HP - File or Block - Choosing Storage Protocols

Eric Siebert Solutions Manager for Virtualization
Copyright 2012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
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2 Copyright 2012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice.
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Published: 17 November 2011 Analyst(s): Roger W. Cox, Pushan Rinnen, Stanley Zaffos, Jimmie Chang.
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Block or file?
Choosing the right storage for a VMware virtualized environment Eric Siebert, Solutions Manager June 2012
Agenda
1. Storage requirements of VMware environments 2. Overview of storage protocols 3. Strengths & weaknesses of each storage protocol for VMware environments 4. Storage protocol myth busting 5. Which storage protocol is right for you 6. Q & A
What are you using today?

Which storage protocol are you using in your virtual environment?
Fiber Channel
iSCSI
NAS/NFS
DAS
What drove your decision to use that storage protocol?
Storage requirements for VMware environments

Regardless of protocol, storage must meet certain requirements to meet the demands of VMware environments
High Performance
Able to meet high I/O demands and dynamic unpredictable workloads
High Efficiency
Highly efficient to optimize storage costs
Simple Management
Integrated management features
High Availability
Highly available, no single points of failure
Certification
Tested and certified with vSphere
Integration
vSphere API and SRM integration,
What are storage protocols?

Storage protocols are a method to get data from a host or server to a storage device Different protocols are a means to the same end Think of a storage protocols as a vehicle that drives your data to its destination Each protocol has pros/cons Many storage protocols exist which include:
Local block storage protocols SCSI SAS ATA SATA Network block storage protocols Fiber Channel iSCSI FCoE AoE Network file storage protocols SMB/CIFS NFS FTP AFP
Differences between File & Block

Block protocols
OS/hypervisor manages file system Uses raw, un-formatted block devices Remote storage referred to as SAN Usually fully allocated (thick), thin provisioning is often a feature Multiple disks packaged into LUNs, assigned numbers and presented to hosts as a single disk Can access and send SCSI commands directly to storage device
File protocols
Storage device manages file system Data is written/read into variable length files Remote storage referred to as NAS Often thin provisioned by default Disk configured through file system, assigned shares that map to folders Requires a client to access, storage device sends SCSI commands to disk
Fiber Channel architecture

Block storage - is it Fiber of Fibre? Protocol for transporting SCSI commands over Fiber Channel networks Uses FC Host Bus Adapters (HBAs) that are similar in concept to NICs Hard to beat Fiber Channel great performance, low latency and high reliability Deep roots in the data center before virtualization Implementing FC network from scratch can be costly, more complex to implement/manage FCoE allows you to use traditional Ethernet components but requires 10Gbe
Typical implementation:
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Fiber Channel
Advantages
Commonly deployed enterprise storage architecture, many environments may have existing SANs that they can utilize Typically best performing storage due to higher available bandwidth & lower latency Isolated FC fabrics are more secure, LUN zoning & masking is often used to control access Able to boot from FC storage so no local host storage is needed (Boot from SAN) Block level storage that can be used with vSphere VMFS volumes & RDMs
Disadvantages
Typically more expensive to implement from scratch Requires specialized components such as switches, cables and host bus adapters Can be complex to implement and manage, typically requires dedicated storage administrators Less security controls available, authentication and encryption is complicated to implement
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iSCSI architecture
Block storage like Fiber Channel but uses traditional Ethernet network components Uses initiators (hardware/software) to send SCSI commands to targets Software initiators use traditional NICs, hardware initiators use special NICs w/ TOEs Provides benefits of block storage with reduced cost & complexity iSCSI shares similarities to both Fiber Channel & NFS Block storage like FC, can use HBA, uses software client and same components as NFS Easy to implement and manage, so easy a server admin could do it Performs very well on 1Gbps networks, 10Gbps can really give it a huge boost
iSCSI advantages & disadvantages

