VBLOCK TM INFRASTRUCTURE PLATFORMS: A TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

Transcription

1 VBLOCK TM INFRASTRUCTURE PLATFORMS: A TECHNICAL OVERVIEW Executive Summary Cloud computing provides a flexible, shared pool of preconfigured and integrated computing resources that enables organizations to deliver better IT services faster, more reliably, and at a lower cost than with traditional data center models. A cloud is private when its computing resources are in the control of an organization, and the services that the cloud enables are consumed exclusively by that organization. The foundation for a private cloud is pervasive virtualization: the use of virtualized applications and operating systems throughout the enterprise and at every application tier. While most organizations use virtualization somewhere in their network, pervasive virtualization is necessary to achieve the full benefits of a private cloud model. Research conducted by VCE shows that most IT organizations know that their servers are underused, but few realize the full scale of the opportunity that virtualization brings. An average of 85 percent of Intel servers in organizations are ripe for virtualization. While the cost savings that you can gain by better use of IT assets and through lower energy and space requirements are tremendous, the true value of virtualization is in how it transforms the way your IT group can provide services to the business. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms from VCE help organizations accelerate the move towards pervasive virtualization, by combining best-of-breed networking, computing, storage, virtualization, and management technologies with end-to-end vendor accountability. This paper explores how Vblock Infrastructure Platforms provide this acceleration. Despite the well-understood benefits of pervasive virtualization and private clouds, obstacles remain that slow or prevent implementation of this model. Existing IT infrastructure is often the major issue. Enterprise IT commonly comprises a large variety of devices and software from many vendors, built over time as requirements change. The result is a fragmented, complex network of underutilized and overutilized resources. The IT components are costly and time consuming to configure, provision, and manage. Significant time and budget are spent getting the pieces to work together, tuning, devising workarounds, and planning upgrades and enhancements, rather than improving service delivery to end users. Pervasive virtualization is impossible to achieve within such infrastructure. VCE was formed in 2009 by Cisco and EMC with investments from VMware and Intel to address these obstacles and greatly accelerate the path to pervasive virtualization. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms from VCE can enable powerful virtual clouds within your organization. These platforms combine best-of-breed networking, computing, storage, virtualization, and management technologies with robust security and end-to-end vendor accountability. The VCE Difference VCE simplifies and accelerates deployment of a private cloud within your organization by productizing state-of-the-art Cisco, EMC and VMware components into Vblock Infrastructure Platforms. While any integrator can bundle diverse products on a bill of

2 material list and ship them to a customer, VCE, together with our parent companies and our partners, goes far beyond this: Each Vblock platform is a standard, proven group of components that are thoroughly integrated and prequalified as a unit. Each Vblock is installed, configured, and managed as a single entity rather than a disparate group of components. Vblock platforms are completely optimized for the applications they support. They prioritize traffic, offload network processing, and increase indexing and system cycling while ensuring the accuracy of database structures. Each Vblock platform is designed with the future well in mind. Each platform can be scaled as a cohesive system, to maintain balanced, measurable and consistent performance as your needs grow. VCE assembles all hardware into racks, and completes all cabling and powering. We perform rigorous testing to ensure that the completed assembly is working perfectly. Each rack arrives at your site ready for installation and connection to your network and power grid. VCE handles all software release planning and configuration management, pre-testing upgrades and patches to minimize any impact to system uptime and robustness. VCE serves as the single go-to point for support. We handle all escalations of issues to our parent companies, ensuring that all information we provide is applicable to your solution as a whole, rather than to individual components. VCE and our parent companies and partners together offer you these benefits: Rapid deployment We provide individual integrated platforms rather than stacks of components to assemble and test. By comprehensively testing all components as a unit, we ensure that your enterprise has a scalable integrated platform that is ready for production deployments. Optimized service levels We leverage an Infrastructure Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) combined with proven and field tested management systems to ensure maximum performance and predictable service level metrics across your operations. Seamless transfer We can operate the Vblock Infrastructure Platforms until your IT department is trained on the tools, processes, documentation, and internal intellectual property. End-to-end accountability We ensure end-to-end accountability for every deployment. We collaborate extensively with our partners to ensure a seamless, risk-free engagement. Vblock Platform Components Vblock Infrastructure Platforms are scaled for customer technical and business requirements. Each of the components is carefully selected and tested, enabling the customer to run their applications on a high performance, stable and supported configuration: Virtualization by VMware vsphere and VMware vcenter Server Networking by Cisco Nexus switches Computing by Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Storage by EMC Symmetrix VMAX, CLARiiON, or Celerra Unified Storage Security by RSA envision (optional)

