Storage Solutions to Maximize Success in VDI Environments Contents Introduction: Why VDI?. 1 VDI Challenges. 2 Storage Solutions Optimized for VDI. 3 Conclusion. 6 Brought to you compliments of: Introduction: Why VDI? Desktop virtualization is providing an innovative opportunity for businesses to rethink their approach to client computing with an eye toward containing costs, streamlining management of client devices, and enhancing security and compliance all while providing a consistent user experience. Research shows that between 80 and 90 percent of IT professionals are either implementing or considering desktop virtualization. VDI, or virtual desktop infrastructure, is one of the most widely considered of all desktop virtualization solutions because, by separating the operating system and applications from physical client devices, the technology enables IT to gain maximum control over the client environment, positioning the organization to achieve greater business agility and reduced operational expenses. But implementation problems have prevented VDI from achieving the widespread deployment that had been predicted by many leading industry observers. 2011 Dell
The challenges of VDI deployments have been in meeting performance requirements while also achieving cost containment and providing the kind of experience that matches what end users have come to expect in their current distributed desktop environments. One of the biggest hurdles in delivering adequate VDI performance and cost efficiencies has been in the supporting storage infrastructure. A storage-area network (SAN) is a core component of a VDI environment, and choosing the right SAN solution is one of the most important decisions that will determine whether a VDI deployment is a success. As organizations prepare to make this paradigm shift in the client-computing model, they need to ensure acceptable user experience, cost efficiencies and simplicity. If they are not carefully designed, VDI implementations can deliver inadequate performance and a poor user experience, while becoming too costly to deploy and too complex to manage. Proper storage selection plays a vital role in ensuring VDI success. This white paper explains how the Dell EqualLogic family of virtualized iscsi SANs combined with VMware helps to optimize VDI performance, lower storage-related costs and simplify desktop virtual machine (VM) provisioning. VDI Challenges VDI entails consolidating large amounts of inexpensive client-device-attached hard disk drives (HDDs) into a centralized, enterprise-class data center storage environment. The enterprise storage that supports VDI workloads is a lot more costly than the client-attached HDDs. In addition, by its very nature, the VDI workload is highly variable and complex in terms of the I/O demands it places on the storage infrastructure. Each time a client device accesses the OS, application or user data, it generates I/O requests for the storage infrastructure. There are times when many devices are accessing large amounts of data simultaneously from the supporting storage. These periods of massive I/O requests are called I/O storms. Typically, an I/O storm occurs when a large number of client devices boot, log on, perform virus scans or log off simultaneously. If the SAN supporting the VDI environment is not able to service these requests with acceptable latency, client devices experience delays and the user experience is compromised. IT can mitigate the effects of these storms by allocating a larger number of disks to the storage infrastructure. A larger number of disk drives in the storage system can support a higher number of input/output operations per second (IOPS). However, allocating more disks than required typically results in over-provisioning of capacity, making it cost inefficient. At a time when IT is trying to consolidate resources and minimize costs, simply throwing more disks at the problem is not a viable solution and, in fact, defeats the purpose of using VDI to rein in spiraling IT costs. Combined, the need for a lot of enterprise storage along with the over-provisioning of capacity to meet performance goals is cost-prohibitive. Therefore, it is critical to carefully manage your storage footprint in order to deliver the cost advantages of VDI solutions while ensuring acceptable user experience. Additionally, VDI administrators are required to provision and manage a very large pool of desktop VMs. Organizations need ways to simplify VDI provisioning in order to enable high productivity and eliminate sources of errors. 2 2011 Dell
