VBLOCK SYSTEM 200 TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

Transcription

1 VBLOCK SYSTEM 200 TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW Version 1.0 February VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

2 Copyright 2013 VCE Company Inc. All Rights Reserved. VCE 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. VCE MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2

3 Contents Introduction... 4 Business Case... 4 Solution... 4 Scope... 5 Audience... 5 Feedback... 5 Technology Overview... 6 Hardware... 7 Software... 8 Compute... 8 Network... 8 Storage... 9 Virtualization...10 Management...11 Building-block platform...11 Specifications...12 Physical...12 Power...12 Use cases...13 Manufacturing...13 SharePoint and Exchange for 5,000 users...13 Advanced features...14 Systems management...14 Security...15 Data protection...15 VCE Support...16 Summary...17 Vblock Qualified Partners...17 Next Steps VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 3

4 Introduction Business Case Converged infrastructure represents a cultural shift in information technology (IT). Gone are the days when the CIO focused on sourcing, deploying, managing, and supporting a data center with individual components from a variety of vendors. Also gone are the countless hours devoted to stack integration, application testing and validation, software and firmware updates, and workload and capacity balancing. These developments increasingly allow IT departments to quickly and easily deploy business-critical applications as a strategic partner in the business. As the strategic and financial benefits of converged infrastructure become clear in larger enterprises, midmarket companies and enterprises with distributed locations are now looking for similar performance in a converged infrastructure solution that provides business value and predictable performance in a right-sized footprint, without sacrificing the repeatability, standardization, and simplified management of larger enterprise solutions. In the past, smaller converged infrastructure deployments for midsized data centers and distributed locations were difficult and expensive to set up and maintain. To be successful, a midsized converged infrastructure IT solution must support applications and provide features typically found in larger converged infrastructure deployments that are right-sized to meet space, capacity, and workload requirements: Deliver core IT services like Microsoft Exchange for messaging, Microsoft SharePoint for collaboration, VMware Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), and core IT services, such as file, print, and domain services Offer standardized configurations that address a broad range of distributed and standalone deployments with predictable performance and high availability Provide improvements in capital and operating expenditures, with faster time-to-value Arrive pre-designed with simplified systems management, security, and data protection Solution VCE's Vblock Systems family, the only suite of converged infrastructure systems based on a single architecture, includes best-in-class components and is codified with best-practice-based repeatable processes. Vblock Systems are characterized by: Streamlined configuration and ordering for single-source accountability of industry-leading technologies VCE Vision Intelligent Operations enables and simplifies converged operations by dynamically informing existing data center management tools about Vblock Systems, providing a single-object perspective on Vblock Systems and facilitating standardization Validated configuration management, operations, and upgrades for easy management and maintenance 2013 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 4

5 Built-in high availability for industry-best system uptime and reliability Simplified support with single accountability for fastest time-to-resolution The Vblock System 200 is a pre-defined variable configuration system that brings the power and benefits of the Vblock Systems family into a value-focused solution for midsized data centers and enterprise distributed locations. Leveraging the Vblock 200, companies can, for the first time, address their capacity and workload requirements while still enjoying the repeatability, standardization, and business results synonymous with the Vblock Systems family. Right-sized to fit within a typical footprint, the Vblock 200 is the same architecture as larger Vblock Systems in a value-focused solution pre-engineered for faster deployment. The system is specifically priced and built to provide meet today s enterprise-level IT demands in a pre-defined variable configuration system configured for midsize deployments: Sole and comprehensive data center IT infrastructure Core mixed workloads as well as dedicated application deployments Development and test environment and co-location datacenter support Business application support including virtual desktops, SharePoint, Exchange, databases, file/print and domain services Business continuity and disaster recovery Scope This paper provides a high-level overview of the Vblock 200, with specific discussions about systems management, security, data replication, and VCE Support. Audience Business decision makers in technical, financial, operational, line-of-business, and strategic positions considering virtualized IT infrastructures in midsized and distributed location environments. Feedback To suggest documentation changes and provide feedback on this paper, send to docfeedback@vce.com. Include the name of this paper, the name of the topic to which your comment applies, and your feedback VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 5

