IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller (IBM SVC)

IBM System Storage SAN Volume Controller is the system of centralized operation by data storage infrastructure

Specific Features

• Centralized operation by heterogeneous resources of data storage
• Data movement between the virtualized storage systems without work violation
• Storage by 5 times of bigger volume of active data in former physical disk space when using IBM Real-Time Compression Appliance technology
• Simplification of infrastructure of data storage using support of the Fibre Channel protocol over Ethernet (FCoE)
• Optimization of no-touch deployment of solid state drives using IBM System Storage Easy Tier
• Scaling option without violation of work from the smallest to the largest configuration
• Implementation of flexible configurations for support of high availability and mobility of data between centers data processings.

Implementation

The software of IBM System Storage SVC is delivered preset in the SVC Storage Engine systems therefore it is ready to implementation right after inclusion of these systems in the storage area network (SAN). The SVC Storage Engine systems are created on the basis of server IBM System x technology and are always unrolled in the form of redundant pairs providing high availability.

To software of SVC it is intended for management of the existing storage system, saving all available information. This opportunity allows to accelerate and simplify implementation and helps to minimize need for additional storage system. After implementation of SVC if necessary it is possible to make quickly and easily changes to a configuration.

Completely new graphical user interface created earlier for IBM XIV Storage System is provided to SVC. This user interface is much simpler in work and includes many built-in recommendations of IBM helping to simplify providing storage system and allowing new users to get quickly to work.

The connected modules support use of a system together with Microsoft System Centre Operations Manager (SCOM) and VMware vCentre, helping to provide more effective consolidated management in these environments.

The highest efficiency of data storage

In conditions when IT budgets are under high pressure, and requirements to data storage grow unprecedentedly, the huge value purchases increase in efficiency of storage systems.

The approved application of different technologies in the solution SVC, including economical providing resources and Real-Time Compression Appliance, allows to reach the highest levels of efficiency of data storage. The Real-time Compression Appliance technology is developed for increase in efficiency due to data compression up to 80% and allows to store in 5 times more of data in former physical disk space. Unlike other approaches to data compression, the Real-Time Compression Appliance technology can be used for the basic active data, such as production databases and email applications. It significantly expands a range of data to which it is possible to apply compression. Thanks to considerable reduction of requirements to a storage system it is possible to store quickly more information and (or) to use higher performance for reduction of storage costs of data.

Connection of servers

The solution SVC provides high flexibility of support for the organization of the storage area network. Fibre Channel protocols (FC) and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) can be used for connection of servers and data storage devices, and support of protocols of iSCSI provides one more option for connection of servers, helping to reduce costs and to simplify configuring.

Addition of virtualization of servers

Virtualization of servers helps to accelerate providing new images of the server as providing resources becomes the program transaction which is not requiring change of hardware. Similar to providing resources using SVC it is reached using software, using function of economical providing resources and becomes almost completely automated. Without use of SVC providing server resources can be slowed down by need of providing resources of storage system.

Support of application programming interfaces (API) of VMware vStorage allows SVC to undertake a number of the tasks connected with data storage which were carried out earlier by VMware. It helps to increase efficiency and to release server resources for other more important tasks.

Such functions as vMotion, maintain mobility of applications between physical servers. Similarly, the solution SVC is intended for support of data migration between storage systems without work violation. Besides, SVC helps to make storage system available to all connected servers, significantly increasing flexibility for use of vMotion. Without SVC use of vMotion can be limited to the storage system selected to certain servers.

As SVC acts for servers as one type of storage system, providing virtual server resources also becomes simpler as in images of servers only one type of the driver is required that also simplifies administration of these images. Similarly, SVC facilitates replacement of storage system and data movement from storage system of one type in the system of other type as at the same time it is not required to make changes to images of servers. Without SVC at change of type of storage system it would be required to interrupt work to change images of servers.

Virtualization of servers helps to increase flexibility and to reduce the cost of disaster recovery, providing a possibility of use of different physical configurations on production and reserve platforms. In these different physical infrastructures identical configurations of virtual servers are used. Similarly, SVC supports use of different configurations of physical storage system on production and reserve platforms, at the same time allowing to create on them one virtual configuration. Without use of a SVC configuration of physical storage system on production and reserve platforms should match that potentially leads to increase in expenses.

Using function of creation of instant copies IBM FlashCopy it is possible to lower requirements to storage system, cloning boot drives for several virtual servers. When using this function additional capacity is necessary only for storage of differences between servers instead of preserving of each boot drive.