Storage Solutions Optimized for VDI The right storage solution should help businesses address the performance needs of their VDI environments while helping to lower costs and simplify VDI management. Dell EqualLogic iscsi SANs are ideally suited for VDI deployments. Some key features that make EqualLogic the right storage solution for VDI include: Innovative technology features such as hybrid storage arrays with automated tiering to optimize the cost-performance ratio Tight integration with VMware APIs and tools for improved performance and simplified management A scalable, cost-effective virtualized iscsi scale-out SAN architecture All-inclusive enterprise software features to lower total cost and simplify management Among the key benefits offered by Dell EqualLogic iscsi SANs in VDI environments are: Optimal cost-performance balance with hybrid arrays Dell EqualLogic PS6000XVS and PS6010XVS hybrid storage arrays feature solid-state disk (SSD) drives and Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) drives within a single enclosure, coupled with automated tiering capabilities. The XVS arrays intelligently monitor I/O patterns and move frequently accessed data pages (hot data pages) to SSD drives automatically. SSD drives are capable of handling much higher IOPS than SAS or SATA drives, and are capable of supporting the high I/O performance needs of VDI workloads during I/O storms. By incorporating SSD and SAS drives in a single enclosure, the XVS arrays effectively mitigate I/O storms while helping to eliminate the need to over-provision storage. Organizations can realize the following benefits by using these hybrid arrays to support their VDI deployments: Lower storage footprint and costs by eliminating the need for storage overprovisioning Optimal performance by effectively mitigating I/O storms Simple streamlined storage operations via intelligent and automated on-board tiering To validate these benefits, the Taneja Group worked with Dell to review and analyze the results of internal performance benchmark testing. The tests utilized VMware Linked Clone technology. The primary objective was to determine the upper limits of desktop VM density that can be achieved using VMware View 4.5 when deployed over a single PS6000XVS array, leveraging the latest storage capacity and performance optimization features provided by both platforms. According to Taneja Group, the array efficiently supported about 1,000 virtual desktops while handling an impressive 8,607 IOPS during the log-in storm with latency less than half of the established upper limit of 20ms. During the peak load, approximately 90 percent of the array IOPS were served by the SSD drives, which helped to deliver optimum performance. The details of these test results can be found in this sizing and best practices guide. In our view, the PS Series arrays definitely raise the bar for large-scale VDI deployments. Utilizing a portion of the SSD tier as extra write cache is a valuable innovation. When combined with 3 2011 Dell
the flexibility of VMware View s storage tiering options, the across-the-board loading balancing becomes even more powerful and pronounced, stated the Taneja Group report (Maximizing Desktop Virtualization Success With VDI-Optimized Dell EqualLogic Hybrid Arrays). Simple management and improved performance through tight integration with VMware Dell EqualLogic arrays are designed to be fully VMware virtualization-aware, enabling automation and optimization of key storage functions. For example, Dell EqualLogic arrays offer comprehensive integration with VMware vstorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI). This tight integration enables the VMware vsphere virtualization platform to offload tasks such as hardware-assisted locking, full copy and block zeroing to the Dell EqualLogic arrays. The advantages of delegating these tasks to the SAN layer include: Quick deployment of virtual machines from templates Improved storage performance for volumes shared by multiple virtual machines Reduced SAN traffic Lower host compute overheads As a result of this tight integration, organizations can lower SAN traffic by up to 95 percent, reduce host compute overheads by up to 75 percent, and speed VM provisioning by up to 72 percent. Another important feature from Dell is the EqualLogic Multipath Extension Module (MEM) for VMware. MEM integrates with VMware vstorage APIs for Multipathing and enables improved performance and scalability through features such as fault-tolerant load balancing and intelligent management of multiple data paths. With MEM for VMware, users of Dell EqualLogic solutions can achieve high-performance, fault-tolerant load balancing while automating many multipath I/O configuration tasks, which means simplified management with improved performance. Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for VMware simplify storage management and virtual desktop provisioning while helping to achieve cost-efficient business continuity. The tool set includes EqualLogic Datastore Manager, the EqualLogic Virtual Desktop Deployment Tool and Auto Snapshot Manager for VMware. These tools are integrated in VMware vcenter. See Whiteboarding session on Dell EqualLogic Host Integration Tools for VWware to learn how easy it is to manage Dell EqualLogic SAN Storage in VMware Environments. The EqualLogic Datastore Manager allows VDI administrators to create new Datastores and expand and monitor existing Datastores, all from within the vcenter user interface. The EqualLogic Datastore Manager enables the virtualization administrators to manage EqualLogic storage in a simple and efficient manner. The EqualLogic Virtual Desktop Deployment Tool helps streamline VDI provisioning in a spaceefficient manner. This tool is integrated with VMware View and employs EqualLogic Template Volumes and Thin Clones to achieve space-efficiency and cost control for VDI deployments. Thin clones reduce storage capacity requirements by avoiding storage duplication. See Whiteboarding session on EqualLogic Thin Clones. 4 2011 Dell