6 Technology Overview The Vblock 200 is available in one model that is configurable to meet your current and future needs. All configurations are self-contained in a single cabinet for ease of deployment. There is no multicabinet configuration. Vblock 200 provides predictable metrics around business applications to address the unique customer requirements of the midsized data center and enterprise remote locations with the right components: Compute resources with the choice of CPUs and processor types Input/output operations per second (IOPS) up to 10,000 that are well optimized for intensive I/O workloads Drives recovering more usable storage of up to 100 TB VDI support for up to 450 users Messaging support for up to 30,000 mailboxes Collaboration work spaces for up to 4,000 SharePoint users 2013 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 6

7 Hardware The Vblock 200 comes with the following hardware configurations: Layer Item Configuration Cabinet 42RU 1 Compute Cisco UCS C220 M3 Rack Servers 4 to 12, in one-server increments Processor Memory Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card to 2 Intel E series, with three options: E5-2680: 8 cores, 2.7 GHz, 130 w E L: 8 cores, 1.8 GHz, 70 w E5-2643: 4 cores. 3.3 GHz, 130 Five options: 64, 96, 128, 192, and 256 GB 1, with dual-port 10 GB Ethernet Network Cisco Catalyst 3750 Series Switches 1 Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switch 2, with 1/10 GB ports or 8 GB Fibre Channel Storage EMC VNX 5300 Storage 1, with 2 X-blades " disk array enclosures with maximum 15 drives each 1 to 3 2.5" disk array enclosures with maximum 25 drives each 14 to 105 drives (see Storage, Drive support and configurations for more details) 2013 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 7

8 Software The Vblock 200 comes pre-configured with the following software: Layer Software Version Network Cisco Nexus 1000V Series Switch Advanced Storage VNX OS VNX Unisphere VNX Connection Utility v1.6.1 v1.6.1 VSI Plug-in 5.0 Virtualization VMware vsphere Enterprise Plus x vcenter Standard 5.x VMware Update Manager 5.x SQL database Windows 2008 R2 Management VCE Logical AMP Compute The Cisco UCS C220 M3 Rack Server is a high-density, two-socket, one rack unit rack-mount server designed for performance and density over a wide range of business workloads. The enterprise-class C220 server is an exceptional building block and entry point for UCS. The Vblock 200 is available with 4 to 12 C220 Servers. Each C220 contains from 1 to 2 processors and one of five memory configurations ranging from 64 to 256 GB. Virtualized deployments require VMware ESXi server installation on the Vblock 200. VCE supports bare metal deployments on the Vblock Systems 200 in compliance with the standard Vblock bare metal support statement. Bare metal workloads require separate physical spindles, disk groups, and pools. Network Cisco Catalyst 3750 v2 Series Switches Catalyst 3750 switches are next-generation energy-efficient Layer 3 Fast Ethernet stackable switches. The Catalyst 3750 consumes less power than its predecessors, and is an ideal access layer for enterprise, retail, and branch environments. It helps increase productivity and protects your network investment by providing a unified network for data, voice, and video VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 8

9 Cisco Nexus 5548UP Switch Nexus 5548UP switches provide Ethernet and Fibre Channel connectivity: Within Vblock Systems and between Vblock Systems and outside data centers Between UCS rack servers, existing X-blades installed for unified storage, and VNX block storage With the customer s IP network and LAN/SAN backups With the dedicated management Catalyst 3750 Cisco Nexus 1000V Series Switches Nexus 1000V switches provide policy-based network connectivity within the vsphere environment to allow consistent network provisioning from the virtual machine layer to the data center. Developed in close collaboration with VMware, the Cisco Nexus 1000V Series is compatible with VMware vsphere, vcenter, ESX and ESXi, and many other vsphere features. You can use the Cisco Nexus 1000V Series to manage your virtual machine connectivity with confidence in the integrity of the server virtualization infrastructure. Storage EMC VNX 5300 The EMC VNX family delivers industry-leading innovation and enterprise capabilities for file, block, and object storage in a scalable, easy-to-use solution. This next-generation storage platform combines powerful and flexible hardware with advanced efficiency, management, and protection software to meet the demanding needs of today s enterprises. Protocol support The EMC VNX 5300 in Vblock Systems 200 supports NFS and CIFS for unified file storage (within and outside the Vblock System) and Fibre Channel for block storage. Drive support and configurations Vblock 200 supports two different disk array enclosures for three drive types and three RAID protection strategies to support three storage tiering strategies extreme performance, performance, and capacity. Vblock Systems 200 supports up to three 2.5" disk array enclosures for 25 EFD or SAS drives each, and up to two 3.5" disk array enclosures for 15 NL-SAS drives each, for a maximum total of 105 drives VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 9

