Three approaches for equipping your data center
If you’re facing a server or storage refresh, or are looking to expand your data center capacity, you have no shortage of choices. From traditional specialty
hardware to new HCI solutions, the options are abundant. Your first choice is – which model to pursue?
All data centers contain the same fundamental building blocks – compute, storage, and networking. How you choose to outfit your data center with those
elements will affect your day-to-day workflow, operating costs, short-term and long-term costs, capital costs, ability to scale, and more.
1 Traditional Silo-based Infrastructure
2 Converged Infrastructure
This model, which still exists in “modern” storage
models, relies on proprietary, purpose-built
hardware. It typically has its own management
software and works best when optimized and
managed by dedicated specialists. Furthermore,
because performance is set at the hardware
layer, resources are not properly optimized and
overprovisioning often occurs.
A converged infrastructure improves on the
traditional model by bringing storage, networking,
and compute into a single rack. These elements are
typically provided by different specialty vendors.
While the management may be integrated and
optimized, separate systems, workflows, and
management platforms still exist.
It’s an expensive solution to a general-purpose
IT need, and results in an increased footprint,
increased complexity, and increased staffing and
specialization. Worse, today’s dynamic applications
and virtualized workloads require provisioning
flexibility that hardware-centric approaches aren’t
designed to deliver. Quite simply, it’s the opposite
of simple and streamlined.
In addition, the hardware bundles are pre-configured
to run specific workloads and can’t be easily
altered – resulting in a loss of flexibility. The
physical boundaries may have been eliminated, but
provisioning and operational challenges remain.
3 Hyper-Converged Software Stack
Hyperconverged solutions take the next step – the
resource pillars are physically converged onto a
single industry-standard x86 server, forming a
seamless, software-defined environment wellsuited to today’s IT challenges. The secret lies in
the hypervisor – it’s the source of the “hyper”
in hyper-convergence. All the key data center
functions – compute, networking, and storage –
are now running as software on the hypervisor,
enabling efficient operations, streamlined and
speedy provisioning, and cost-effective growth.
Getting to know HCI
For a growing number of IT decision-makers, the choice is clear – HCI offers
the performance, flexibility, and efficiency that budget-conscious, resourcestarved IT departments crave.
Let’s examine the two essential ingredients in every HCI solution: the software
and the hardware – and why it’s important to make a software choice first.
Start with Software
HCI software comprises a hypervisor, a software-defined storage solution, and
typically a unified management console. Some HCI software solutions may
also include certain network virtualization features. HCI solutions collapse
data center resource pillars onto industry-standard x86 servers and use a
hypervisor to virtualize and manage those resources.
The hypervisor forms the foundation of HCI – it’s the “hyper” in
hyperconverged, so it’s vital that you make a smart choice. There
are a number of hypervisors options, including free, built-in, and customized,
HCI-specific versions. To reap the maximum performance and operational
advantages, you’ll want to choose a solution that provides the highest degree
of compatibility and integration across your data center.
Your hypervisor choice will lead you to the storage and networking solutions
for your HCI solution. It will also dictate your management options and future
expansion choices. In choosing your hypervisor vendor, keep these qualifying
questions in mind:
The software-defined storage layer is built on the hypervisor foundation, and
is critical in ensuring data availability, application performance, and flexible
scalability. The correct storage architecture can deliver the same simplicity,
efficiency, and cost-saving benefits to storage that server virtualization
brought to compute.
HCI solutions leverage different software-defined storage architectures. To
minimize trade-offs and maximize performance, choose a solution where the
storage layer is tightly integrated with the hypervisor. This will reduce data
latencies and eliminate unnecessary resource overhead, both of which can
have a significant impact on cost and efficiency. In addition, a tightly integrated
software stack will deliver the easiest solution to learn and manage.
For six straight years in a row, VMware has positioned
as a leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for its
x86 Server Virtualization Infrastructure.
Gartner
Magic Quadrant for x86 Server Virtualization Infrastructure,
July 2015
• Does it provide strong support?
• Can it demonstrate a track record of enhancements?
• Does it have an exceptional ecosystem of
application and hardware compatibility?
Source: Gartner, Magic Quadrant for x86 Server Virtualization Infrastructure, July 2015. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in its research publications, and does not advise
technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be
construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
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