This IBM® Redbooks® publication provides a basic introduction to the IBM System Storage® N series, virtualization, and VMware. It explains how to use the N series with VMware vSphere 4 environments and the benefits of doing so. Examples are given on how to install and set up VMware ESXi server with the N series. This edition includes information about the Virtual Storage Console (VSC), which is another N series software product that works with VMware. VSC provides local backup and recovery capability. You have the option to replicate backups to a remote storage system by using SnapMirror relationships. Backups can be performed on individual virtual machines or on datastores with the option of updating the SnapMirror relationship as part of the backup on a per job basis. Similarly, restores can be performed at a data-store level or individual virtual machine level. IBM System Storage N series in conjunction with VMware vSphere 4 helps complete the virtualization hierarchy by providing both a server and storage virtualization solution. Although this configuration can further assist with other areas of virtualization, networks, and applications, these areas of virtualization are not covered in detail in this book.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication provides a basic introduction to the IBM System Storage® N series, virtualization, and VMware 5.x. It explains how to use the N series with VMware vSphere 5 environments and the benefits of doing so. Examples are given on how to install and set up VMware ESXi server with the N series. The IBM System Storage N series used as a storage foundation offers unified storage solutions that provide industry-leading technologies in the areas of storage efficiencies, instantaneous virtual machine and datastore cloning for virtual servers and virtual desktops, and virtual data center backup and business continuance solutions. The information provided can be also be used as a foundation to create dynamic cloud solutions, making full use of underlying storage features and functions. This book provides a blueprint for how clients can create a virtualized infrastructure/storage cloud that will help to address current and future data storage business requirements. IBM System Storage N series in conjunction with VMware vSphere 5 helps complete the virtualization hierarchy by providing both a server and storage virtualization solution. Although this configuration can further assist with other areas of virtualization, networks, and applications, these areas of virtualization are not covered in detail in this book.

IBM® System Storage® N series technology enables companies to extend their virtual infrastructures to include the benefits of advanced storage virtualization. The N series offers unified storage solutions that provide industry-leading technologies in the areas of storage efficiencies, instantaneous virtual machine and datastore cloning for virtual servers and virtual desktops, and virtual data center backup and business continuance solutions. This IBM Redbooks® publication reviews the best practices for anyone who is implementing VMware® vSphere with N series unified storage arrays.

Corporate workgroups, distributed enterprises, and small to medium-sized companies are increasingly seeking to network and consolidate storage to improve availability, share information, reduce costs, and protect and secure information. These organizations require enterprise-class solutions capable of addressing immediate storage needs cost-effectively, while providing an upgrade path for future requirements. IBM® System Storage® N series storage systems and their software capabilities are designed to meet these requirements. IBM System Storage N series storage systems offer an excellent solution for a broad range of deployment scenarios. IBM System Storage N series storage systems function as a multiprotocol storage device that is designed to allow you to simultaneously serve both file and block-level data across a single network. These activities are demanding procedures that, for some solutions, require multiple, separately managed systems. The flexibility of IBM System Storage N series storage systems, however, allows them to address the storage needs of a wide range of organizations, including distributed enterprises and data centers for midrange enterprises. IBM System Storage N series storage systems also support sites with computer and data-intensive enterprise applications, such as database, data warehousing, workgroup collaboration, and messaging. This IBM Redbooks® publication explains the software features of the IBM System Storage N series storage systems. This book also covers topics such as installation, setup, and administration of those software features from the IBM System Storage N series storage systems and clients and provides example scenarios.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication provides deployment guidelines, workload estimates, and preferred practices for clients who want a proven IBM technology stack for virtualized VMware and Microsoft environments. The result is a Reference Architecture for Virtualized Environments (RAVE) that uses VMware vSphere or Microsoft Hypervisor, IBM System x® or IBM BladeCenter® server, IBM System Networking, and IBM System Storage® N series with Clustered Data ONTAP as a storage foundation. The reference architecture can be used as a foundation to create dynamic cloud solutions and make full use of underlying storage features and functions. This book provides a blueprint that illustrates how clients can create a virtualized infrastructure and storage cloud to help address current and future data storage business requirements. It explores the solutions that IBM offers to create a storage cloud solution addressing client needs. This book also shows how the Reference Architecture for Virtualized Environments and the extensive experience of IBM in cloud computing, services, proven technologies, and products support a Smart Storage Cloud solution that is designed for your storage optimization efforts. This book is for anyone who wants to learn how to successfully deploy a virtualized environment. It is also written for anyone who wants to understand how IBM addresses data storage and compute challenges with IBM System Storage N series solutions with IBM servers and networking solutions. This book is suitable for IT architects, business partners, IBM clients, storage solution integrators, and IBM sales representatives.