10 Drives are configured in RAID 1/0, 5, or 6 configurations. Each virtual pool can use a different RAID type for each tier. See the following table for RAID types, configurations, and VCE/EMC best practices for using each type. Tier Drive type Drive size VCE/EMC RAID best practice for RAID Extreme performance EFD 100/200 GB RAID 1/0 (4+4) RAID 5 (4+1, 8+1) Performance SAS 300/600/900 GB RAID 5 (4+1, 8+1) Capacity NL-SAS 1/2/3 TB RAID 6 (6+2, 14+2) Virtualization VMware vsphere virtualization simplifies your IT footprint and maximizes utilization of the Vblock System infrastructure. With it, you can allow multiple virtual machines to share the computing, networking, and storage resources of a single physical machine. vsphere provides application availability with built-in business continuity features, policy-based service level management, and integrated network security and firewall protection. The core components of VMware vsphere are the ESXi Hypervisor and vcenter server. Hypervisors are deployed in cluster configurations. These clusters allow dynamic allocation of CPU, memory, and storage resources, as well as workload mobility by using VMware vmotion and VMware Storage vmotion. The Vblock 200 includes a dedicated VMware vcenter instance, which allows you to clone VMs, create templates, and configure the vsphere Distributed Resources Scheduler and VMware vsphere High Availability (HA) clusters. Distributed Resource Scheduler continuously monitors utilization across vsphere servers and intelligently allocates available resources among virtual machines, which aligns resources with needs, balances computing capacity, and reduces power consumption. VCE supports the following VMware vcenter Server features: VMware vsphere HA VMware vsphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) VMware vmotion and VMware Storage vmotion Resource Pools Storage DRS (capacity only) Storage Driven Profiles (user-defined only) VMware Syslog Service VMware Core Dump Collector VMware vcenter Web Services 2013 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 10

11 Management The Advanced Management Pod (AMP), a key differentiator in the converged infrastructure space, hosts all of the software used to manage the virtual infrastructure. The Vblock 200 uses a costeffective Logical AMP (LAMP), which resides in virtual machines on the Vblock 200 and hosts native element managers for all Vblock 200 components. The LAMP includes: Cisco Integrated Management Console for each Cisco UCS C220 Server, for direct server management EMC Unisphere for flexible, integrated VNX storage array management at the file and block level Vblock Monitor for managing Vblock System components and sharing their performance metrics with your network management system VMware vsphere Client on an element manager VM, providing a single access point for all management interfaces and the Vblock Monitor OS Building-block platform Vblock Systems are pre-defined in fixed configurations that are right-sized to meet a range of capacity, workload, and space requirements, abstracting away the complexity of countless options while tailoring a solution to your needs. All Vblock Systems are designed and built using best-of-breed equipment from Cisco, EMC, and VMware: Cisco C220 Servers Cisco 5300 and 3750 network switches EMC VNX storage VMware vsphere 2013 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 11

12 Specifications Physical The following table provides specifications for Vblock 200. These values are intended to be used as an estimate and will vary based on individual configuration: Dimension Rack size Value 42RU Height (inches) Width (inches) 28 Depth (inches) 48 Weight (pounds) Minimum configuration: 899; maximum:1,494 Power (watts) Minimum configuration: 2,657; maximum: 9,177 Power Power configurations are available for customers inside and outside of North America. Power outlet units (POU) allow remote power management through a standard web browser, using a permanent IP address for each POU. Item North America Outside of North America Japan Plug NEMA L6-30R IEC 60309, splashproof JIS C8303 L6-30P Power specification Single-phase 30 A 208 V Single-phase 32 A 230 V Single-phase 30 A 208 V POUs per cabinet (activated in pairs as needed) VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 12

