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, makes 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.
