Dell Storage

Optimize VDI Storage With EqualLogic Virtualized iSCSI SANs and Vmware

Date : 19-08-2011
View the full article as a PDF View the full article as a PDF >

Virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) workload is highly variable in terms of I/O (input/output) demand on the supporting storage infrastructure. While allocating a larger number of disks to the storage can mitigate periods of massive I/O requests ― called I/O storms ― it can also result in overprovisioning of capacity, which is cost-prohibitive. To adopt VDI successfully, companies must carefully manage storage footprint.

Optimize storage for your VDI environment with Dell™ EqualLogic™ virtualized Internet SCSI (iSCSI) storage area networks (SANs) and VMware® vSphere™ and VMware View™. By integrating support for vStorage APIs for Array Integration (VAAI) into EqualLogic firmware, the VMware vSphere platform enables offloading of certain storage-related tasks ― such as hardware-assisted locking, full copy and block zeroing ― to the EqualLogic SAN layer. Delegating these tasks enables:

  • Quick deployment of virtual machines (VM) from templates
  • Improved storage performance for volumes shared by multiple VMs
  • Reduced SAN traffic and host computing overheads
  • Increased speed of VM provisioning by up to 72 percent

Dell also offers EqualLogic Multipath Extension Module (MEM) for VMware. The MEM enables improved performance and scalability through features such as high-performance, fault-tolerant load balancing and intelligent management of multiple network paths.

The combined strengths of Dell and VMware can deliver significant benefits for businesses of all sizes. Integration of Dell EqualLogic hardware with VMware vSphere and VMware View software can help you:

  • Achieve optimal VDI performance ― effectively mitigate I/O storms through automated tiering, intelligent management of multiple data paths and array offloading of storage-related tasks
  • Realize transformative cost savings ― achieve storage footprint as a result of automated tiering and space-efficient EqualLogic Thin Clones, and lower your total cost of ownership (TCO) by using standards-based connectivity and virtualized IT infrastructures
  • Simplify VDI provisioning and storage management ― enable rapid, streamlined desktop virtual machine provisioning using the EqualLogic Virtual Desktop Deployment Tool, and get simple, automated storage using all-inclusive EqualLogic software features