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Business data processing specialists showconfidence in Open-E softwareThe storage component for a virtualization project of the business informatics chair 1of the Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuremberg is based on the Open-E storage server

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Technical infrastructure

Storage3TByteRAIDgrossOpen-EDSSoperatingsystemHPProliantDL320sBackuppossiblyviaVMwareVCBiscurrentlybeingevaluated

Environment3ESXServerswithapprox.60virtualmachinesinallHomogeneousVMwareESX3.5,possiblylateraWindowsServer2008Noactiveusers,labserverclusterforcalculations,simulationsandtests

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Memory FullOneofthemostimportantcomponentsinalargenumber of virtualization projects is the storagefield. Virtualization systems cannot give theiroptimumperformancewithouthighcapacityanddependable storage. In worst case scenarios thiscould lead toacompleteoutageof the solution.TheserequirementsalsoholdgoodforthecollectiveprojectofanumberofchairsatErlangen-NürnbergUniversitywhichispresentedhere.Inparticular,thisprojectplacedconsiderabledemandsonboththeserversandstoragesolution.

The planning and realization of the project wasin the hands of Dipl. Inf. Jens-Henrik Söldnerwhohadtoensureboththepurelyorganizationalassignments in coordinationbetween the sectorsand the selectionof theoptimumhardware andsoftware. “As it is often the case in universityprojects,therequirementstobemetincludednotonlytechnicalfactorsbutalsoapreferablyattractiveprice/benefit relationship,” said Mr. Jens-HenrikSöldner.“Inadditiontheserverinfrastructureandstorage system are to be preferably scalable andgrowth-oriented.”

The Initial SituationThe point of the collective project with otherbusinessinformaticschairsatErlangen-NürnbergUniversitywastosetupavirtualclustersystemforthe low-cost virtualization of lab server systems.ThiswastobebasedontheVMwareESXServer3.5withatotalof3serversystems.As,ifrequired,the machines are to be moved to heterogeneousESXservers,acentralstorageisindispensablefortheseserversystems.

Tothisend,thesolutionsforloadbalancingandhigh availability had to be provided and set upin a particularly dependable and performanceoptimizedmanner.Thisalsoincludedthestoragesystems. It was not easy selecting the storagesystems,asworkisoftendoneatuniversitieswithOpenSource.

Storage SelectionThefirststepinvolvedplanningtheoperationwiththeiSCSItargetofSUSEEnterprise10.However,the evaluation then produced a number oflimitationswhichcouldhavecausedconsiderableproblemsfortheproject.“WethenoptedfortheOpen-E solution following further evaluationrounds,” explained Mr. Söldner. “The Open-EDSS operating system supplies all the requisitefunctionsandperformanceparametersasdefinedunderourproject.”

Data Storage ServerThe Open-E DSS (Data Storage Server) is acomplete IP and FC storage operating system(FC Fiber Channel) providing NAS, iSCSIandFCfunctionality(targetandinitiator) inasingleapplicationcompletewithstraightforwardoperationandahighresilienceforcompaniesofany size.Thestorage server solutionprovidesarapid,dependable and scalableplatform for IPstoragepermitting collectivefile access, storageconsolidation, backup and recovery. Anotherfield of considerable relevance in today’s world isvirtualizationorreplication–somethingcoveredbytheDSS.

Sincetheoperatingsystemhasbeenoptimizedfor environments with dedicated storage andcompany networks, the solution is especiallysuited for network environments with anarray of clients or utilities with high memoryrequirements.ThankstothesupportofWindows,NISorLDAPdomains,theexistingIT infrastructure can be easily extended. TheWeb-supported graphics user interface formanagement and administration ensuresdependable control of the storage unit andprocessesforbackingupvitaldata.

Storage-Hardware The HP ProLiant DL320s Server was to bedeployed.InthefirststagetheiSCSIstorageunitwas equipped with six 500 GByte SATA diskswhich were then connected to the servers in aRAIDinterconnection(Raid6).

The server represents a solution for small andmedium-sizedconcernsrequiringahighcapacityandextendabilityforfutureexpansions.Together with the Intel dual-core processors,thedualprocessorfunctionalityensuresthattherequisiteserverperformancecomesaboutand,at the same time,provides considerable scope forextensionandexpansionplans.

RealizationThere was nothing standing in the way ofimplementing matters once the generalconditions had been defined and the productsselected. Installing the VMware Software ontheserverswentverysmoothly.Theintegrationwhich followed, of the Open-E iSCSI storagesolutionontheHPProliantservers,wasmucheasier than had been expected. “The Open-EDSSoperatingsysteminstalledonaUSBflashmodulewassimplyinsertedintotheHPserver.That was all and a fully-fledged storage servercompletewithintuitiveoperationandwebfront-endwasthenavailable,”saidMr.Söldner.“Followingvolumesetup,incorporationintotheVMwareESXserverviatheiSCSI-Initiatorwasquickandeasy.”

Cost/BenefitThe solution has been in operation for sometime now and the chair’s expectations werefullymet.“Theperformanceofboththeserverinfrastructure and storage solution covers allour requirements,” says Mr. Söldner. “Theother institutes, too, have also realized theirassignmentsonthecluster.”

The data is secured to a very high degree onthe systems, and, thanks to its high capacity,availability is ensured at all times.Asboth theserver landscape with VMware and storageinfrastructurecanberapidlyandeasilyextended,there is nothing to stand in the way of anextension to the system. Backup and disasterrecoveryarethenextfieldstobeputintopracticeunderthecollectiveproject.