3 Management by EMC Ionix Unified Infrastructure Manager Additional hardware required for racking, cabling, uninterruptible power supplies, etc. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms are currently available in four configurations as shown in Table 1. Table 1: Vblock Infrastructure Platform configurations Vblock 2 Vblock 1 Vblock 1U Vblock 0 Compute Chassis Cisco UCS 5108 Number of Blades Blade Servers Cisco UCS B200M2 (12 cores) B250M2 (12 cores) B440M1 (32 cores) (16 blades max) B230M1 (32 cores) Cisco UCS B200M2 (12 cores) B250M2 (12 cores) B440M1 (32 cores) (8 blades max) B230M1 (32 cores) Cisco UCS B200M2 (12 cores) B250M2 (12 cores) B440M1 (32 cores) (8 blades max) B230M1 (32 cores) Cisco UCS B200M2 (12 cores) B250M2 (12 cores) Min and Max Cores 96-2,048 cores 96-2,048 cores 96-2,048 cores cores Min and Max RAM 384GB to 24,576GB 384GB to 24,576GB 384GB to 24,576GB 384GB to 2,048GB FCoE Adapter Local Boot option Network access/aggregation 300/450/600GB 15K Dense Cfg FC w/ RAID protection Two Cisco Nexus 5020 or 7010 series switches Cisco UCS M81KR 1 or 2 per blade (FCoE mezzanine card) 300GB 15K FC w/ RAID protection Network Two Cisco Nexus 5020 or 7010 series switches 73GB/15K RPM (default) 300GB/10K RPM (option) Two Cisco Nexus 5020 Includes storage license for NAS Four 8-port 4GB FC modules for hybrid configuration or 7010 series switches 73GB/15K RPM (default) 300GB/10K RPM (option) Two Cisco Nexus 5010 series switches Fabric interconnect Two Cisco UCS 6120 or 6140 fabric interconnects Two 8 port 4G FC/expansion modules for hybrid NAS/FC Two Cisco UCS 6120 fabric interconnects Two 8 port 4G FC/expansion modules for hybrid NAS/FC Two Cisco UCS 6120 or 6140 fabric interconnects Two 8 port 4G FC/expansion modules for hybrid NAS/FC Two Cisco UCS 6120 fabric interconnects Configuration Network and fabric configured in pairs for availability and load balancing Storage Storage Type EMC Symmetrix VMAX EMC CLARiiON CX4 Model 480 Choice of drives EMC Celerra Unified Storage NS-480 or NS960 EFD(flash), Fiber Channel, SATA EMC Celerra Unified Storage NS-120

