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Storage Optimization

Simplifying Data Management and Mobility: F5 ARX file virtualization and Dell storage By Renny Shen

Accelerating data growth has increased the pressure on organizations to manage this data efficiently and costeffectively. F5® ARX® Series intelligent file virtualization devices and Dell™ storage systems help simplify storage management by enabling flexible data mobility, while automated data management policies help to reduce costs, lower IT overhead, and enhance productivity.

T

he torrid rate of growth in file data is elevating

budget, and the rate of data growth can exceed that

the strategic importance of smart data man-

of budget growth, often dramatically. But behind

agement in the eyes of IT professionals.

the balance sheet, the lack of data mobility can con-

Businesses and other organizations are generating

tribute as much to rising storage costs as data

data faster and retaining it for longer than ever—but

growth. Moving data is a disruptive task, making it

in many environments, the traditional strategy of con-

difficult to match data to the most cost-effective or

stantly adding capacity no longer scales well enough

efficient location.

to handle this accelerated growth. Bridging the gap

One common attribute of many high-growth

between rapid data growth and constrained IT bud-

environments is the high ratio of inactive data to

gets, Dell and F5 Networks have partnered to help

active data. As organizations retain data for extended

organizations build dynamic storage infrastructures

periods, a growing percentage of it is no longer

that can simplify management and offer breakthrough

actively accessed or modified. The logical next step

storage economics.

would be to move that inactive data to lower-cost

File virtualization using F5 ARX Series devices

storage, but the operational cost of doing so can be

provides the foundation for flexible data mobility,

prohibitive. Aside from the IT resources needed to

while automated management policies intelligently

continually identify which files are inactive, the act

move files based on data value. This combination of

of physically moving those files can be disruptive:

nondisruptive file movement and automation can help

when users and applications are statically mapped

organizations make the most of their investment

to specific storage resources, moving data to a

in—and leverage the cost and management advan-

different resource can break those mappings and

tages of—Dell file storage systems.

cause downtime.

Understanding the impact of data growth on storage

data growth is its inconsistent nature. Because data

Data growth stresses the storage infrastructure in

change over time, it is extremely difficult to predict

many ways, but the capacity cost required to sus-

which storage resources will need additional capacity

tain that growth is generally paid the greatest atten-

and which will have excess capacity. Here, once again,

tion. Storage is often the largest line item in the IT

a lack of data mobility hampers effective growth

Another critical, yet often overlooked, aspect of

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DELL POWER SOLUTIONS | 2010 Issue 2

sets grow at different rates and those rates typically

Preprinted from Dell Power Solutions, 2010 Issue 2. Copyright © 2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

management by making it hard to share

well as unplanned events such as repro-

Although the lack of data mobility

capacity across storage resources or to

visioning capacity. Virtualized file stor-

hampers the ability of organizations to

migrate data between resources to bal-

age enables organizations to flexibly

respond to data growth, enabling data

ance utilization levels. As a result, organi-

move data as needed without affecting

mobility by itself is not enough to do so

zations are often forced to deploy more

user or application access. Data migra-

effectively. Effective data management

capacity than they really need, while exist-

tion policies help reduce the amount of

must be a repetitive process of optimizing

ing capacity goes unclaimed.

up-front planning, time, and IT over-

how and where storage capacity is most

head required, even when performing

efficiently and cost-effectively deployed.

Enabling data mobility

complex migrations and restructuring

F5 ARX Series intelligent file virtualization

file system layouts.

nizations understand their changing data

F5 Data Manager software can help orga-

Storage tiering: Storage tiering helps

storage requirements by providing custom-

ing these data mobility challenges. File

organizations align the cost of storing

ized reporting on file storage and data char-

virtualization is designed to abstract the

data with their limited IT budgets. The

acteristics. Detailed analysis of scanned data

physical storage layer and decouple the

basic premise is to match different

provides crucial information for planning

physical relationship between clients and

classes of data with the most appropri-

and refining data management policies.

storage resources. The key feature that

ate type of storage. Many organizations

facilitates this decoupling is the global

have already implemented tiering at the

namespace—essentially a collection of vir-

block level using storage such as Dell

Taking advantage of Dell file storage

tual Common Internet File System (CIFS)

EqualLogic™ PS Series Internet SCSI

F5 ARX Series devices and F5 Data Manager

shares and Network File System (NFS)

(iSCSI) storage area network (SAN)

software can help organizations realize the

exports presented by the ARX device.

arrays, or on a per-application basis.

cost and management advantages of Dell

With file virtualization, clients mount these

ARX devices provide automated storage

file storage systems. Organizations looking

logical or virtual shares and exports to

tiering policies that take advantage of

to migrate their storage infrastructure to

access their data, instead of mapping to

the inherent business context of each

Dell systems can do so without disruption

the physical storage devices directly.

file to help determine the most appropri-

or downtime, while those looking to aug-

Because user and application clients

ate place to store it—active or high-value

ment their existing environment can take

mount virtual shares and exports, they are

data on high-performance storage, and

advantage of ARX automated tiering and

no longer exposed to the physical location

inactive or low-value files on lower-cost

load balancing policies to seamlessly inte-

of their data. This approach enables ARX

storage. When inactive data represents

grate these systems:

devices to move data between different

a large percentage of all data under

physical locations without changing how

management, storage tiering can be a

clients logically access data. In a sense, the

huge source of cost savings. In addition,

ARX devices are designed to simplify

device acts like a file router, keeping track

organizations can now apply different

management of heterogeneous file

of the current location of each file and rout-

backup policies to tiers with active and

storage environments and allow orga-

ing logical access through virtual shares to

inactive data to help reduce backup win-

nizations to deploy Dell file storage sys­

the appropriate physical location.

