Chuck's Blog

Building An All-Flash Racing Cluster With Intel and VSAN

Hyperconverged is the latest justifiable buzz-worthy topic in IT.

VMware’s software-led approach supports multiple hardware consumption options: from mild to wild — you’re not limited to someone else’s idea of an appliance if that’s not your thing.

And I’m really enjoying seeing the creativity from our hardware partners in coming up with clever and unique configurations.  The more the better!

At EMC World, the Intel team certainly raised the bar on impressive off-the-shelf Virtual SAN configuration — a 32-node all-flash NVMe-capable VSAN configuration that delivers both outrageous performance and substantial capacity in a slick single-rack footprint.

Better yet, they splurged for some very cool custom bezel graphics.  After all, it’s all about how your equipment looks, right?

I tweeted out a picture and a brief description from the show floor.  My twitter gang went so crazy commenting and retweeting, I thought I should loop back and share more detail.

In particular, I wanted to interview John Hubbard — the cool cat at Intel that put this impressive rig together in very short order.

Why I Think VSAN Is So Disruptive

Looking for a great disruption story in enterprise IT tech?  I think what VSAN is doing to the established storage industry deserves to be a strong candidate.  

I've seen disruptions -- small and large -- come and go.  If you're into IT infrastructure, this is one worth watching.

A few years ago, I moved from EMC to VMware on the power of that prediction.  So far, it’s played out pretty much as I had hoped it would.  There’s now clearly a new dynamic in the ~$35B storage industry, and VMware’s Virtual SAN is very emblematic of the changes that are now afoot.

There’s a lot going on here, so it’s worth sharing.  In each case, you’ll see a long-held tenent around The Way Things Have Always Been Done clearly up for grabs.

See if you agree?

Considering The Next Wave Of Storage Automation

From the time enterprise data centers sprang into existence, we’ve had this burning desire to automate the heck out of them.

From early mainframe roots to today’s hybrid cloud, the compulsion never wanes to progressively automate each every aspect of operations.

The motivations have been compelling: use fewer people, faster responses, be more efficient, make outcomes more predictable, and make services resilient.

But the obstacles have also been considerable: both technological and operational.

With the arrival of vSphere 6.0, a nice chunk of new technology has been introduced to help automate perhaps the most difficult part of the data center – storage.

It's worth digging into these new storage automation features: why they are needed, how they work, and why they should be seriously considered.

VSAN 6.0 — The Second Chapter Begins

As part of the vSphere 6.0 announcement festivities, there’s a substantially updated new version of Virtual SAN 6.0 to consider and evaluate. 

Big news in the storage world, I think.

I have been completely immersed in VSAN for the last six months.  It's been great.  And now I get to publicly share what’s new and — more importantly — what it means for IT organizations and the broader industry.

If there was a prize for the most-controversial storage product of 2014, VSAN would win.  In addition to garnering multiple industry awards, it’s significantly changed the industry's storage discussion in so many ways.

Before VSAN, shared storage usually meant an external storage array.  Now there’s an attractive alternative — using commodity components in your servers, with software built into the world’s most popular hypervisor. 

While the inevitable “which is better?” debate will continue for many years, one thing is clear: VSAN is now mainstream.

This post is a summary of the bigger topics: key concepts, what’s new in 6.0, and a recap of how customers and industry perspective has changed.  Over time, I’ll unpack each one in more depth — as there is a *lot* to cover here.

EVO: RAIL, VSAN and NetApp

Yesterday morning, there was an interesting announcement: NetApp’s intent to sell EVO: RAIL bundled/integrated with their FAS storage array products.

“Hmm, makes total sense” I thought over my morning coffee.

But the level of resulting confusion on the interwebs was exceptional.  

So I thought I’d share my personal opinions as to what’s going on here, and why I think it makes sense.