4 Vblock 2 Vblock 1 Vblock 1U Vblock 0 Storage Switch Two Cisco MDS 9148 SAN switches (optional MDS 9506) (Optional) 1 8 EMC Celerra VG-2 or VG-8 gateways for NFS datastores and native file services Two Cisco MDS 9148 SAN switches (optional MDS9506) Cisco Nexus 5020 Cisco Nexus 5020 Number of DAE/drives or engines 48 to 2,400 drive bays 71 to 375 drive bays NS-480: drive bays NS-960: drive bays With Advanced Management POD (AMP) in the configuration: 75 drive bays Without AMP in the configuration: 105 drive bays Base and Maximum Storage Capacity Base 48TB expandable to 30PB using disk array enclosures (DAE) extension shelves Base 45TB expandable to 481TB using disk array enclosures (DAE) extension shelves Base 45TB expandable to 442TB using disk array enclosures (DAE) extension shelves Base 48TB expandable to 128TB using disk array enclosures (DAE) extension shelves Vblock Virtualization Compute/ Networking Virtualization VMware vsphere 4 Enterprise Plus Suite Security Individual component security tools and protocols RSA envision, RSA SecurID (both optional) Management Ionix Unified Infrastructure Manager Advanced Management POD (AMP) (optional) vsphere ESX 4, 4.1, or ESXi 4.1i, vcenter, Nexus 1000V with per CPU license Cisco UCS Manager / Cisco Fabric Manager Storage Notes EMC Symmetrix Management Console EMC Unisphere EMC Unisphere EMC Unisphere This table shows the major components of Vblock platforms. Additional options are available. For specific ordering information or to determine which Vblock is right for your applications, utilization, scale, and topology, please contact your VCE, VMware, Cisco, and/or EMC representative. How Vblock Platforms Simplify and Accelerate Pervasive Virtualization As preconfigured and pretested blocks of IT infrastructure, Vblock Infrastructure Platforms accelerate your organization s move toward pervasive virtualization and the private cloud model. They do this by simplifying and accelerating each stage in the engagement process, from acquisition to deployment to management to support. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms Simplify and Accelerate the Acquisition Process Vblock Infrastructure Platforms include everything you need in tested and validated units. As a result, you do not have to evaluate, purchase, and assemble separate components that all have varying support and license models. Instead, as an integrated offering from a single vendor, Vblock Infrastructure Platforms are easy to evaluate and purchase through VCE, its parent companies, or VCE-authorized resellers. You can get answers to all of your questions from a single source.

5 VCE creates services that are offered through parent companies and an extensive network of partners to help our customers understand how to maximize value and accelerate deployment of pervasive virtualization and private cloud solutions. Available service offerings include the following: Executive and architecture advisory services to help define your organization s cloud vision Strategy services to create a cloud strategy that aligns with your business needs Design and implementation services to help you plan an architecture and high-level design, and devise a roadmap to deployment Vblock Infrastructure Platforms Simplify and Accelerate the Deployment Process Vblock Infrastructure Platforms arrive as integrated units. All of the Vblock components are pre-tested, assembled, and configured to work together. You receive a unit of IT infrastructure that is primed for virtualization and is production-ready so that you can deliver the benefits of pervasive virtualization more quickly. This integrated approach also helps to simplify your data center architecture by reducing the planning and restructuring typically associated with changes in data center design. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms remove the architectural hurdles by providing all the necessary technologies into a single integrated block. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms also allow you to scale easily when the business grows. By scaling up within a Vblock Infrastructure Platform or adding Vblock Infrastructure Platforms, you can meet escalating demand while remaining within established standards, maximizing performance, and minimizing facilities impact and costs. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms are designed to work with almost any application. They have been tested and validated to work with many major applications, including: Microsoft Exchange Microsoft SharePoint Oracle RAC SAP VMware View Because VCE has completed this compatibility and validation work up front, you can focus on implementing virtualization more broadly throughout your organization. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms Simplify and Accelerate Adoption and Management of Virtualization Technologies Vblock Infrastructure Platforms allow your IT organization to focus their attention where it does the most good delivering services to the business. IT administrators and CIOs understand the potential for dramatic cost savings that virtualization brings, but end users care only that their applications are available when they are needed and that they run as they should. As a result, concerns about consistency and performance of virtualized applications have been barriers to pervasive virtualization. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms elevate user confidence and satisfaction by delivering predictable performance and operational characteristics. For example, Vblock predetermined storage, memory, and compute capacity enable uniform distribution of workload as well as workload mobility. And deterministic fault and security isolation help you ensure the level of business continuity you need for mission-critical applications. Because the platform components are pretested and preconfigured to work together at peak performance, your IT group can focus more on delivering services to end users and less on adjusting the infrastructure components.

