FLEXPOD A Scale-Out Converged System for the Next-Generation Data Center

Transcription

1 FLEXPOD A Scale-Out Cnverged System fr the Next-Generatin Data Center A Scale-Out Cnverged System fr the Next-Generatin Data Center By Lee Hward Welcme t the age f scale-ut cnverged systems made pssible by FlexPd SF. Tgether, Cisc and NetApp are delivering this new FlexPd slutin built architecturally fr the nextgeneratin data center. Architects and engineers are being asked t design cnverged systems that deliver new capabilities t match the demands f cnslidating sils, expanding t webnative apps, and embracing the new mdes f peratins (fr example, DevOps). New Criteria fr Cnverged Systems Until nw, cnverged systems have served design criteria f integratin, testing, and ease f cnfiguratin, within the cnfines f current IT peratins and staples like Fibre Channel. A new apprach, hwever, fcuses n the fllwing design requirements: Cnverged systems needs t deliver n perfrmance, agility, and value.

2 Enter the First Scale-Out FlexPd Slutin Built n Cisc UCS and Netwrk Cisc and NetApp have teamed t deliver FlexPd SF, the wrld s first scale-ut cnverged system built n Cisc s UCS Server, Cisc s Nexus switching, Cisc management, VMware vsphere 6, and newly annunced NetApp SlidFire SF9608 ndes running the NetApp SlidFire Element OS n Cisc s C220 platfrm. The slutin is designed t bring the next-generatin data center t FlexPd. SF9608 Ndes Pwered by Cisc C220 and the NetApp SlidFire Element OS The critical part f bringing FlexPd SF frward is the new NetApp SF9608 ndes. Fr the first time, NetApp is prducing a new Cisc C220-based nde appliance running the Element OS. SF9608 ndes built n Cisc UCS C220 M4 SFF Rack Server have these specificatins: CPU: 2 x 2.6GHz CPU (E5-2640v3)

3 Memry: 256GB RAM 8 x 960GB SSD drives (nn-sed) 6TB raw capacity (per nde) Each nde has these characteristics: Blck strage: iscsi-nly slutin Per vlume IOPS-based quality f service (QS) 75,000 IOPS Single cpy f data kept that is, a primary and replicated cpy Users can btain supprt thrugh 888-4NetApp r Mysupprt@netapp.cm. The key here is that it s the same Element OS that s nine revisins mature, brn frm service prviders, and used by sme f the biggest enterprise and telc businesses in the wrld. The Element OS is precnfigured n the C220 nde hardware t deliver a strage nde appliance just fr FlexPd. Element OS 9 delivers: Scale-ut clustering. Yu can cluster a minimum f fur ndes, and then add r subtract ndes as needed. Yu ll get maximum flexibility with linear scale fr perfrmance and capacity, because every nde has CPU, RAM, 10GB, SSD IOPS, and capacity. As yu design fr the next-generatin data center, yu ll find requirements that are ften buzzwrdwrthy but take technical meaning within FlexPd SF s delivery: Agility. Yu re able t respnd by means f the infrastructure stack t a variety f n-demand needs fr mre resurces, ffline virtual machine (VM) r app building frm infrastructure requests, and autnmus self-healing frm failures r perfrmance issues (end-t-end QS cmpute, netwrk, strage). Scalability. Yu gain scalability nt just in size but in hw yu scale with granularity, acrss generatins f prducts mving, adding, r changing resurces such as the new strage ndes. FlexPd SF delivers scale in size (multi-pb, multimillins f IOPS, and s n) and gives yu maximum flexibility t redeply and adjust scale.

