OCZ VXL Software

Enterprise Storage Accelerator

Designed for: VMware ESX Microsoft Hyper-V Citrix Xen

WHAT IS VXL?

Delivering the Power of Flash Acceleration to Virtualized Servers

OCZs VXL software delivers flash caching of data into virtualized server platforms. In conjunction with the OCZ Z-Drive R4 PCIe-based series of SolidState Drives (SSDs), VXL distributes flash caching resources on-demand across Virtual Machines (VMs) to maximize performance. It distributes the flash between VMs based on need while making sure that no VM inefficiently occupies flash when it can be better used elsewhere in the environment. This ensures that the flash cache is optimally utilized at all times regardless of how many VMs are running concurrently.

VXL is flash caching and storage virtualization software VXL unleashes the full potential of virtualization by dissolving HDD storage bottlenecks

HOW DOES IT WORK?

VXL monitors VM data requests to/from external SAN Keeps critical data in OCZ Z-Drive R4 inside the host server Reduces data traffic to/from SAN by up to 90%

Optimizing Server Virtualization

Virtualization has changed the game when it comes to how enterprises deploy and manage their IT infrastructures. However, the promise of virtualization will not be fully realized as the increased level of IOPS and random access performance demands challenge traditional storage capabilities thereby creating performance bottlenecks. The cost efficiencies enabled by virtualization are countered by the need to purchase and manage additional storage systems. With the VXL software, data access to internal hard disk drives (HDDs), Network Attached Storage (NAS), and external Storage Area Networks (SANs) are cached on flash residing in the host physical server, allowing for significantly faster data access. The flash cache can be accessed by any VM residing on the local server or on other servers in the virtualized cluster (and connected via iSCSI). Additional SSDs may be deployed within the same physical server or additional servers within the cluster to allow the cache to scale with either the size of the cluster or the total capacity of the external SANs. VXL software includes a rich feature-set that delivers heightened data acceleration, high availability and resiliency, and is deployed as a virtual appliance on the host server, distributing flash resources on demand across VM applications. Its unique ability to monitor all data requests reduces data traffic to and from the SAN by up to 90%, while keeping critical data locally in the Z-Drive R4 flash card.
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VXL BENEFITS:
Only flash cache virtualization software to enable host flash cache sharing across multiple servers in a cluster High ROI since many more VMs share the same flash and do not typically reach peak workload requirements concurrently Resolves performance bottleneck while enabling up to 10 times the number of VMs on the same physical host Delivers the full potential of virtualization without sacrificing any of its original benefits (end-to-end mirroring, high availability, dynamic VM migration vMotion support, and fault tolerance to server and storage failures)

OCZ VXL Software

Enterprise Storage Accelerator

The Problem
More VMs increase performance demands and stretch the capabilities of HDDs Servers can handle millions of IOPS while HDDs can handle between 100 and 200 IOPS and simply cannot keep up with server workload demands As many applications run together, their combined storage access requests are blended by the virtualization layer requiring more random disk access that further stresses HDDs The stress on HDDs leads to bottlenecks and limits the number of VMs that can be supported

The VXL Solution

Enables a complete virtual performance system that efficiently distributes flash resources across VMs to maximize performance of key enterprise applications Can run up to 10 times the number of VMs on the same physical host resulting in massive server cost savings, thereby reducing Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Reduces the amount of external storage needed to service a cluster, further reducing TCO Delivers a winning combination of superior performance, greener IT data centers, lower TCO and higher ROI

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OCZ VXL Software

Enterprise Storage Accelerator

Combining Flash Memory and Server Virtualization

OCZ Technology brings the power of flash to virtualized environments so that all of the ROI benefits of virtualization in reduced CAPEX (capital expenses) and OPEX (operational expenses) are further enhanced whenever flash is used by a VM. To accomplish this, OCZ treated the flash as another virtual resource and created a central virtual appliance that works with the hypervisor to dynamically allocate the flash according to need, inside and outside of the physical server. By combining the power of storage virtualization with PCIe flash caching, and by working centrally with the hypervisor rather than with each local VM, OCZ developed a solution that takes advantage of the power of flash without losing any of the benefits associated with virtualization.