Advantages
Lower cost to implement, uses standard Ethernet components, iSCSI storage arrays tend to cost less Software initiators are easy to use and lower cost, hardware initiators provide max performance Still a block level storage like FC that can be used with vSphere VMFS volumes Speed and performance is greatly increased with 10Gbps Ethernet No special training or skills needed to implement and manage, can be quickly & easily deployed Supports authentication/encryption for security, multi-pathing for increased throughput and reliability
Disadvantages
Slight additional host CPU overhead when using software based storage initiators Performance is typically not as great as that of Fiber Channel SANs May not achieve very large scale as Fiber Channel Network latency can reduce performance
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NAS architecture
NAS devices provide file-based data storage services, can be dedicated or an OS service NAS uses file-based protocols such as NFS, SMB/CIFS, FTP or AFP NAS provides both storage and a file system, off-loads storage device functions from the host server NFS uses software client built into hypervisor that uses host NIC to communicate with NFS server Provides file-based datastore to a host, cannot use VMFS or RDMs Added to a host by selecting Network File System, then choosing a NFS server and a folder NFS doesnt support multi-pathing, only a single TCP session will be opened to an NFS datastore NFS uses the network stack not the storage stack for high availability and load balancing by using NIC teaming and link aggregation
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NAS advantages & disadvantages

Advantages
Many NFS storage devices use thin provisioning by default which can help conserve disk space File locking and queuing are handled by the NFS device which can result in better performance Does not have a single disk I/O queue which can result in greater performance Lower cost to implement, uses standard Ethernet components, iSCSI storage arrays tend to cost less Expanding datastores is easy by increasing disk on NFS server, datastores will automatically increase No special training or skills needed to implement and manage, can be quickly & easily deployed
Disadvantages
Booting directly from a shared storage device isnt supported with NFS devices CPU overhead as the hypervisor must use a software client to communicate with the NFS server Some vendors do not recommend NFS storage for sensitive transactional applications due to latency Support for new virtualization features lags compared to block storage devices Doesnt support using multi-pathing from a host to an NFS server which can limit its performance More difficult to manage as scale to larger NAS deployments
General comparison
Feature
Adapter
Scope IP Routable Transport
NAS
NIC
LAN/MAN/WAN Yes TCP/IP No High Yes
iSCSI
NIC
LAN/MAN/WAN Yes TCP/IP No High Yes
FCoE
CNA
Data Center No CEE Yes Low No
Fiber Channel
HBA
Data Center No Fiber Channel Yes High N/A
Loss-less Fabric required

Maturity Uses Legacy Ethernet
Speed
1Gbe/10Gbe
1Gbe/10Gbe
10Gbe
1Gb/2Gb/4Gb/8Gb
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VMware Comparison
Feature
Load Balancing High Availability
NAS
None single session NIC teaming
iSCSI
VMware PSA/MPIO VMware PSA via SATP Combination of Physical & Protocol-based (CHAP) security Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes iSCSI s/w initiator, RDM
FCoE
VMware PSA/MPIO VMware PSA via SATP Uses FC Security model Yes Yes Yes (CNA) Yes Yes Raw-device mapping
Fiber Channel
VMware PSA/MPIO VMware PSA via SATP Mainly Physical, zoning/masking Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Raw-device mapping
Security VMFS/RDM VAAI Support Boot from SAN Supports vMSC Supports SRM Direct to VM
VLANs/private networks No Yes (vSphere 5) No No Yes NFS Client
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The VMFS vs RDM vs NFS question

VMFS is purpose built for virtualization, NFS is purpose built for file services VMware initially looked at NFS in the first ESX release but found it lacking and choose to build their own file system instead VMFS evolves with each vSphere release, VMware has direct control over it New storage features and integration get baked into VMFS first RDMs have limited value, very specific use cases Use RDMs for practical reasons, not performance reasons
LUN Locking (SCSI reservations) has become a non-issue with VAAI (Atomic Test & Set)
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The speed limit race

Question: Which is faster, 2GB Fiber Channel or 1GB Ethernet? Answer: They are equally fast, they both transmit data at the speed of light Fiber Channel speed growth: (2x increases) 1GB (1997) -> 2GB (2001) -> 4GB (2004) -> 8GB (2005) -> 16GB (2011) -> 32GB (201?) iSCSI & NAS (Ethernet) speed growth: (10x increases) 100MB (1995) -> 1GB (1999) - > 10GB (2002) -> 40GB/100GB (2012+)
19
The speed limit race