4 Predictability. FlexPd SF ffers perfrmance, reliability, and capabilities t deliver a SLA frm cmpute, netwrk, and strage via VMware s that VMs, apps, and data can be cnsumed withut peridic delivery issues frm existing infrastructure. With the next-generatin data center, IT can simplify and autmate, build fr anything as a service (XaaS), and accelerate the adptin f DevOps. FlexPd SF delivers the next-generatin data center fr VMware Private Cluds and gives IT and service prviders the ability t deliver infrastructure as a service. VMware Private Clud. Different frm server virtualizatin, where the fcus is n virtualizatin f apps, integratin t existing management platfrms and tls, and ptimizatin f VM density. Instead f managing thrugh a cmpnent UI, manage thrugh the vcenter plug-in r Cisc UCS Directr. Mve frm sils t cnslidated and mixed wrklads thrugh QS. Instead f cnfiguring elements f infrastructure, autmate thrugh VMware Strage Plicy-Based Management, VMware vrealize Autmatin, r Cisc UCS Directr.

5 As yu can see, the base strength f Cisc s UCS and Nexus platfrms nw cnfigures int scale-ut NetApp SF9608 ndes with a spine-leaf 10Gb tp-f-rack cnfiguratin. All f this is new schl, and the future is nw. Add CPU and RAM in small and flexible increments alng with 10Gb netwrk and strage 1U at a time (frm a base fur-nde cnfiguratin).

6 Architecture and Deplyment Cnsideratins FlexPd SF is nt yur average cnverged system. T architect and deply, yu ll need t rethink yur wrk fr example, helping the rganizatin understand wrklad prfiles t set QS, and creating plicy autmatin fr rapid builds and self-service. Here are sme cnsideratins: Current mde f peratins Analyze the structure f current IT peratins. FlexPd SF presents the pprtunity fr IT r a service prvider t mve past cmplex cnfiguratins t prfiles, plicy autmatin, and self-service s VM builders and develpers can perate with agility. Applicatin prfiles and cnslidatin Help rganizatins align knwn applicatin and VM prfiles t prgrammable settings in QS, plicies, and tls such as PwerShell. Set QS fr minimum, maximum, and burst separate frm capacity settings. This granularity enables architects t apply settings that will cnslidate app sils and SLAs withut verprvisining hardware resurces. Cisc cmpute and netwrk: same cnsideratins as previus FlexPd slutins; nly B Series supprted at this time. Strage VMware Architecting the SF9608 ndes is straightfrward. With the Element OS, yur design requirements are fr vlume capacity (GB/TB) and IOPS settings thrugh QS. The IOPS settings are: Minimum: the key ability t deliver perfrmance SLAs. This ability is delivered thrugh the Element OS n a 4+ nde gverning the maximum capabilities f the cluster and inducing latency t wrklads trespassing the QS settings. Maximum: capping a maximum IOPS f a wrklad. Burst: ver a given time, allws a wrklad t g past maximum if the cluster can supply the IOPS. Capacity des nt need t be prjected fr a three-t-five-year sizing as with existing strage. SF9608 ndes are an n-demand, 1U-nde granularity add t needs fr capacity and perfrmance. Scale is linear: each nde has CPU, RAM, 10GB, capacity, and IOPS. Encryptin is nt available at this time. Bt frm SAN is supprted. Yu cannt field-update a C220 t becme a SF9608 nde. There is n DC pwer at this time (radmap). In architecting fr a FlexPd SF envirnment, fcus n the mve frm server virtualizatin, where cnslidatin ratis, integratin t existing stack tls, and the mdernizatin t updated resurces like all-flash, 10Gb, and faster Intel. Fr VMware Private Clud envirnments, align all f these attributes and capabilities t an n-

7 Learn Mre demand, prfile-centric, plicy-driven (SPBM) envirnment fr VM administratrs t cmpletely build VMs frm vcenter r Cisc UCS Directr. FlexPd SF presents a new pprtunity fr peratrs. The interface fr daily peratins is VMware vcenter, Cisc UCS Directr, r bth. As yu build, mve, add, and change VMs, yu ll ntice plicies that g beynd templates. Yu ll see granular capabilities t cmpletely build all attributes f VMs. Yu ll als be able t present self-service prtals fr develpers and cnsumers f a VMware Private Clud t perate with agility and achieve their missins. Visit where yu can find slutin briefs, presentatins, and a hst f ther materials t help yu get started with FlexPd SF. Surce :