13 Use cases Use cases for the Vblock 200 include: Extending standard Line-of-Business applications from the enterprise data center, such as Exchange for Messaging, VDI, Collaboration using Microsoft SharePoint or Cisco s Unified Communications, as well as small database support and web/file sharing, domain services and print servers. VCE provides a more predictable performance and operational envelope through extensive testing and validation of line-of-business applications and solutions for the above application. The Vblock system 200 can also function as the sole core IT infrastructure for a midsized data center or co-lo data center, as well as an IT development and test environment. Manufacturing Situation The customer has multiple global facilities where 24x7 operations is critical for services as factories cannot stop because of infrastructure downtime. The customer also needed to standardize the infrastructure in each factory requiring it to be fast and easy to deploy, easy to manage, and using minimal space in each data center. Solution The solution consists of two Vblock Systems 200 replicated using VPLEX. The Vblock 200 provided the best performance with minimum space in data center, and simplicity and speed in the delivery. Together with VPLEX, the solution has maximum reliability because of HA between two data centers. Business benefits Fast deployment in each data center minimized the time to start the infrastructure in each factory. The configuration was easily repeatable for every factory, simplifying the time needed for new designs. Standardization in designs saved time and efforts in management for a distributed environment with several factories geographically dispersed. SharePoint and Exchange for 5,000 users The Vblock Solution for a 5,000 Deployment of Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint on Vblock Systems 200 (go to describes and validates the virtualization and unified management technologies for easily installing, configuring, and managing a mixed application workload running Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint for 5,000 users, with performance indicators well within Microsoft standards. This solution also shared VCE design considerations for cost-effective sizing and scaling. With this validated solution, customers can optimize their IT infrastructure and quickly deploy valuable Exchange and SharePoint resources in a high-performing and secure environment VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 13

14 Advanced features Systems management VCE Vision Intelligent Operations enables and simplifies converged operations. The software acts as a mediation layer between Vblock Systems and existing data center management tools, dynamically informing those tools about Vblock Systems. It delivers intelligent discovery to provide a single-object perspective on Vblock systems. Comprehensive awareness of the industry-leading components that comprise Vblock Systems promotes infrastructure standardization through automated validation and system assurance. And integration capabilities make it possible to provide this level of intelligence to any toolset. The software has native integration with key management products from VMware, and supports API-enabled integration into other standard industry tools. VCE Vision software has six new software capabilities for Vblock systems: Discovery: Ensuring management tools constantly reflect the most current state of Vblock stems Identification: Enabling the converged system view Validation: Providing system assurance. Health monitoring: Expediting diagnosis and remediation Logging: Promoting rapid troubleshooting Open API: Simplifying integration The software is delivered pre-installed on all new Vblock Systems, and includes: The VCE Vision System Library that runs on all Vblock Systems to implement core functionality including the discovery, compliance, and object models A plug-in for vcenter and an adapter for vcenter Operations Manager that enable native integration with these two key components of the VMware management toolset A software development kit, which includes the API documentation, sample code, Java bindings and a simulator, as well as an online developer community to help foster innovation 2013 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 14

