Modular SAN Storage - The transtec AG - Customized Hardware & Complex IT Solutions

Overview

Virtualization

High Availability

DR Features

More Information

transtec Modular SAN Storage

Build flexible, highly available storage networks for heterogeneous and virtualized server infrastructures. The modular transtec SAN Storage feature a powerful, embedded DataCore™ virtualization solution with enterprise-class HA and disaster recovery features. Expansion of your Modular SAN installations, upgrades to a higher model, or the activation of additional features are seamless operations. Your SAN dynamically grows with and adapts to your changing business objectives.

Embedded virtualization:
- Achieve more efficient use of your storage capacities.
- Up to 90% optimum disk utilization through thin provisioning.
- Organize data in tiered virtual storage pools.
- Make the most out of your server virtualization.

Performance & High Availability:
- Powerful Intel® Quad-Core Xeon® architekture.
- Up to 32 GB high-speed cache and I/O load balancing.
- Remote mirroring with true, automated failover without downtimes.
- Transparent online data migration.
- Non-disruptive maintenance or capacity upgrades.

Disaster recovery features:
- Optimum availability compliant with your recovery point objectives.
- Online snapshots including VSS support.
- Asynchronous LAN/WAN replication.
- Optional CDP solution for zero-data-loss recovery

transtec Modular SAN Storage

Embedded virtualization

At the core of the transtec Modular SAN storage is the embedded DataCore™ virtualization engine. One of its earliest trademarks is thin provisioning which is increasingly popular these days - especially when it comes to dynamically allocate virtual storage to server VMs.

		Thin provisioning Dynamically allocates only the currently required physical storage to the applications Fully automated allocation and management of storage ressources Ensures an optimum disk utilization of up to 90 percent Slows down the capacity growth curve and demand for upgrade investments Success Story: Eberspaecher, a leading company in automotive exhaust technology (catalytic converters, particulate filters, silencers) and pre-heaters/add-heaters with 5500 employees worlwide, accomplished to reduce its unused storage reserves from 14 to 4 Terabytes and achieve an overall 88.5% SAN disk utilization. Read more >>

		Storage pooling Organize data and applications into tiered performance and availability classes with virtual storage pools. Safeguards priority access of business-critical applications to your SAN storage. Limit nearline data or non-critical apps to low-cost physical drives. In a virtualized world, storage pooling lets you make the most out of the different available performance layers within a Modular SAN such as cache, solid state drives, or enterprise SAS and SATA hard drives.

		Maximize the benefits of server virtualization Take full advantage of the flexibility and availability of Server VMs through the combination with virtualized storage Support for Server VMs such as VMware, Citrix XenServer, and Microsoft Server and storage virtualizaton are ideal partners for total enterprise virtualization, the synergetic effects are considerable - in terms of availability, utilization of CPU and storage ressources, flexibility, and administrative overhead. To quote DataCore CEO George Teixeira in his latest white paper: "Virtual Servers and Virtual Storage Make Sense!"

transtec Modular SAN Storage

Performance & High Availability

Advanced storage services such as remote mirroring, snapshots, or replication need sufficient processing horsepower. Such as the market leading EMC® CLARiiON® midrange arrays does the transtec Modular SAN Storage take advantage of an Intel® Multi-Core Xeon® architecture. Another highlight is the remote mirroring with automated, non-disruptive failover. Unlike many midrange SAN arrays which still require scripting or manual volume re-mapping in a failed remote mirror, the Modular SAN is fully automated and transparent to the applications.

		Performance Powerful Intel® Quad-Core Xeon® 5400 architekture Up to 32 GByte high-speed DDR2 fully buffered cache Intelligent read-ahead and group-write algorithms with access times typically below 20 µs (Raid controller comparison: 250-300 µs) The DataCore SANmelody™ virtualization engine attains significant better I/O response times and bandwidth as comparable SAN solutions. The VMware User Community (VMTN) has published independent benchmark results.

		Remote mirroring with non-disruptive failover Synchronous remote mirroring (FC, iSCSI) offers enterprise redundancy and safeguards a 99,99 percent availability. Completely transparent, automated failover to the surviving Modular SAN device. No interruption for your servers or applications, no scripting. Offers also improved application performance through active-active load sharing. The Modular SAN Storage offers enterprise availability which goes beyond the capabilities of most of today's midrange disk array vendors.

		Online data migration SANmotion™ data migration of local Windows or DAS volumes into the SAN. The virtual SAN volumes are immediately available while the migration continues as a background job. Migration of system images between physical and virtual machines (VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Virtual Server). SANvantage Enterprise Migrate Service offers a flexible, online data migration between heterogeneous OS (Windows, Linux/Unix, NetWare) and storage subsystems (EMC, IBM, HDS, HP, etc). Data migration between different operating systems, hypervisors and storage subsystems can be a tricky and time consuming business. The built-in Modular SAN data migration features and complete care SANvantage service offer relief.

transtec Modular SAN Storage

Disaster recovery features

Application-consistent snapshots and asynchronous LAN/WAN replication build the standard foundation of the Modular SAN disaster recovery strategy. Organizations with zero-data-loss policies will appreciate the optional True Continuous Data Protection (True-CDP) technology with a transparent rollback to any past I/O.

		Disk snapshots Features copy-on-write or full copy snapshots Read/Write mountable for backups, test environments, etc Microsoft VSS Provider for Windows, SQL and Exchange servers SQLsnap Utility for legacy SQL Server 2000 installations Snapshot consistency groups for SQL DB/logs, Exchange information stores, etc Scriptable API for customer-specific, unattended snapshots

		Asynchronous IP mirroring (AIM) Asynchronous, block-based data replication over LAN/WAN. Can be completely setup with comfortable GUI at the source site. Destination volumes can be read/write mounted and still be recovered through separate AIM source buffer management. It is only the asynchronous data replication which creates an independent, secondary data set for true disaster recovery and is hence a fixed star of almost every business continuance strategy. More information on the AIM replication >>>

		Traveller™ Continuous Data Protection Enterprise True CDP solution with I/O logs, timestamps and rollback to any previous point-in-time. Zero-Impact backup and "Zero-Loss" disaster recovery Supports all major operating systems (Windows, Linux, Unix, NetWare, VMware, MacOS) and applications (Exchange, SQL, Orcle, Sybase, etc). In practice a minimum loss will hardly be avoidable as the recovery point can seldomly be defined down to a single I/O within reasonable time. However, True CDP is state-of-the-art technology and the best, most encompassing data recovery solution available today.