Storage virtualization software specialist DataCore Software
announced it has integrated Network Attached Storage (NAS) performance
acceleration and high-availability file sharing support for its
SANsymphony-V platform, making it possible to employ the NAS services
built into the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 platform in those
environments. The integrated combination is designed to speed up
performance and add a level of fault tolerance to clustered network
file system (NFS) and common Internet file system (CIFS) sharing.
DataCore’s design employs mirrored copies of the
SANsymphony-V software layered beneath clustered file shares (NAS)
integral to Windows Servers 2008 Enterprise. Any standard storage
device can be used for disk space, ranging from the basic internal hard
drives packaged by the server manufacturers, to bigger external disk
arrays offered by the popular storage systems vendors.
“SANsymphony-V can be easily configured to significantly accelerate
performance and add a new level of data protection to Microsoft’s
Clustered File Shares,” said Jeff Boles, senior analyst and director of
validation services, Taneja Group. “This resulting combination of
SANsymphony-V and Microsoft is additive; it is simple to set up,
requires no additional purchases and best of all it allows
organizations to meet both their NAS and SAN requirements from one
virtual infrastructure.”
In the smallest configuration, the software co-resides with the
clustered file share functions on each of two redundant Windows
Enterprise servers. SANsymphony-V performs adaptive I/O caching
directly on top of Hyper-V to speed up block disk access while
mirroring updates to the other server’s virtual disk copy: All disk
space is thin provisioned. Snapshots and Continuous Data Protection
(CDP) can be turned on for added protection helping customers recover
from events like ‘virus attacks’ and inadvertent deletions.
For larger environments, the file share cluster remains split across
two machines, while the DataCore software runs on two separate servers
dedicated to block storage virtualization. The cluster then accesses
the DataCore virtual storage pool over an iSCSI or Fibre Channel SAN.
Customers who start small and later outgrow the two servers can
reassign their software licenses to the two additional servers.
Incremental capacity licenses may also be added at any time to cover
expansion.
Existing SANsymphony-V customers running Windows Server 2008 R2
Enterprise with Hyper-V do not need to buy additional software to
support the clustered NAS file sharing features. For companies new to
DataCore, SANsymphony-V software, including the NAS capabilities, can
be professionally installed through the company’s authorized solution
providers and resellers.
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