EMC ScaleIO

EMC ScaleIO is software, creating the storage area network on the basis of hard drives of the server for ensuring high flexibility, scalability and solution performance.

By means of consolidation of resources of storage and computing resources, ScaleIO supports scaling to several thousand nodes. Representing an alternative to traditional infrastructure of SAN, ScaleIO integrates hard drives, solid-state disks and a flash card of PCIe, creating on their basis a virtual pool of storage with different performance levels. In process of change of available resources storage and computing resources of ScaleIO automatically redistributes storage resources for optimization of performance and more effective use of capacity. ScaleIO does not depend on the equipment and supports physical and/or virtual servers.

Software uses the existing resources of DPC, including standard DAS devices, servers and network components. ScaleIO creates a software-defined environment of data storage which allows to use not used capacity of local storage systems on servers for formation of the scalable distributed general storage system providing high fault tolerance and performance. Thanks to wide feature set of ScaleIO it is suitable for an environment with the growing needs for scalability and performance — virtual infrastructure of storage, databases, development environments and testing and also for infrastructure of virtual work places.

Prestavleniye EMC ScaleIO, 2015

Due to consolidation of resources of storage and computing resources ScaleIO creates single-level architecture, thereby aggregating the capacity and performance and simplifying management. All input-output operations and capacity are available to any application in a cluster. In the context of ScaleIO the storage system plays a role of one more application which is run together with other applications, and each server becomes the construction block of a global cluster of resources of storage and computing resources. Consolidation of resources of storage and calculation simplifies architecture and reduces costs, saving at the same time all advantages of an external system of storage. ScaleIO allows IT administrators to manage individually a stack of all data processing center, increasing efficiency of operation and reducing operating costs.

The ScaleIO technology is expected scaling: from three nodes to several thousand. Unlike the majority of traditional storage systems, growth of number of data storage devices does not lead to reduction of capacity and number of input-output operations per second. Performance is scaled linearly together with deployment expansion. If necessary modular adding of additional resources of storage and computing resources is supported (i.e. additional servers and disks). Increase in resources of storage and computing resources goes in parallel that provides preserving of balance between them. Therefore growth of storage system is always automatically proportional to requirements of applications.

Using ScaleIO resources of storage and computing resources can be increased or reduced taking into account the arising requirements. A system automatically executes balancing of systems given "on the fly" without shutdown. Resources can be added and deleted in any volumes. It is not required to plan capacity or to perform difficult repeated tuning because of restrictions of functional compatibility that reduces complexity and costs. The ScaleIO system independently recustomizes the configuration in process of change of basic resources. At the same time data are again arranged and evenly distributed between servers to optimize performance and to increase fault tolerance. All this is performed automatically without operator intervention.

Components

ScaleIO consists of two principal functional parts: client of data of ScaleIO (SDC) and server of data ScaleIO (SDS). SDC is a block device driver of input-output which provides availability to applications of the general block volumes ScaleIO.

SDC is executed locally on any application server which needs access to block volumes of storage of a cluster. The local application submits an input-output inquiry, and SDC executes it irrespective of location of specific blocks. SDS is the program component installed on each server which enters local storage resources in the general storage pool of ScaleIO. SDS services incoming requests of a read and write from any client of SDC of a cluster. SDC possesses the complete information about arrangement of data in a cluster and always sends inquiries input-output to the correct final SDS, both on the same server, and on any other. Therefore input-output operations never go through the central point of routing, preventing emergence of bottlenecks.

At ScaleIO economic advantages are had: completely program system which uses normal equipment.

As she creates a storage system on the basis of servers, the selected components of DWH (such as factory and HBA adapters) are not required. It allows to reduce energy consumption, the need for cooling and the occupied space that leads to considerable cost reduction. As ScaleIO does not assume existence of standard storage system, complete replacement of the equipment which is laid off is not required. From a cluster the refused disks and outdated servers just are removed. As it was told above, ScaleIO completely eliminates complexity of administration of DWH that allows to cut down administrative overheads considerably. At last, for this software licensing on TB is used. Such scheme assumes payment in process of growth of the enterprise without any unexpected expenses.

At the same time acquisition of resources of storage "with a stock on the future" is excluded.

Equipment and software

• Three servers and three local storage devices, at least
• Operating systems: Microsoft Windows RedHat Enterprise Linux CentOS, SUSE
• Hypervisors: VMware vSphere, Citrix XenServer, Microsoft Hyper-V, Linux KVM
• Flash card of PCIe EMC XtremSF for local data storage

2015: ScaleIO Node

ScaleIO Node is the complete solution including all possibilities of software of ScaleIO set on own EMC servers.

Such approach will allow customers to implement quickly completely ready software-defined and scalable server storage area network (SAN), using already checked, tested and optimum configured solution. ScaleIO Node most effectively uses the capacity of specially picked up equipment, and all hardware and software system is followed by a full support from one vendor – EMC company.

Advantages of EMC ScaleIO Node

• Improbable scalability. Clusters of EMC ScaleIO Node can cover from 3 to 1000 + the nodes located in different racks.
• Excellent elasticity. Resources for calculation and data storage can be increased or reduced as small parts, and in large volumes "on the fly", in general without work interruption.
• Extreme performance. In comparative tests with a set of traditional models from suppliers of SAN, our system showed linear increase in productivity, allowing our customers to receive 8-fold increase the number of transactions of input-output in comparison with the traditional SAN systems.
• Unsurpassed flexibility. EMC ScaleIO Node works with any hypervisors and operating systems. For a product 4 different types of the chassis depending on different requirements and loadings are offered. There are optional opportunities of network connection or placement in a rack.
• Attractive economy. Customers can expect increase in efficiency of utilization of resources up to 50% (concerning power/cooling/space) in comparison with the available traditional infrastructures of SAN.

For example, the Itrica Corporation service provider, states that their company saves 50% of cost of data warehouses and operating costs which considerably decreased from the moment of ScaleIO implementation.

As EMC offers software-defined, scalable block storage systems on own equipment, customers get advantages from maximum capacity, to exclusive scaling and excellent elasticity of systems.

With the advent of ScaleIO Node customers had an opportunity to select as it is more convenient to them to work with ScaleIO — ordering only software tools or selecting systems with the preset software. Even fans to do everything independently will be able to arrive as they want. Simultaneous existence of offers of ScaleIO Node and software of ScaleIO confirms the traditional aspiration of EMC to provide to users the choice, at the same time strengthening the leading ScaleIO positions in the fast-growing market of software-defined solutions for data storage.