Business continuity is enhanced through Auto-Snapshot Manager/VMware Edition (ASM/VE), which is an innovative data protection feature that enables the creation of hypervisor-consistent SAN-based snapshots that are space-efficient. ASM/VE helps to protect the virtual infrastructure by coordinating the creation, recovery and scheduling of PS Series snapshots, clones and replicas all through an easy-to-use graphical user interface. The tight integration between Dell EqualLogic iscsi SANs and VMware is important in ensuring a successful VDI rollout. We are impressed by Dell s investment in VDI overall and in particular with the pace at which Dell develops array innovations to quickly capitalize on new VMware storage optimization technologies, says the Taneja Group. 1 The tight working relationship ensures that Dell EqualLogic customers will remain at the leading edge of efficiency in their VMware VDI deployments moving forward. Virtualized scale-out architecture and standards-based iscsi connectivity The virtualized storage architecture of the Dell EqualLogic iscsi SAN arrays helps administrators scale storage in a simple manner. When a new array is added to an existing Dell EqualLogic PS Series SAN, pre-existing volumes are automatically and non-disruptively distributed across the expanded storage pool. Because each array includes its own processing power, cache memory and network controller resources, organizations can scale performance and throughput along with storage capacity without downtime. The virtualized scale-out architecture is of particular benefit to VDI deployments, since most VDI deployments are rolled out in phases. As organizations move from pilot VDI deployments to more widespread VDI projects, they are able to non-disruptively scale their storage as their needs grow, without sacrificing performance. And since all Dell EqualLogic arrays are compatible with other EqualLogic arrays of all generations, customers can protect their storage investments from obsolescence, virtually eliminating the need for forklift upgrades. With iscsi connectivity, Dell EqualLogic offers a compelling alternative to Fibre Channel storage. Capitalizing on industry-standard iscsi connectivity, Dell EqualLogic PS Series SANs enable administrators to use a familiar, cost-effective Ethernet infrastructure. Not only is the networking hardware used in iscsi less expensive than that used for Fibre Channel, unlike Fibre Channel SANs, the Ethernet storage networks can be managed without specialized training and administrative skills. By deploying Dell EqualLogic PS Series SANs with 10-Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, organizations can achieve the performance needed to support consolidated, virtualized deployments and data-intensive operations that require high-speed data transfers. Simplified storage management Dell EqualLogic iscsi SANs are designed to be installed, configured and serving storage within an hour. Management features include comprehensive system monitoring, proactive disk drive scanning, group event notifications, multipathing, instant recovery and disaster protection. Enterprise reliability features include fault tolerance; fully redundant hot-swappable components (including disks, controllers, network interfaces, power supplies and cooling fans); self-tuning, battery-backed mirror controller caches; hot sparing; and five nines availability. 1 Maximizing Desktop Virtualization Success with VDI Optimized Dell EqualLogic Hybrid Arrays, Taneja Group Technology Analysts, March 2011 5 2011 Dell
Dell EqualLogic SAN HeadQuarters (SAN HQ) management platform provides rich, top-level views as well as point-and-click drill-down into detailed volume, group, disk and network metrics. Using the Simple Network Management Protocol, SAN HQ collects the performance matrix, alerts and health status from the SAN with flexible viewing options ranging from high-level group summaries to sophisticated analyses, including detailed statistics on performance, latency, capacity, volumes and network activity. Dell EqualLogic also offers several enterprise software features that are available to EqualLogic users at no additional cost. These features are designed to simplify storage management, enable greater control and improve productivity. By offering these features at no additional cost, Dell helps lower software acquisition costs and the total cost of the VDI. Conclusion For many organizations, the potential benefits of VDI will be too compelling to pass up if they are able to deliver on the performance promises while lowering storage costs and if they are able to eliminate the complexity of deploying VDI solutions. At a time when businesses are striving to become more agile and responsive to the needs of employees and customers, VDI offers the potential of a new desktop paradigm that can ensure security and compliance while simplifying IT complexity and enhancing the user experience. Dell EqualLogic iscsi SANs provide a high-performance, cost-effective, scalable, virtualizationaware storage platform that is designed to meet the performance requirements of virtual desktop environments while lowering storage capacity demands. By implementing a cost-efficient VDI strategy using Dell EqualLogic storage and VMware View, organizations can achieve optimal performance, lower costs and simplify storage management in virtual desktop environments. Dell EqualLogic is an ideal storage platform for ensuring VDI project success. 6 2011 Dell