array-based functionalities such as tiering, archiving, snapshots, and replication. This solution decreases the size of tier 1 storage, which is used for SharePoint databases, without performance degradation and subsequently reduces maintenance windows. Backup and restore windows are also reduced by using SnapView snapshots and VNX Replicator functionalities. Next steps EMC can help accelerate assessment, design, implementation, and management, while lowering the implementation risks and costs of a solution for a SharePoint 2010 environment. To learn more about this and other solutions, contact an EMC representative. 14