Building a Robust Converged Branch Infrastructure
Umang Barman
Product Manager, Cisco Systems
Hans O’ Sullivan
CEO, StorMagic
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Agenda
• Data Center Virtualization Trends
• Supporting Virtualized Applications in the Branch
• Cisco UCS E-series and its Capabilities
• Making Applications in the Branch Highly Available
• Business Case
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Technology Trends in the Branch OfficeInfrastructure Centralization Improves IT Efficiency
Data Center/Cloud Branch Office
WAN/Internet
Mail ServersFile ServersWeb Servers
Voice Systems
Storage Security
Infrastructure
Simplified IT Operations, Higher Resource Use, Cost Savings
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Limitations of Centralized Infrastructure Reliance on WAN Affects User Experience
Performance
WAN Speed Limitations
Latency
Bandwidth
Slower WAN speeds means less responsive applications and poor customer experience
Availability
WAN Quality Limitations
Reliability
Congestion
Any scheduled or unscheduled downtime in applications could
mean revenue loss
Compliance
Off-Site Data Limitations
Data protection
Privacy
Application and data protection is necessary for compliance and
regulatory needs
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UCS E-seriesA powerful, versatile and compact branch server
Hard-drive:1-3TB Intel Xeon multi-core 2-8 core processor
Ethernet ports: 3xGB (2 internal, 1 external)
Memory: 4-48GB
Supports all virtualization platformVMWare, Hyper-V, Xen
Small form-factorFits into ISR G2
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• Retail: POS, Voice pick (VoCollect)
• Manufacturing: Analytics (RetailNext)
• Healthcare: Patient record, digital
imaging
• Finance: ATM machine, VDI
• Schools: Wireless, video on demand
• Enterprise: Active Directory, Print Server
• Others: WAN Optimization, Akamai
Application/Services Capability - Examples
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Advantage of ISR + UCS E-series in branch
• Small form factor
• Lower Operational Cost
• Maintenance
• Truck roll
• Power and Cooling
• Leverage large ISR installed base
• Remote management
FRONT
BACK
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Data management in the branch
Challenges
External storage arrays are single points of failure
Storage infrastructure is complex to manage
Require specialist staff to manage storage arrays
Separate management platform
Requirements
Virtualized to extend data center experience to branch
Consolidated software architecture to extend
branch-in-a-box benefits
Remotely managed
Data management
Virtualized
HighAvailability
Compliance
Data protection
VMwareVirtualizationLeadership
CiscoInfrastructure
Leadership
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SvSANStorMagic’s Virtual Storage Solution
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Robust branch office with SvSAN
Enable the robust branch office using technology adapted and developed specifically
for distributed environments
• UCS E-Series servers provide a robust hardware platform
• vSphere provides virtualization for apps to run
• What about High Availability? You need Shared Storage
Why traditional storage doesn’t work for the robust branch office
• External storage arrays are a single points of failure
• Add complexity to the infrastructure
• Require specialist staff to manage storage locally
• Depreciate in value, requiring eventual replacement or upgrade
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StorMagic SvSAN – Virtual Storage Solution
• Utilizes internal/external DAS
• Presents DAS as iSCSI target
• Storage configuration agnostic
• Minimum 2 server requirement
• Reduced network complexity
• Remote quorum
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Neutral Storage Host (NSH)2 Way Mirroring• Active-Active• Read & write from either side of the mirror
Journaling Drive• Records meta data• Fast re-synchronization
Quorum Flexibility• Can be hosted remotely• Operates at high latencies• Withstand failures• Not a requirement
StorMagic SvSAN architecture
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Cisco & StorMagic SolutionUCS E-Series Servers & SvSAN
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Eliminate Unplanned Downtime
• Synchronously mirrored storage across multiple servers
• No single point of failure
• Restore capability
• Across site configuration for extra resiliency
Eliminate Planned Downtime
• Upgrade seamlessly
• Replace hardware with no impact on application uptime
• Within working hours if required
SvSAN & Cisco UCS E-Series - Eliminate Downtime
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Rapid deployment and scalability
• Centrally deployed
• Automated process
• From two servers to unlimited
• Add capacity as required
• No large up front investment
Simple Management
• Central management console
• Manage thousands of locations from a central location
• No local on site IT
• No specialist IT skills
SvSAN & Cisco UCS E-Series – Deploy and Scale
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Traditional Server and Storage vs UCS E-series with SvSAN
*Traditional storage and server include IBM 3650 with IBM Storwize, 600GB HDD and 3 year service warranty*UCS E-series include – Cisco ISR 2951 with UCS140S, 900GB HDD, SvSAN license and 3 year maintenance and support cost
Lower TCO with Cisco UCS E-series with SvSAN
• 6 rack unit vs 2 with UCS E-series and
SvSAN
• 75% lesser power and cooling cost
• No additional maintenance cost
• No physical SAN requirements
• No additional management tools
• Centralized IT staff
Traditional Storage and Server
Cisco UCS E-Series with SvSan
$2,152
$558
$1,800
$700
$1,692
$960
Power and Cooling Truck Roll
Maintenance
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Summary
Consolidating IT infrastructure is an on-going trend
Performance, Availability and Compliance are big challenges for consolidation
The ideal solution is to move “select” applications to branch
Components: ISR G2 + UCS E-series + SvSAN
Virtualize storage with SvSAN in the branch
Leverage familiar and existing data center tools
Single plane of glass management with vCenter
Benefits: High uptime, application availability, reliability and lowest TCO
Thank you.
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