Continuing its commitment to developing and delivering industry-leading storage technologies, IBM® is introducing the IBM Real-time Compression Appliances for NAS, an innovative new storage offering that delivers essential storage efficiency technologies, combined with exceptional ease of use and performance. In an era when the amount of information, particularly in unstructured files, is exploding, but budgets for storing that information are stagnant, IBM Real-time Compression technology offers a powerful tool for better information management, protection, and access. IBM Real-time Compression can help slow the growth of storage acquisition, reducing storage costs while simplifying both operations and management. It also enables organizations to keep more data available for use rather than storing it offsite or on harder-to-access tape, so they can support improved analytics and decision making. IBM Real-time Compression Appliances provide online storage optimization through real-time data compression, delivering dramatic cost reduction without performance degradation. This IBM Redbooks® publication is an easy-to-follow guide that describes how to design solutions successfully using IBM Real-time Compression Appliances (IBM RTCAs). It explains best practices for RTCA solution design, application integration, and practical RTCA use cases. This is a companion book to Introduction to IBM Real-time Compression Appliances, SG24-7953.

IBM® System Storage® N series storage systems offer an excellent solution for a broad range of deployment scenarios. IBM System Storage N series storage systems function as a multiprotocol storage device that is designed to allow you to simultaneously serve both file and block-level data across a single network. These activities are demanding procedures that, for some solutions, require multiple, separately managed systems. The flexibility of IBM System Storage N series storage systems, however, allows them to address the storage needs of a wide range of organizations, including distributed enterprises and data centers for midrange enterprises. IBM System Storage N series storage systems also support sites with computer and data-intensive enterprise applications, such as database, data warehousing, workgroup collaboration, and messaging. This IBM Redbooks® publication explains the software features of the IBM System Storage N series storage systems with Clustered Data ONTAP (cDOT) Version 8.2, which is the first version available on the IBM System Storage N series, and as of October 2013, is also the most current version available. cDOT is different from previous ONTAP versions by the fact that it offers a storage solution that operates as a cluster with flexible scaling capabilities. cDOT configurations allow clients to build a scale-out architecture, protecting their investment and allowing horizontal scaling of their environment. This book also covers topics such as installation, setup, and administration of those software features from the IBM System Storage N series storage systems and clients, and provides example scenarios.

Continuing its commitment to developing and delivering industry-leading storage technologies, IBM is introducing the IBM Real-time Compression Appliances for NAS, an innovative new storage offering that delivers essential storage efficiency technologies, combined with exceptional ease of use and performance. In an era when the amount of information, particularly in unstructured files, is exploding, but budgets for storing that information are stagnant, IBM Real-time Compression technology offers a powerful tool for better information management, protection, and access. IBM Real-time Compression can help slow the growth of storage acquisition, reducing storage costs while simplifying both operations and management. It also enables organizations to keep more data available for use rather than storing it offsite or on harder-to-access tape, so they can support improved analytics and decision making. IBM Real-time Compression Appliances provide on-line storage optimization through real-time data compression, delivering dramatic cost reduction without performance degradation. This IBM® Redbooks® publication is an easy-to-follow guide that describes how to design solutions successfully using IBM Real-time Compression Appliances (IBM RTCAs). It provides practical installation examples, ease of use, remote management, high availability, and administration techniques. Furthermore, it explains best practices for RTCA solution design, application integration, and practical RTCA use cases.

This IBM® Redbooks® publication provides best practices for the IBM System Storage N sereis and SnapManager® for Virtual Infrastructure 2.0 (SMVI). We address the resource utilization issues typically found within virtual environments by leveraging the underlying Snapshot technology, which enables you to create point-in-time copies of your virtual machines or entire data stores and then restore from these backup copies at any level of granularity, datastore, VM, disk (VMDK), or guest file, simply and quickly when required. In addition, we provide best practices for protecting the SMVI server and recovering in case of a disaster. Furthermore, we explain the seamless integration of N series storage solutions, including MetroCluster, so customers can leverage storage and virtualization technologies to create dynamic infrastructures that can create tremendous business value. The reader of this book will gain a deep understanding of how to implement SnapManager for Virtual Infrastructure in VMware vSphere environments.

In this IBM® Redbooks® publication, we compiled best practices for planning, designing, implementing, and maintaining IBM Midrange Storage Solutions. In this publication, we use IBM System Storage® DS5000 storage subsystem for the implementation procedures, and the same procedures can be used for implementations with DCS3700 or DS3500 storage subsystems. We also compiled configurations for a VMware ESX and VMware ESXi Server host environment. Setting up an IBM Midrange Storage Subsystem is a challenging task. Our principal objective in this book is to provide you with a sufficient overview to effectively enable storage area network (SAN) storage and VMware. There is no single configuration that is satisfactory for every application or situation. However, the effectiveness of the VMware implementation is enabled by careful planning and consideration. Although the compilation of this publication is derived from an actual setup and verification, we did not stress test or test for all possible use cases that are used in a limited configuration assessment. Because of the highly customizable nature of a VMware ESXi host environment, you must consider your specific environment and equipment to achieve optimal performance from an IBM Midrange Storage Subsystem. When you are weighing the recommendations in this publication, you must start with the first principles of input/output (I/O) performance tuning. Each environment is unique and the correct settings that are used depend on the specific goals, configurations, and demands for the specific environment. This publication is intended for technical professionals who want to deploy VMware ESXi and VMware ESX Servers with IBM Midrange Storage Subsystems.