dows and media consumption.

tems seamlessly alongside existing

Capacity balancing: Capacity balancing

systems. File virtualization masks the

between client systems and storage also

combines multiple file storage resources

physical differences between different

makes them well suited for providing and

into a virtual storage pool. Similar to the

storage types from user and applica-

enforcing data management policies. The

capabilities of Dell EqualLogic PS Series

tion clients, enabling organizations to

devices provide a rich set of automated

storage between different arrays at the

utilize available storage capacity effi-

policies that govern the movement of

block level, virtual file systems presented

ciently and effectively regardless of

individual files customized to how specific

through ARX devices can utilize storage

organizations intend to deploy and opti-

capacity from different back-end file

mize their available storage capacity,

storage resources—allowing organiza-

ARX devices help simplify and accelerate

including the following:

tions to reclaim stranded capacity from

data migration projects from legacy

underutilized storage and redeploy it

infrastructures to Dell file storage sys-

Data migrations: Migrations occur for

where data is growing. Automated poli-

tems. One of the biggest hurdles when

a variety of reasons, and can include

cies can balance file placement across

replacing legacy file storage is the poten-

planned events such as consolidations,

multiple storage resources for consis-

tial disruption from migrating data. ARX

upgrades, and technology refreshes as

tent aggregate utilization.

devices support online migration without

devices can play a crucial role in address-

The in-line placement of ARX devices

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Seamless integration of Dell storage:

type, platform, or vendor. ■■

Simplified migration to Dell storage:

DELL.COM/PowerSolutions

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Storage Optimization

that exceed the physical limitations of User and application clients

individual devices while automated policies distribute files across multiple heterogeneous storage resources for consistent and predictable utilization. ■■

Simplified provisioning of Dell storage: ARX devices help make it easy to add capacity from Dell file storage

F5 ARX Series Intelligent file virtualization

devices into existing virtual shares, on demand and transparently to clients. By avoiding the disruption of reprovisioning storage, ARX devices provide

Tier 1 Optimized for performance (SAS or SSD disks) Active data

Tier 2 Optimized for capacity (SATA disks)

Online file migration between heterogeneous tiers

Tier 3 Optimized for long-term archiving (deduplicated SATA disks) Inactive data

Figure 1. Automated storage tiering with F5 ARX Series intelligent file virtualization and Dell storage

organizations with the operational flexibility to run highly efficient storage environments that are responsive to unpredictable growth.

Building a dynamic storage infrastructure F5 ARX Series intelligent file virtualization

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downtime or client reconfiguration,

based on the inherent context of each

devices and Dell file storage systems can

helping to reduce planning, migration

file, using a combination of file attributes

help organizations build dynamic storage

time, and IT overhead requirements.

such as the latest modification or access

infrastructures that can respond to unpre-

Consolidation with Dell NX4 systems:

date, type, name, location, and size.

dictable and inconsistent data growth.

Storage tiering with Dell/EMC DD Series

With F5 ARX Series devices, the combina-

tive consolidation of legacy file servers

systems: ARX devices can also be used

tion of data mobility and automated poli-

onto Dell NX4 systems for mixed

to take advantage of the data deduplica-

cies helps dramatically simplify the

Microsoft® Windows®, Linux®, and UNIX®

tion capabilities of Dell/EMC DD Series

processes of deploying and managing a

environments. File virtualization allows

systems in a long-term file archive tier.

comprehensive range of Dell file storage

nondisruptive file migration, enabling

Because of the performance impact that

systems while helping maximize opera-

even complex consolidations with

can be associated with accessing dedu-

tional and cost savings.

reduced planning, migration time, and

plicated data, organizations may choose

IT overhead requirements.

to deploy deduplicated storage capac-

Renny Shen is a product marketing man-

Storage tiering with Dell EqualLogic and

ity only for data that is rarely accessed

ager with F5 Networks.

Dell PowerVault™ systems: Storage tier-

or modified. Automated tiering policies

ing with ARX devices can provide perfor-

can move individual files as they age to

mance and cost-savings benefits for file

a deduplicated storage tier, allowing

data similar to those provided by

organizations to seamlessly combine

EqualLogic arrays for block data. Within

primary storage capacity from Dell NX4

a virtual file system, ARX devices can

or EqualLogic systems for active data

migrate individual files between physical

with deduplicated storage capacity

CIFS shares or NFS exports presented by

from Dell/EMC DD Series systems for

ARX devices can perform nondisrup-

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inactive data (see Figure 1).

multiple PowerVault systems and provisioned from Serial ATA (SATA), Serial

3

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Load balancing across Dell storage:

Attached SCSI (SAS), and solid-state

ARX devices can combine Dell file

drive (SSD) capacity on EqualLogic

storage systems—including Dell NX4,

arrays. File-level tiering complements

Dell EqualLogic, Dell PowerVault, and

block-level tiering by adding dimensions

Dell/EMC DD Series systems—into a

or criteria used to determine what data

single virtual storage pool. Organizations

to move and when to move it. Organi­

with applications needing large work-

zations can configure automated policies

spaces can create virtual file systems

DELL POWER SOLUTIONS | 2010 Issue 2

QUICK LINKs Dell storage: DELL.COM/Storage F5 ARX Series: www.f5.com/products/arx-series F5 Data Manager: www.f5.com/products/ data-manager

Preprinted from Dell Power Solutions, 2010 Issue 2. Copyright © 2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.