VXL Software

VMware / Microsoft / Citrix

ESX Hyper-V Xen
Host Server

How VXL Works

VXL software is deployed as a virtual appliance on the host server, distributing flash resources on-demand across application VMs and the total cluster to maximize performance of key applications.
The caching algorithm includes application-optimized caching strategies that decide what data it will place on the flash-cache. The algorithm is transparent to the VMs, which are exposed to a seamlessly accelerated virtual volume. The flash cache is shared dynamically between all VMs, and VXL software ensures that the flash cache is optimally utilized at all times, regardless of how many VMs are running concurrently. VXL software does not require guest agents within the application VM, and through hypervisor connectivity, works with any operating system supported by a virtualization platform including Windows, Linux, OpenSolaris and FreeBSD. This is in contrast to other cache software solutions that require agent or driver installation on every VM in the virtualized cluster and management of all the agents separately. The OCZ VXL no-agents approach dramatically simplifies the deployment, management and maintenance of storage especially when there are thousands of VMs in a virtualized environment. By combining storage acceleration and storage virtualization, VXL software fully supports vMotion without loss of cache. This unique OCZ VXL capability overcomes the issue of drastic performance drops due to loss of cache which occurs with vMotion in other solutions. VXL software becomes the catalyst for virtual environments to reap all of the benefits of flash while enabling virtualization of the most demanding workloads.

Z-Drive R4

Significantly less data required from SAN

SAN
(HDD)

This is both a clever extension to traditional approaches and a

logical

next step to storage acceleration in a virtual environment. If your

storage infrastructure is showing signs of being a bottleneck, it would be worth taking the time to learn about VXL
- ZDNet Virtually Speaking

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OCZ VXL Software

Enterprise Storage Accelerator

Key VXL Capabilities

Efficient and dynamic distribution of host-based flash resources to guest VMs via its application-optimized cache engine Complete scalability of flash cache acceleration across hosts and SANs Enterprise-class data center high availability, virtualization, and resiliency Runs on VMware ESX, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Citrix Xen-based hypervisors Full support for vMotion without loss of cache Cached data is treated as a virtualized storage entity and can be continually accessed between ESX servers whenever VMs are migrated

Allows for caching over highly available mirrored volumes, ensuring that a single flash resource can be utilized to accelerate both copies of the data, doubling the efficiency of flash utilization
Unlike competing solutions, no agents required within the application VM, allowing for easy deployment, management, and maintenance Policy-based caching optimization for key enterprise applications including Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server (OLAP and OLTP) Provides robust tools for enterprise IT management including integration with VMware vCenter virtualization management console and Storage Pro software for remote consolidated management Enables the flash to be exposed to any VM in a virtualized cluster without negating the virtualization capabilities of the hypervisor layer and sets the precedent for an all-silicon/SAN-less data center while still delivering all of the benefits of virtualization without the need for costly external HDD storage

Technical Features
ACCELERATION DYNAMIC CACHE ALLOCATION SUPPORTED VIRTUALIZATION PLATFORMS SUPPORTED VM OPERATING SYSTEMS vMOTION SUPPORT
Application performance acceleration using policy-based caching algorithms and the OCZ Z-Drive R4 PCIe SSD Allocates the flash dynamically based on the needs of all applications at different loads throughout the day VMware ESX Microsoft Hyper-V Citrix Xen (Xen-based virtualization) All variants of Windows All variants of Linux Any OS supported by the virtualization layer Ability to migrate VMs from one server to another without the loss of cache data No installation required for guest agents or drivers on VMs connection via hypervisor or internal iSCSI links Ability to migrate live data without affecting caching Efficiently combines caching algorithms with end-to-end mirroring and high availability All Z-Drive R4 configurations including full-height (FH), half-height (HH) and CloudServ versions

AGENT-LESS CONNECTIVITY
LIVE DATA MIGRATION SUPPORT HIGH AVAILABILITY & DATA MIRRORING ENTERPRISE SSD SUPPORT

For More Information www.oczenterprise.com | sales@oczenterprise.com

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