6 Vblock Infrastructure Platforms not only remove obstacles to pervasive virtualization, but they also simplify management of the virtualized infrastructure. A unified element manager, EMC Ionix Unified Infrastructure Manager (UIM), is included in every Vblock Infrastructure Platform. It manages the configuration, provisioning, and compliance of your aggregated Vblock Infrastructure Platforms. This technology simplifies deployment and integration into IT service catalogs and workflow engines. Unified Infrastructure Manager can dramatically simplify Vblock deployment by abstracting the overall provisioning while offering granular access to individual components for troubleshooting and fault management. In addition to the UIM, you can also use component-specific management tools and interfaces to provide an extensible, open management framework that enables granular visibility into each system element. The individual element managers are: VMware vcenter Server Cisco UCS Manager EMC Symmetrix Management Console EMC Unisphere EMC Celerra Manager (with Vblock 0 or the Unified Storage option in Vblock 1) VCE Advanced Management Pod (AMP) The open management framework also allows you to use your current management tools if you prefer. The simplified design and the containerized, preconfigured and tested model means less work for your IT staff. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms are production ready, so you can focus on installing the applications you want to virtualize rather than on building and testing a virtualized environment that can support them. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms Simplify and Accelerate Platform Support Getting help and support is easier with Vblock platforms than with the traditional approach to supporting IT infrastructure products. We provide one-stop customer service from Cisco, EMC, and VMware, which means greater levels of service with fewer headaches. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms Accelerate Return on Investment As prepackaged, tested, and validated units of IT infrastructure, Vblock Infrastructure Platforms lead to lower total costs and accelerate the return on investment (ROI). But the cost benefits of pervasive virtualization enabled by Vblock Infrastructure Platforms extend beyond reduced costs and rapid ROI. Pervasive virtualization allows you to switch from a fixed cost model to a variable one, paying for IT services as they are consumed instead of merely depreciating underutilized infrastructure over time. A Deeper Look Inside Vblock Infrastructure Platforms Vblock platforms include products that provide all of the layers you need to achieve the benefits of pervasive virtualization. Each layer is composed of best-of-breed technologies that are pretested and preconfigured to work seamlessly together. These layers are: Compute Network Storage Virtualization software Management

7 The Compute Layer: Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) The computing power of Vblock platforms is provided by a Cisco Unified Computing System. Cisco UCS is a nextgeneration data center platform that unites compute, network, and storage access. Optimized for virtualization, the platform is designed within open industry-standard technologies and reduces total cost of ownership (TCO) and increases business agility. Cisco UCS integrates a low-latency, lossless 10 Gb Ethernet unified network fabric with enterprise-class, x86-based servers (the Cisco B series). It is an integrated, scalable, multichassis platform in which all resources participate in a unified management domain. The Cisco UCS includes: Cisco UCS 6100 Series Fabric Interconnects Cisco UCS 5100 Series Blade Server Chassis Cisco UCS 2100 Series Fabric Extenders Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers Cisco UCS B-Series Network Adapters Cisco UCS Manager These components help provide uniform access to both networks and storage, eliminating the barriers to deploying a fully virtualized environment. Through the UCS, Vblock platforms accelerate the delivery of new services simply, reliably, and securely through end-to-end provisioning and migration support for both virtualized and non-virtualized systems. They provide predictable performance, with the components carefully selected to balance performance with reliability. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms powered by Cisco UCS also feature: Built-in redundancy for high availability Hot swappable components for serviceability Fewer physical components than in a comparable platform built piece-by-piece Reduced cabling Improved energy efficiency over traditional blade server chassis The Network Layer: Cisco Nexus 1000V The Cisco Nexus 1000V is a software switch on a server that delivers Cisco VN-Link services to VMs hosted on that server. VN-Link services bridge the server, storage, and network management domains in Vblock platforms to help ensure that changes in one environment are communicated to the others. The Nexus 1000V takes advantage of the VMware vsphere framework to offer tight integration between server and network environments. The Nexus 1000V helps ensure consistent, policy-based network capabilities to all servers in the data center. It allows policies to move with a VM during live migration, which ensures persistent network, security, and storage compliance for improved business continuity and performance management. The Nexus 1000V also aligns management of the operational environment for VMs within the Vblock Infrastructure Platforms, reducing the TCO by providing operational consistency and visibility.

