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Overview
Virtualization is a powerful tool for improving data center flexibility, reliability, and utilization, while reducing cost of management. By separating logical processing and storage resources from the physical hardware on which they run, virtualization can greatly improve the utility of these assets.
Using Windows Server 2003 Enterprise or Data Center Edition, Windows Virtual Server 2005 R2, and Windows Storage Server 2003 R2, it is now possible to build a distributed virtualized data center that can easily be managed using standard Windows tools. This is made possible by recent advances in cluster file system technology from Sanbolic and the integration of iSCSI block storage into Windows Storage Server, allowing exiting GigE networking infrastructure to be used for SAN connectivity. The vision of an easily managed, modularly scalable, virtualized data center built with industry standard hardware has become a reality.
Key advantages of this architecture include:
- Virtual servers allow multiple applications to be consolidated onto a single physical machine, and a virtual server running an application can be rapidly migrated to another physical host for load balancing or availability when used in conjunction with a cluster file system. Individual Virtual Machines can be clustered across physical hosts using Microsoft Cluster Services.
- Many applications, such as web servers running IIS, can utilize concurrent shared access to a common file system from multiple physical or virtual servers to aggregate the performance of multiple servers while presenting a single system image to the network.
- A single central storage pool is created from multiple Windows Storage Server iSCSI targets (other external iSCSI storage) using a host-resident clustered volume manager. Additional storage can be added to the pool while the system continues to access data.
- Virtual servers can mount iSCSI storage volumes residing in the central storage pool. These storage volumes can be centrally administered and assigned to any virtual or physical machine using Windows security ACLs in conjunction with Active Directory. They can be dynamically expanded and have no volume size limitation.
The virtualized iSCSI data center can be integrated today using Windows Storage Server 2003 R2 with the iSCSI application pack, Sanbolic’s Melio Clustered File System and LaScala Volume Manager, standard GigE networking infrastructure, and x32 or x64 servers running Windows Server 2003 R2 Enterprise edition. Windows Virtual Server 2005 R2 is available as a no cost download. The Server 2003 R2 Enterprise license includes rights for guest operation systems in four virtual machines and for failover clustering. No other software is needed. Microsoft Windows Virtual Machine Manager, currently in beta release, provides central management of virtual server deployments.
This architecture provides a flexible infrastructure for common data center applications that can easily be reconfigured or expanded, while utilizing exclusively familiar Windows management interfaces and industry standard hardware.
End to End iSCSI Infrastructure and Shared File System Technology
Microsoft now provides full end-to-end iSCSI support that greatly simplifies managing block connected storage for Windows applications. Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 is available from many OEM partners with an integrated iSCSI target and a unified storage interface. An iSCSI initiator for Windows Server 2003 is available from Microsoft as a no cost download, which allows a standard NIC to be used for iSCSI connectivity. These technologies allow standard gigE networking to be used for block storage access.
This iSCSI support, together with features such as MPIO, provides a very flexible, low cost storage infrastructure that will support many standard applications without the need to introduce Fibre Channel storage networking. All of the functionality described in this white paper will be supported on Fibre Channel networking, but for most mid-range applications, the iSCSI provides a very cost effective solution.
Melio FS is a clustered file system that is designed specifically for Windows Server and workstation platforms that enables multiple servers to have concurrent read and write access to data on block storage.
LaScala is a clustered volume manager that allows multiple iSCSI targets to be aggregated into a single storage pool and provides central administration of large shared storage pools. It elevates the assignment of SAN storage resources to the volume manager layer, eliminating the complexity of managing storage LUNs, and integrates fully with Active Directory.
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