Bandwidth is not about speed, its about the size of the highway (throughput)
Larger the highway, more cars can travel at top speed As the highway fills up with cars, heavy traffic & bottlenecks cause slowdowns Many factors influence performance and IOPS:
Bandwidth, Cache, Disk speed, RAID, Bus speeds, Data striping, CPU speed, Memory
Less about speed of the transport, more about the storage system architecture
20
The results of VMwares testing
This paper demonstrates that the four network storage connection options available to ESX Server are all capable of reaching a level of performance limited only by the media and storage devices. And even with multiple virtual machines running concurrently on the same ESX Server host, the high performance is maintained. The data on CPU costs indicates that Fiber Channel and hardware iSCSI are the most CPU efficient, but in cases in which CPU consumption is not a concern, software iSCSI and NFS can also be part of a highperformance solution.
Source: http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/storage_protocol_perf.pdf
Common misconceptions around iSCSI

Myth 1 iSCSI is not as reliable as Fiber Channel Fact: To provide data high availability, iSCSI systems can incorporate the same component redundancies as FC systems, and when combined with the right hardware platform, achieves a high availability capability that FC cannot match. iSCSI provides all the same multi-pathing methods that are used with FC. Myth 2 NFS is cheaper to implement than iSCSI Fact: iSCSI uses the exact same network components and infrastructure as NFS. Both use a software client that costs nothing, A hardware initiator is optional with iSCSI to offload overhead from host. Both iSCSI & NFS dedicated storage arrays can be purchased for reasonable prices (HP MSA 2000 dual controller iSCSI array < $10,000) Myth 3 iSCSI is not as secure as Fiber Channel Fact: iSCSI is the only storage networking protocol with Authentication (CHAP), Authorization (Initiator node names - iQN), and Encryption (IPsec) in the protocol.
Common misconceptions around iSCSI

Myth 4 iSCSI does not perform as well as NFS or Fiber Channel Fact: iSCSI can provide performance comparable to FC and even exceed FC performance in certain situations. And while Fiber Channel is increasing the FC standards by 2 times with 8Gb FC and even four times with 16Gb FC, iSCSI will be soon moving to 40GbE and 100GbE standards which will potentially provide four to 25 times the performance of todays 10GbE-based systems. Remember, the protocol is usually not the bottleneck, the storage array is. Myth 5 NFS is simpler to implement than iSCSI Fact: NFS may be a bit simpler and require a few less steps to setup with VMware, but you dont need to be a rocket scientist to setup iSCSI. Most un-trained server admins could easily setup, configure and manage an iSCSI storage array. NFS is not getting any more difficult to implement but iSCSI has continually become easier.
23
Not all iSCSI SANs are the same

Make sure you do your homework about capabilities and scalability! Classic example: HP LeftHand SANs not your typical iSCSI SAN
LeftHand 4800
WHY CUSTOMERS LOVE LEFTHAND FOR VMWARE

SIMPLE AND SCALABLE Non-disruptive scaling of capacity and performance, just add nodes HIGHLY INTEGRATED WITH VSPHERE Integration with VAAI, VASA, SRM & vCenter Server FLEXIBLE DEPLOYMENT OPTIONS Available in rack, blade or VSA configurations LOWER BC/DR COSTS Multi-site array failover, long distance vMotion, vMSC HIGHLY AVAILABLE No single point of failure, Network RAID provides greater availability
So, which storage protocol is right for VMware?

No one size or choice that fits all when it comes to storage Dont be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone change can be good
Performance is important, need to ensure you have a properly configured & sized storage array that can handle your workloads regardless of protocol
While Fiber Channel is a well-established storage platform, dont be afraid to try iSCSI devices, even if you already have a FC SAN Why not more than one, Fiber Channel, iSCSI & NAS devices can all work together in a VMware environment Storage is the most critical design decision you will make for your virtual environment so spend the time researching all the solutions so you understand them
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Points to ponder
VMware development focus is primarily on block storage
Features like VAAI, Storage I/O Control, SRM support all came to block first Traditional NAS is made for this, certain applications are easier to implement with NFS Can easily do this with block using a Windows VM running CIFS/NFS Services w/RDM Run a NAS head in front of your block storage
Providing file services for servers and applications

Consider having the best of both worlds, block storage with a NFS gateway
If you need to use RDMs or Boot from SAN then youll need block storage If you want to use new block-only vSphere features youll need block storage
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It's about architecture more than protocol

As stated earlier, a protocol is just the transportation method, its what happens within the storage array that matters most The storage architecture must meet the needs & demands of VM workloads

Integration: support vSphere integration - VAAI, VASA, vCenter Server, SRM, etc High performance: be able to support random, moving, unpredictable workloads High availability: if your storage fails, your VMs fail, HA & FT dont matter High efficiency: be able to maximize VM density while minimizing costs
LeftHand and 3PAR is storage built for virtualization, not adapted to accommodate it
Features like Zero Detect, Adaptive Queuing, Thin Technologies, Wide Striping, Network RAID, VSA and Snapshot Integration make a difference
27
What does VMware say?