VSAN, VSAs and External Arrays

I had a bit of fun last week, commenting on Nigel Poulton’s blog post discussing this topic, among others.  What I really enjoyed was the polite but vivacious discussion that emerged in the comments.

For the most part, people were disagreeing without being disagreeable.  How civil.

That being said, I tend to reflect on things after the fact.  I came to the conclusion that it was an incomplete discussion on several levels.  

If you’re not into storage stuff, perhaps this would be a good post to skip.  A friendly reminder: everything in this blog represents my personal opinion, and is not reviewed nor approved by employer.  Or anyone else for that matter.

Greetings From VMworld 2014

No surprise, I’m out in gorgeous SF for the annual gathering of the vFaithful — VMworld 2014. 

As before, it’s quite an experience, even for a jaded event veteran like me.  Like a desert blooming after a rainstorm, Moscone Center is transformed into a fascinating technology experience, and  — then — we wait until next year for it to happen all over again.

I’m not capable of giving you a detailed report on everything that happened at VMworld — there’s way too much to cover. 

Instead, I thought I’d share with you what stood out for me personally.

Of Software-Defined Storage and HCLs

I felt I owed everyone a post about an illustrative incident that happened over the last few days.

As we move to more software-based storage stacks, there are some interesting questions arising about the new responsibilities of the various parties involved: software vendors, hardware suppliers, partner and end users.  

There’s a new model emerging for building storage solutions, and we now have a well-documented example of some of the inevitable bumps along the way.

VSAN Hands-On At EMC World

 

VSAN has generated a ton of interest -- not just with the vSphere crowd, but storage professionals as well.  

Some of you are going to EMC World, and might want to learn more?

In addition to a few breakout sessions on the agenda, we've also set up a staffed VSAN Hands-on Lab (HoL) for your use at EMC World. 

Yes, of course we're giving away free stuff to encourage you to make the time :)

Our VSAN HoL is a great opportunity to drop by during the show, run through our lab modules -- and ask any questions you might have.   

VMware VSAN Hands-On Lab -- Toscana 3606

Sunday May 4th: 5pm-8pm  (great if you're arriving early)
Monday May 5th: 12 - 4:30pm
Tuesday May 6th: 8:00am - 10:00am and again from 12:00 - 4:30pm
Wednesday May 7th: 8:30 - 5pm 

Everyone who drops by the room (even to just say"hi") can grab a cool VSAN t-shirt for their collection.   Until we run out, that is.

We have five 30-minute training modules.  Each separate module you complete enters you in a drawing to win one of the Chromebooks we'll be using in the lab.  We'll be announcing the winners at 5:30 on Wednesday.  You don't have to be present to win.

Follow #VSANlab on Twitter for status during the show -- and prize winners!

 

The Problem With Storage Swiss' Analysis -- On VSAN

One aspect of our industry that I find especially annoying is the "pay-to-say" analyst model.  The usual scenario is that one vendor wants to discredit one or more other vendors to make themselves look better.  They contract with a freelance analyst, who hopefully brings more expertise and the appearance of independence to the table.

The few analysts who use this model fiercely brand themselves "independent", perhaps in the sense that they are not affiliated with one of the big name industry analyst firms. 

I guess by the same standard my lawyer is "independent", but I certainly pay for results!

Shortly after VMware announced VSAN's general availability, George Crump and Colm Keegan of Storage Swiss published a short piece entitled "The Problems With Server Side Storage, Like VSAN", which appears to be sponsored by GridStore. 

Despite taking substantial criticism from many IT practitioners in a number of forums, George has stubbornly defended his statements, encouraging those who object to offer up a "professional response".

I find myself doing so reluctantly: weighing the need to correct many of George's and Colm's erroneous statements vs. giving unwarranted attention where none is deserved.  All of my responses are based on widely published information; a simple Google search can disprove many of the assertions.

And, to be fair, I know many independent analysts who do very good work on behalf of their vendor clients. 

Unfortunately, this isn't an example of that.