Some of a biggest names in a storage attention now offer integrated IT
stacks for organizations looking to fast muster high-performance virtualized environments.
EMC Corp., NetApp Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc. sell predesigned architectures that embody a practical server platform, networking and
computing gear, and storage infrastructure in one package.
While it’s early for a integrated storage stacks, vendors and
their placement partners design a trend toward information core converging around virtualization
and cloud storage to hint seductiveness in integrated stacks.
Pure-play storage vendors EMC and NetApp partnered with VMware Inc. for a vSphere
virtualization hypervisor and Cisco Systems Inc. for networking apparatus and a Unified Computing
System (UCS). However, EMC and NetApp chose opposite go-to-market strategies.
EMC sells a storage in Vblock integrated IT smoke-stack by a Virtual
Computing Environment (VCE), a corner try with Cisco. VMware and Intel are also
investors. NetApp chose to marketplace a FlexPod
integrated complement as a anxiety architecture, fundamentally a recipe label for building a complement with
all a specified parts. NetApp VARs—such as Avnet Technology Solutions, that launched a FlexPod
Services in May—will assemble, exam and support a FlexPod for you.
Large IT vendors HP and Dell rolled out bundles this year, providing many of a hardware pieces
themselves. The HP
VirtualSystem height uses a vSphere hypervisor along with HP storage, servers and
networking. The smallest VirtualSystem gold packages HP ProLiant servers, LeftHand P4500 SANs and
HP Virtual Connect switch modules. The medium-sized gold includes LeftHand P4800 storage running
on an HP BladeSystem server with Virtual Connect. The high-end gold is an HP BladeSystem with
3PAR storage and Fibre Channel SAN switches from Brocade.
Dell launched a vStart
virtualization appliances with dual models. Both embody Dell’s EqualLogic iSCSI storage, PowerEdge
rack servers and PowerConnect Ethernet switches. The vStart 100 is designed for regulating 100 virtual
machines, and a vStart 200 is for 200 practical machines. Dell has vStart versions for VMware and
Microsoft Hyper-V and skeleton to offer Fibre Channel storage versions with a Compellent arrays.
Radiant Communications picks NetApp for cloud foundation
Radiant Communications, a Vancouver, British Columbia, use provider, uses a NetApp FlexPod
for a cloud computing use it began charity in Nov 2010. The FlexPod runs virtual
servers and applications such as Microsoft Exchange. Jason Leeson, Radiant’s clamp boss of
product management, pronounced a initial deployment cost was a tip care when a service
provider compared Vblock and FlexPod bundles.
“[An integrated IT stack] was really many what we were looking for—a secure, multi-tenancy
reference architecture,” Leeson said. “Given that we are a use provider offered multi-tenant
services, and many of a business are endangered about security, that seemed like a really good fit
for us.
“The pivotal for me was a cost to get into a game.”
Radiant was looking to keep costs down with a new service. Leeson pronounced even a tiny Vblock
would have cost between $300,000 and $500,000. He knew he couldn’t get capitulation for that much
money. He deliberate Vblocks improved matched for enterprises that could improved clear the
larger investment.
Leeson pronounced it cost reduction to put together a FlexPod, and he already had a VAR network to help
him do it. Radiant used Vancouver-based Seven Group Inc. to acquire a required NetApp and VMware
licenses and Scalar Decisions Inc., headquartered in Toronto, for a Cisco equipment, with Scalar
taking a lead deploying a FlexPod. Radiant combined another FlexPod in a Toronto bureau in June
and intent Toronto-based Unis Lumin Inc. to acquire a Cisco rigging and muster that FlexPod.
Solving a support puzzle
Vendor support for multi-vendor bundles can be a wily issue. VCE has a dedicated support
group, though FlexPods are usually anxiety architectures with directions on how to confederate and
configure apparatus and program from 3 opposite companies. NetApp, Cisco and VMware did
create a Unified Support Lab to assistance with FlexPod patron issues, though there are still products
from 3 opposite vital vendors involved.
Leeson pronounced hasn’t gifted any support issues so far. He relied on his VARs for
deployment. He pronounced he believes Radiant’s deployment was one of a initial FlexPod implementations
and, as a result, there was a high training curve, though it usually cost him a integrate of days.
Radiant is still in a early stages of regulating FlexPods in a prolongation environment, though Leeson
said he is gaining certainty in a system. “I’m removing some-more gentle with a trustworthiness of
the underlying record behind these FlexPod services to a indicate where we can put more
customers on a storage array or some-more business on a sold server than we was 18 months ago,” he
said.
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