VMware works to support all storage protocols From the VMware vSphere blog:
On many occasions Ive been asked for an opinion on the best storage protocol to use with vSphere. And my response is normally something along the lines of VMware supports many storage protocols, with no preferences really given to any one protocol over another.
However, actions speak louder then words, development preference seems to lean toward block because its the majority of what customers are using
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No matter what your choice, HP has you covered

Block storage arrays (SAN) File storage arrays (NAS)
MSA 2000
iSCSI, Fiber Channel, DAS
1Gbe, 10Gbe, 8Gb FC
LeftHand 4000
iSCSI
1Gbe, 10Gbe
EVA 6000
iSCSI, Fiber Channel, FCoE
1Gbe, 10Gbe, 8Gb FC
3PAR
iSCSI, Fiber Channel, FCoE
1Gbe, 10Gbe, 8Gb FC
X3000
CIFS/SMB, NFS, HTTP, FTP, iSCSI
1Gbe, 10Gbe
X5000
CIFS/SMB, NFS, HTTP, FTP, iSCSI
1Gbe, 10Gbe
VMware certified VAAI/VASA support Snapshots Replication Highly affordable Easily managed SAS/SATA SRM/vCenter Integration
VMware certified VAAI/VASA support Thin provisioning Storage clustering Replication VMware snapshot SAS/SSD SRM/vCenter Integration
VMware certified VAAI/VASA support Thin provisioning Simplicity Dynamic Capacity Management - FC/FATA/SSD - SRM/vCenter Integration
VMware certified VAAI/VASA support Thin provisioning Wide-striping VMware snapshot Auto Zero Detect Autonomic Tiering FC/SATA/SSD SRM/vCenter Integration
- VMware certified - File & Block - Tight Windows integration - File De-duplication - Snapshots - SAS
- VMware certified - File & Block - Tight Windows integration - File De-duplication - Snapshots - SAS
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HP Storage solves virtualization challenges

OPTIMIZE
availability and performance
SIMPLIFY
provisioning and management
App Aware Snapshot Manager vCenter Management VASA and SRM support Autonomic Groups vCenter Management VASA and SRM support Simplified management Centralized backup of remote sites Application integration
SAVE
on storage costs
All-inclusive SAN software suite Thin provisioning Scale w/ clustered nodes Thin provisioning, conversion & persistence Zero detection Adaptive optimization Pay as grow scalability Couplet based licensing De-duplication reduces backup up to 20x
LeftHand
Small to midsized business
Network RAID Multi-site storage Peer motion mobility Wide striping Mixed workload support VMware VAAI support Autonomic restart Built-in HW redundancy 28 TB/hr backup speeds
Enterprise and cloud providers
3PAR
Backup and recovery

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Eric Siebert Solutions Manager for Virtualization

HP is ready to help wherever you are in the journey

CONVERGED SYSTEMS & SERVICES

Gartner recognizes the HP Storage vision

Magic Quadrant for Midrange and High-End Modular Disk Arrays

What are you using today?

What drove your decision to use that storage protocol?

Storage requirements for VMware environments

What are storage protocols?

Differences between File & Block

Fiber Channel architecture

iSCSI advantages & disadvantages

NAS advantages & disadvantages

Loss-less Fabric required

VLANs/private networks No Yes (vSphere 5) No No Yes NFS Client

The VMFS vs RDM vs NFS question

The speed limit race

The speed limit race

The results of VMwares testing

Common misconceptions around iSCSI

Common misconceptions around iSCSI

Not all iSCSI SANs are the same

WHY CUSTOMERS LOVE LEFTHAND FOR VMWARE

So, which storage protocol is right for VMware?

Providing file services for servers and applications

It's about architecture more than protocol

What does VMware say?

No matter what your choice, HP has you covered

HP Storage solves virtualization challenges

Enterprise and cloud providers

Backup and recovery

Get the Mobile App

Download content from this

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