VMware vSphere Storage Appliance

With vSphere 5 VMware announced a vSphere Storage Appliance (VSA) –a software product that transforms the server's internal storage from several server hosts into a single shared storage resource.

This is a video which demonstrates how to create a VSA cluster within a vSphere 5 environment using the vSphere Storage Appliance.

What I think about VSA? Initially it looks very attractive, but looking deeper into the principle to have computing and storage resources on the same servers, it’s getting much harder to plan processor and memory requirements. From the other side, performance problems determination becomes more complex too. Also, looking at the VSA price for 5,995$, it may be better to buy not expensive external iSCSI storage. To my mind, VSA fits for those customers, who have not more than 4-5 physical servers without heavy storage workloads.

But nevertheless I like it.

Storage for VMware - VAAI Capability

Choosing the storage array for VMware, except base compatibility, which can be checked in VMware Compatibility Guide (Storage/SAN), is also useful to understand is storage system VAAI capable or not.

VAAI (vStorage APIs for Array Integration) is a feature in ESX/ESXi 4.1 and later versions that provides hardware acceleration functionality. It enables your host to offload specific virtual machine and storage management operations to compliant storage hardware. With the storage hardware assistance, your host performs these operations faster and consumes less CPU, memory, and storage fabric bandwidth.

Now VAAI includes the following primitives:

• Blocks Zero is a communication method for thin provisioning capable storage arrays, allowing them to quickly zero out storage capacity for later reclamation. 
• Full Copy commands the storage array to make a mirror or snapshot of data without any I/O on the server hardware.
• Hardware Assisted Locking enables more granular control of shared storage resources in ESX clusters.
• Thin Provisioning allows an ESXi to tell the storage array that space that was occupied by a VM (whether it is deleted or migrated to another datastore) can be reclaimed. This allows an array to correctly report space consumption of a Thin Provisioned datastore, and allows customer to correctly monitor and correctly forecast new storage requirements.

Using VAAI can make significantly easier the VMware storage resources administration. The Full Copy primitive is very important when frequent VMs or datastores snapshots are required (usually to provide low RPO value).

And don’t forget to check the availability of VMware plugin for storage system administration.   

Canada is going to reduce the number of data centers from 300 today to less than 20

The Government has over 100 different email systems, over 300 data centres, and over 3,000 network services within the Federal Public Service. This is inefficient and wasteful. The Government will move to one email system, reduce the overall number of data centres from 300 to less than 20, and streamline electronic networks within and between government departments. This will improve services to Canadians, make IT more secure and reliable, and save taxpayers’ dollars in line with the Government of Canada’s plan to return to balanced budgets.

All resources associated with the delivery of email, data centre and network services are being transferred from 44 of the more IT-intensive departments and agencies to a new entity called Shared Services Canada.  These departments and agencies will no longer provide these services internally. Rather, the services will be provided by Shared Services Canada.

 

Full press release is here