8 Vblock 0 Vblock 1 Vblock 1U Vblock 2 The Storage Layer: Best-of-Breed Technologies from EMC and Cisco Components that compose the storage layer vary based on the Vblock Infrastructure Platform you choose: EMC Symmetrix VMAX Storage System EMC CLARiiON CX4 Series EMC Celerra Unified Storage EMC Celerra Gateway Family for NFS datastores and native file services Cisco MDS Fibre Channel Switch for storage area network (SAN) * Optional * EMC Symmetrix VMAX The EMC Symmetrix VMAX is a high-end storage system that is purpose built for pervasive virtualization. It brings extensive capability to the Vblock 2, such as unmatched reliability through non-disruptive operations and upgrades that you can perform with no storage or application downtime. Built for availability and scalability, Symmetrix VMAX uses specialized engines that provide full redundancy to ensure that your access to critical information is never in doubt and that your service levels are never compromised. With its speed, capacity, efficiency, and ability to deliver performance on demand, the Symmetrix VMAX can help your Vblock platform transparently optimize service levels while lowering TCO. The EMC Symmetrix VMAX system integrates seamlessly with other Vblock 2 components to accelerate and simplify provisioning and deployment. For example, EMC s new PowerPath /VE support for vsphere optimizes usage on all available paths between VMs and the storage they are using. It also provides proactive failover management. In addition, Vblock 2, powered by Symmetrix VMAX, enables massive consolidation and incremental scalability so you get all the benefits of tiered storage on one platform, as well as the flexibility to rapidly address the changing needs of your business. EMC CLARiiON Cx4 The EMC CLARiiON CX4-480 is a fourth-generation storage platform that delivers industry-leading capabilities to a Vblock 1. It offers a unique combination of flexible, scalable hardware design and advanced software capabilities that enable it to meet the diverse needs of today s organizations. In Vblock 1 platforms, the EMC CLARiiON CX4-480 can scale up to 375 disk drives for a maximum capacity of 481 TB. It supports enterprise flash drives for maximum performance and comes preconfigured with Fibre Channel and iscsi connectivity so you can choose the best connectivity for your specific applications. CLARiiON brings flexibility and easy, online expansion to the Vblock 1. For example, you can easily add or upgrade I/O modules to scale up or to accommodate new technologies as they become available. It also simplifies provisioning through CLARiiON Virtual Provisioning, which allows applications more capacity than is

9 physically allocated to them in the storage system. The EMC CLARiiON allows efficient tiering that improves utilization and helps your Vblock Infrastructure Platforms deliver just in time capacity and flexibility. EMC Celerra Unified Storage The EMC Celerra Unified Storage solution is a scalable, easy-to-use solution that delivers comprehensive file and block storage management capabilities to the Vblock 0 and Vblock 1U. The solution allows you to dynamically grow, share, and cost-effectively manage multi-protocol file systems, and provides multi-protocol block access. Up to two EMC Celerra NS-120 systems in the Vblock 0 deliver Celerra Unified Storage. The Vblock 1U supports the EMC Celerra NS-480 or NS-960 with various disk configurations. These systems can help simplify common administrative tasks with such capabilities as Celerra Manager, file system deduplication, virtual provisioning, automated volume management, and EMC Celerra SnapSure. They also feature flexible connectivity NAS (CIFS and NFS), MPFS, iscsi, and Fibre Channel so that the Vblock platform can meet a broader range of needs. EMC Celerra Gateways EMC Celerra Gateway products are dedicated network servers (called X-Blades) that are optimized for file access and advanced functionality in a scalable, easy-to-use package. They are optional components of the Vblock 2 that extend the value of the storage arrays by adding IP storage (NAS) in a centrally managed system. This configuration lets you dynamically grow, share, and cost-effectively manage file systems with multi-protocol file access. EMC Celerra Gateway platforms can integrate with the rest of the storage components in the Vblock 2 to combine a NAS head and SAN storage for a flexible, cost-effective implementation that maximizes utilization of Vblock resources. The Celerra Gateway gives you a range of options, including: Between one and eight X-Blade configurations Flash drives, Fibre Channel, SATA, and low-power SATA drive support Native integration with Symmetrix VMAX or CLARiiON replication software, providing a single replication solution for all your SAN and IP storage disaster recovery requirements In addition, Celerra file services can be shared across multiple Vblock Infrastructure Platforms, increasing the value that this optional component delivers. High-Performance SAN: Cisco MDS 9148 When you deploy a Vblock 1 or Vblock 2, you also deploy an integrated high-performance SAN solution provided by two Cisco MDS 9148 Multilayer Directors. The MDS 9148 adds a rich set of features to a high-performance, protocol-independent switch fabric. Integrated with the other layers of the Vblock platforms, the MDS 9148 helps deliver uncompromising high availability, security, scalability, and ease of management. It also supports: 48 ports, 1/2/4/8 Gbps Fibre Channel Intelligent network services, such as VSAN technology, access control lists for hardware-based intelligent frame processing, and advanced traffic management features Intelligent diagnostics, protocol decoding, and network analysis tools for added reliability, faster problem resolution, and reduced service costs The Virtualization Layer: VMware vsphere The virtualization layer of Vblock platforms is provided by VMware vsphere Enterprise, the industry s most reliable platform for data center virtualization. vsphere: Virtualizes all application servers