15 Security Enterprises large and small are moving quickly to take advantage of the financial and operational efficiency of virtualized, cloud infrastructures. The adoption of cloud technologies has created a new, dynamic security landscape that IT organizations must now manage while integrating existing risk management policies. Vblock Systems support compliance with common industry and government standards, before and after installation. VCE follows industry best practices to maximize out-of-thebox security while minimizing operational impact by applying hardening standards in the following areas: ESXi host hardening - Configuring remote syslog - Configuring NTP time synchronization - Enabling the ESXi firewall Securing virtual machines - SQL database server - vcenter Server - vcenter Update Manager Securing the virtual network Data protection Today, many organizations have geographically dispersed sites that locally create, process, and store data. Loss of data at any site could result in economic loss for the organization and must be continually protected to ensure the organization functions smoothly. Protecting the organization s data assets for business continuity, governance, compliance, and security is fast becoming a high priority. In the past, organizations have struggled to manage tape backups for data protection. Tape backups are slow, failure-prone, vulnerable to loss, and require offsite storage to be safe from natural disasters, security breaches, or sabotage. Further, with the rise in data demands, tape backups are increasingly time-consuming and expensive, and incremental backup strategies to address these problems make restoration difficult and time-consuming. Customers consolidating their IT infrastructure need a data protection strategy that is quick, affordable, and easily managed from central and local sites. Data protection is a critical element of the comprehensive effort for developing the Vblock Systems. VCE s preferred data protection methodologies leverage proven, industry-leading components from EMC and VMware that are integrated into a seamless solution from VCE. The VCE data protection strategy encompasses three main tenants: Simplified data protection in a virtualized environment Complete end-to-end data protection covering all aspects from the Vblock Systems infrastructure to customer workloads Flexible, state-of-the-art data protection for new deployments, along with preserving legacy data protection system investments 2013 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 15

16 Data protection on Vblock Systems is pre-architected, easy to deploy, and easy to manage. Deduplication allows you to perform full backups in a fraction of the time required by traditional backup solutions, facilitating remote backups over your existing network within tight backup windows with headroom for future growth. Tight integration with vcenter and backup agents for applications like Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SharePoint provide backup and restore options that optimize servers and ensure faster application-consistent recovery. VCE Support VCE Support complements the strategy of deploying a converged infrastructure solution with a support experience that dramatically simplifies the support process while proactively identifying and resolving issues. VCE Support ensures the coordination of technical support resources spanning all aspects of Vblock Systems, including the proper functioning and integration of components from Cisco, EMC, and VMware. The VCE Support portfolio provides customers with flexibility in choosing the level of support that best aligns with their business objectives. The entry point for Vblock Systems includes VCE Core Support. Customers have the option of upgrading to VCE Plus Support or VCE Premier Support for an additional fee: VCE Core Support 24x7 support through VCEConnect VNXe Unisphere self-service capabilities Dial-home support provided by EMC and Cisco 24x7x4 on-site parts replacement Web access to customer installable software and firmware updates VCE Plus Support Designated Customer Advocate Monthly service request review, analysis, and trending Semiannual health check report, remote change support, operations review, entitlement review, and contract gap analysis Annual code currency planning and implementation VCE Premier Support Dedicated, high-touch Customer Advocate Strategic support relationship Weekly service request review, analysis, and trending Semiannual health check report, and code currency planning and implementation Quarterly remote change support, operations and entitlement reviews, and contract gap analysis 2013 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 16

17 Summary Vblock System 2 00 brings enterprise performance and high availability to midsize data centers with configured systems suitable for supplying core IT services and business-critical applications with existing staff and skillsets. Vblock Systems streamline configuration, ordering, and support with a single point-of-contact for each. Vblock Systems are built on a consistent platform across the product line with superior compute and network components from Cisco, storage components from EMC, and virtualization software from VMware, making integration with larger Vblock Systems convenient and easy. Vblock Systems help companies offer enterprise IT services at any scale. Vblock Qualified Partners Vblock Systems are primarily available from Vblock Qualified Partners, who: Reduce delivery time from months to days with pre-engineered, tested, and validated solutions that reduce implementation costs and risk Offer customers outstanding expertise, adaptability, and industry best practices in developing, deploying, implementing, and supporting converged Infrastructure solutions Deliver strategic, customized solutions faster by applying their intimate understanding of their customer s business and IT requirements to leverage the power of the Vblock Systems for maximum performance and ROI. Next Steps To learn more about this and other solutions, contact a VCE representative or visit VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved. 17

18 ABOUT VCE VCE, 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 Systems, delivers the industry's only fully integrated and fully virtualized cloud infrastructure system. VCE 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 2012 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved. 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 VCE Company, LLC. All Rights Reserved.