Many customers work with the mixed environments including different the virtualized and not virtualized servers, and are going to continue such work and further. SVC provides function of virtualization of an external system of storage which works in coordination and provides the approved services for all connected servers irrespective of their virtualization. Unlike it, techniques of virtualization of storage systems on the basis of servers differ for different servers that complicates, but does not simplify the mixed environments.

Reduction of capacity of the storage system used for copies

Function of creation of instant copies SVC SpaceEfficient FlashCopy allows to lower significantly requirements to storage capacity when copying data thanks to additional physical capacity only for preserving of differences between initial and target virtual volumes, but not all target volume. This function helps to lower requirements to storage system for test environments which work with copies of production data. For example, users of SAP often use several copies of production data for testing. Use of function of creation of instant copies of FlashCopy of maintenance of such test environments allows to reduce the necessary volume of physical memory significantly.

The improved mobility of data for ensuring high availability

Customers unroll the virtualized servers more and more widely, using PowerVM, VMware and other technologies in configurations of high availability, including cluster implementation using several platforms. Such configurations provide attractive options for ensuring high availability and balancing of loading.

For expansion of this opportunity the cluster of SVC can also be set in a flexible configuration in which one cluster of SVC supports storage system and servers in two data processing centers. In this SVC configuration provides a possibility of simultaneous access of servers of both data processing centers to flexible volume of high availability. In combination with carryover functions of server data, such as VMware vMotion, a flexible cluster of SVC provides transfer of storage systems and virtual machines between two data processing centers without work violation. Depending on requirements to performance of applications, flexible clusters of SVC can be unrolled between two data processing centers which are at distance up to 300 km.

Flexible clusters of SVC can be combined with the SVC Metro Mirror and Global Mirror functions for support of the third data processing center for applications for which high availability and a possibility of disaster recovery in one solution is necessary.

Increase in energy efficiency

Many data processing centers are concentrated on decrease in energy consumption for the purpose of reduction of expenses and weakening of harmful effects on the environment today. SVC can become a fixed asset of increase in efficiency of energy consumption in a data processing center. For this purpose there are several important reasons.

1. For simplification and acceleration of implementation of more energy saving environment of storage of SVC allows to transfer data from former disk storage systems to operations of applications, new without violation.

2. For optimization of operation of the different unrolled storage devices and increase in extent of use of the lower layer of storage system of SVC allows to simplify implementation of multilevel infrastructure of data storage and to increase performance of the lower layer.

3. IBM Real-Time Compression Appliance with SVC helps to increase the effective capacity of a storage system in 5 ^[1] and to lower requirements to additional capacity in the future that allows to reduce necessary cumulative physical capacity and to reduce energy consumption. Functions of economical providing resources (thin provisioning) and creation of instant copies allow to expand this advantage even more.

4. The IBM Easy Tier function automatically moves more active data on solid-state disks that helps to use less more energy saving disks for decrease in energy consumption.

The technology developed for dynamic infrastructure

IBM offers a broad spectrum of various integrated solutions for virtualization – from systems based on architecture of x86 and IBM System z mainframes before storage virtualization of data with the help of SVC. Besides, on the basis of the best practices the IBM company can offer effective cooperation when developing the key business strategy and processes allowing to capitalize advantages of these solutions.

Using the IBM enterprise can use today a set of attractive opportunities which are given by technologies of virtualization, improving each aspect of activity of IT departments.

Notes

Base characteristics

• Consolidation of capacity of storage devices from different suppliers for ensuring centralized operation.
• Increase in extent of use of storage system thanks to more flexible access to storage resources.
• Increase in effective capacity of a storage system by 5 times using IBM Real-Time Compression Appliance
• Performance improvement of work of administrators thanks to an ability to manage a pool of resources of storage via the single interface.
• Protection of applications against changes in physical infrastructure of storage.
• Flexible configurations maintain high availability and mobility of data of data processing at distance to 300 km between centers.
• Providing the multilevel environment of storage, storage cost in which more corresponds to the value of data.
• Use of the general network services of copying in storage systems of different suppliers.
• Support of data migration between storage systems without violation of operation of applications.
• The first system of virtualization of resources of storage with closely integrated support of solid-state hard drives
• Support of the consolidated platform of disaster recovery servicing several production sites
• Almost instant recovery from backup copies on disks

Hardware

On the basis of IBM System x3550 M3

• 4-core Intel® Xeon processor of 5600 2,5 GHz
• 24 GB cache memory
• 4 FC ports of 8 Gbps
• Two ports iSCSI of 1 Gbps and two ports iSCSI 10 Gbps (option)
• Support of solid-state disks (SSD) with a capacity of 200 GB and 400 GB (to 4 on the SVC node)
• Two power sources
• The body for installation in a 19-inch rack