10 Provides VMware High Availability and Dynamic Resource Scheduling Simplifies and accelerates VM provisioning with customizable templates Simplifies management of workloads Centralized, proactive VM management is provided by VMware vcenter Server, which is a scalable and extensible management platform that gives centralized control and visibility at every level of virtual infrastructure. The Management Layer You can manage Vblock Infrastructure Platforms by using standard management tools. The tools at each layer allow views of that layer s configurations, resources, and usage. For an added cost, you can optionally take advantage of a unified management tool EMC Ionix Unified Infrastructure Manager (UIM). UIM manages the configuration, provisioning, and compliance of a single Vblock and pools of aggregated Vblock Infrastructure Platforms, simplifying deployment and integration into IT service catalogs and workflow engines. It thus can dramatically simplify Vblock deployment by abstracting the overall provisioning of the Vblock while offering granular access to individual components for troubleshooting and fault management. In addition, Vblock Infrastructure Platforms have an open management framework that allows organizations to integrate them with their current management tools if they prefer. Managing the workloads that you run on the Vblock Infrastructure Platforms is easy, too, with VMware vcenter Server. From a single console, vcenter Server provides unified management of all the hosts and VMs in your Vblock Infrastructure Platforms with aggregate performance monitoring. With vcenter Server, you get: Centralized control and deep visibility into virtual infrastructure Proactive management of VMware vsphere A scalable and extensible management platform Distributed resource optimization High availability Security Data Centers Before and After Vblock Infrastructure Platforms Vblock Infrastructure Platforms help you realize the benefits of private cloud computing. Before: Not ready for pervasive virtualization Complex and costly Hybridized infrastructure Time consuming to manage Slow delivery of IT services After: Pervasive virtualization Flexible infrastructure Simple management One stop for support Faster delivery of IT services vcenter Server provides a simple and efficient way to manage VMware vsphere, whether you are running ten VMs or thousands. Summary The use of pervasive virtualization and private cloud computing can bring significant advantages to your business, including lower costs, greater data center agility, and reduced complexity. Despite these benefits, many organizations have delayed their progress because of architectural obstacles. Data centers often include nonintegrated applications and hardware from many different vendors, which complicates the adoption of pervasive virtualization and cloud computing.

11 With solutions that integrate individual components, enterprise IT can minimize complexity, reduce risk, and deliver reduced cost of ownership. Vblock Infrastructure Platforms from VCE accelerate the move towards pervasive virtualization by combining best-of-breed networking, computing, storage, security, and management technologies with end-to-end vendor accountability. Next Steps Learn more about how you can quickly realize the benefits of pervasive virtualization and private cloud technology with Vblock Infrastructure Platforms. Visit or contact your authorized VCE reseller. ABOUT VCE VCE, the Virtual Computing Environment Company formed by Cisco and EMC with investments from VMware and Intel, accelerates the adoption of converged infrastructure and cloud-based computing models that dramatically reduce the cost of IT while improving time to market for our customers. VCE, through the Vblock platform, delivers the industry's first completely integrated IT offering with end-to-end vendor accountability. VCE's prepackaged solutions are available through an extensive partner network, and cover horizontal applications, vertical industry offerings, and application development environments, allowing customers to focus on business innovation instead of integrating, validating and managing IT infrastructure. For more information, go to Copyright Vblock and the VCE logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of VCE Company, LLC. and/or its affiliates in the United States or other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners.