Vmware Data Protection With Hitachi Data Protection Suite: Please Insert Your Hitachi Truenorth Partner Logo Here
Vmware Data Protection With Hitachi Data Protection Suite: Please Insert Your Hitachi Truenorth Partner Logo Here
Vmware Data Protection With Hitachi Data Protection Suite: Please Insert Your Hitachi Truenorth Partner Logo Here
<January 2012>
Table of Contents
Executive Summary.....................................................................................................................
Introduction..................................................................................................................................
About Hitachi Data Systems.................................................................................................4
Analyst Coverage................................................................................................................... .5
Hitachi Data Systems Exclusive Capabilities..................................................................................7
Solution Overview........................................................................................................................
Service-level Protection..................................................................................................................8
Move (archive) Inactive Data to a Content Store with Built-in Protection.........................................9
Application Integration Protection...................................................................................................9
Executive Summary
Todays data protection and management challenges of runaway data growth, shrinking backup windows and
stringent service level agreements (SLAs) are hardly a new problem.
Enterprises and companies of all sizes worldwide have been treading water in the data deluge for many years
now. Primary data has increased 7-fold to 10-fold from the chain of copies for backup, recovery, disaster
recovery and archive. Without the right management tools in place, this data can be untenably expensive and
time-consuming to manage.
Unfortunately, the broken legacy backup infrastructures many organizations are saddled with can make putting
the right management tools in place extremely difficult, if not impossible. Thats because legacy software was
simply not designed to foresee or handle the daunting demands of the modern data center. In these outmoded
configurations, converged assets are overutilized, with no available resources for protection or copy. And while
primary data growth is rising, the operations window is shrinking. These opposing forces break the backup
architecture.
To further compound the problem, over the last 20 years a best of class mindset for technology selection has
led to a complex, inefficient infrastructure focused more on brand-name, point solutions than on ease of use
and technological integration. The current trend of IT modernization is being driven by the demand for IT
nimbleness and increased information value.
The Hitachi Data Systems data protection solution combines Hitachi hardware and Hitachi Data Protection
Suite, powered by CommVault. It provides the foundational backup, recovery and data protection features to
build a truly unified data management solution.
Introduction
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Analyst Coverage
Figure 1 depicts Gartners take on enterprise-based backup and recovery. Although the figure was about
CommVault Simpana, since Hitachi Data Systems has original equipment manufacturing (OEM) rights to
produce Simpana as Hitachi Data Protection Suite (HDPS), then most of this information applies.
Figure 1. Gartner depicts the Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Disk-based Backup and Recovery.
In the recently released version 9 of its Simpana software (OEMed as Hitachi Data Protection Suite),
CommVault has sustained its growth by adding many new functions and capabilities. It also provides a
perceived edge in ease of use and fewer scripting requirements, as compared with other enterprise backup
solutions. The company has maintained a continued strong public presence in print and electronic advertising,
and now in social media. Of all the backup vendors, CommVault has been the most vocal and articulate about
the future of backup shifting toward the exploitation and management of storage system and NAS replication
and snapshots. In support of this vision, CommVault offers its snapshot protection capability, which integrates
with a broad number of storage platform solutions to schedule and manage snapshots. The company delivered
its 3rd version of data reduction in its software, adding more robust, client-side deduplication. In addition to a
well-defined cloud backup strategy, Simpana v9 (Hitachi Data Protection Suite) introduced a Fast Pass feature
for aiding migration from IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) and Symantec NetBackup backup software
to Simpana.
Analyst Statements
In April of 2008, Forrester predicted that traditional backup applications would evolve into
unified continuity and recovery management suites. These suites would provide a single
console for a range of recovery requirements, regardless of the underlying technology
[backup, snapshot, continuous data protection (CDP) or replication]. The report, The Past,
Present, And Future Of Replication, published August 17, 2010, stated, with its
common technology engine, HDSs HDPS has always been the best example of this
approach, and added, other vendors are emulating this approach.
Forrester Research, The Past, Present, And Future Of Replication, Rachel Dines and
Stephanie Balaraous, August 17, 2010
In the recent Hype Cycle for Storage Technologies, 2010, published July 13, 2010,
Gartner stated: Tape alone may still be appropriate for backup in some organizations due
to cost and legacy investments; however, disk economics and data reduction
improvements, such as data de-duplication, are positively affecting the increased adoption
of disk solutions, which are often used in combination with tape. In the future, many vendors
may offer the ability to store dramatically compressed or deduplicated data on physical tape
media, which could make tape-based backup more compelling as an additional or extended
option to support disk-based solutions. Gartner recognized that, To date, HDS's backup
application offers de-duplication to tape, and other vendors may follow suit.
Gartner, Inc., Hype Cycle for Storage Technologies, 2010, Dave Russell, Pushan Rinnen, July
13, 2010
The Gartner research report, With Support for Files: How to Select the Right Solution,
published by Sheila Childs on June 11, 2010, analyzed the strength and challenges of
vendors offering indexed file archiving solutions as a component of their enterprise
information archiving solutions. HDS was the only vendor that was evaluated with more
strengths than challenges. Other vendors included in the report were Atempo, Autonomy,
C2C, IBM, Iron Mountain, Message Solution, Metalogix, Symantec, Unify/AXS-One and
Waterford Technologies.
Gartner, Inc., With Support for Files: How to Select the Right Solution, Sheila Childs, June 11,
2010
The latest IDC Worldwide Quarterly Storage Software Tracker shows that Hitachi Data
Protection Suite revenue exceeds overall storage market revenue growth rates and
outpaces many of its legacy competitors. According to IDC revenues, the total software
market rose 7.2% over the same quarter in 2009, representing US$3 billion in overall
revenues. Software revenues for the data protection and recovery segment increased
10.6% in comparison to the same quarter a year ago. IDC reports that data protection and
recovery software revenue for Hitachi Data Systems grew by nearly 25% over the prior year
quarter, exceeding the annual growth rates of major competitors, including Symantec, IBM
and CA, among others.
Virtualized
Automated
Cloud-ready
Sustainable
Hitachi doesnt just sell storage. Their technology provides customers with solutions to make business better
on every level. Their solutions manage data growth, collect and connect data to create valuable information.
They help cut costs and reduce operational complexity. They empower people to access, share and secure
information. They help organizations innovate, collaborate and grow. They have the power to enhance and
change lives.
Hitachi Data Systems provide a range of distinctive capabilities for VMware data protection: Inherent
replication abilities within virtualization-based hardware are tightly integrated with VMware APIs, such as
vSphere Storage APIs for Storage Awareness (VASA), vStorage API for Multiprocessing (VAMP), vStorage
API for Array Integration (VAAI) and others. Advanced Hitachi capabilities, such as dynamic tiering and thin
provisioning, maximize storage efficiencies. HDS supports integration with and enhancements of VMwares
Site Recovery Manager (SRM) disaster recovery capabilities. They also provide advanced software-based
solutions, such as HDPS, which enhances and integrates with VMware APIs, such as vStorage APIs for Data
Protection (VADP) and its predecessor, VMware Consolidated Backup (VCB).
Hitachi Data Systems delivers a unique data management platform that offers functional consolidation of
classic data management while providing enhanced information value. Core to the solution, Hitachi Data
Protection Suite provides pure integration across IT disciplines while still allowing the best-in-class approach
to be used where it has the most strategic impact. Further, HDPS affords flexibility in design and
implementation, creating a solution that will scale with you as your needs change. HDPS software is the only
data management and data protection solution that delivers end-to-end data protection for both physical and
virtual servers. Be assured that your data is fully protected and easily recoverable when needed.
HDPS is application, operating system and disk aware. It quickly creates copies that are highly available by
integrating and leveraging hardware storage-system-based snapshot technologies. Copies of data are
deduplicated and efficiently moved to appropriate tiers of storage, whether it is disk, tape or cloud. This data
can be retrieved seamlessly for multiple possible uses, including disaster recovery, data mining, e-discovery,
compliance or regulatory requirements. This end-to-end activity is what truly modern data management is all
about. To help you make the transition to modern data management, Hitachi has made it easier than ever for
companies to migrate legacy backup systems away from complacent vendors that are no longer equipped to
handle your needs. In fact, we believe you will find the transition to HDPS to be quick and easy, as compared
to the time-consuming, painful upgrades of legacy software.
In short, Hitachi Data Protection Suite offers innovative, unique features that help enhance backup and
recovery operations, simplify data management and reduce data management costs.
<Example included from sample RFP? If not, delete this.>
In addition to analyst approval, award-winning service and support, and a tradition of unbeatable high
availability, Hitachi Data Systems customers benefit from access to the following exclusive capabilities:
Solution Overview
Increasingly, organizations are virtualizing more of their server environments to gain:
Virtualization brings many positive benefits to organizations, but it also brings many challenges. Hitachi Data
Systems provides options for protecting data effectively in a virtualized environment. To solve these problems,
HDS has developed a 3-pronged approach:
Service-level protection
Move (archive) inactive data to a content store with built-in protection
Application integration protection
Service-level Protection
Most organizations follow a policy of full backups on the weekends and incremental backup on weekdays to
protect all data. This 1-size-fits-all approach is increasingly becoming inadequate, as all data is not equal in
importance. Hitachi Data Systems recommends a tiered protection approach that is based on service-level
requirements of the data and is focused on recovery objectives. Users protect data to recover for multiple
reasons; each requires different technologies that are optimized for that specific recovery type.
Integrated Deduplication. Reduce backup windows and eliminate redundant backup data
sets with Hitachi Data Protection Suites industry-leading deduplication technology. HDPS
deduplication is a source-side, global deduplication technology for maximum performance
and ease of manageability.
Enhanced Auto Discovery and Protection of Virtual Machines. Manage VM sprawl,
minimize administrator intervention and guarantee automatic protection for all VMs in the
environment. The unique SnapProtect for Virtual Server Agent (VSA) feature automatically
detects and protects all new VMs based on pre-defined policies.
Multiple Backup and Recovery Options Based on Defined Policies. Attain more
recovery points per day. Full VM restore or granular file-level recovery is provided.
Granular, File-level Recovery from a Full Image Backup. Experience easy, fast recovery
of file system, database and application data, using a single data object.
Integrated VM Disaster Recovery. Perform integrated VM recoveries by leveraging copy
capability for offsite backups of VMs.
Industry-leading Storage Vendor Support. Provide consistent data management across
different storage vendors, thanks to support for industry-leading storage platforms, which
allow flexibility in the choice of storage systems.
The unique HDPS feature, SnapProtect for VSA, integrates with Hitachi storage-system-based snapshot
engines within each storage system, creating rapid copies of VMware datastore Virtual Machine Disks
(VMDKs). These snapshots are a fast VM recovery image, with no impact to the ESX server resources.
A SnapProtect job follows the same sequence as a regular backup job; however, instead of copying data
blocks, it executes a rapid snapshot. The sequence is as follows:
The snapshot process is very fast, requiring a very short quiesce period for the VMs. This minimal impact on
server operation allows for more frequent backups to occur during the day. Companies can leverage this
technology to radically improve their RPOs and RTOs as point-in-time images (multiples per day) can be
created frequently.
A SnapProtect snapshot can also be copied to backup media. This is also improved from the traditional VADP
methodology because you mount the snapshot as a temporary datastore on the media server. This allows the
data to be copied without impacting the production datastore image. It still creates load on the storage system,
but it no longer directly impacts the performance of the source datastore.
Scale up: Increase virtual server consolidation, improve utilization of resources and reduce
costs.
Scale out: Add new physical or virtual servers to your environment to meet business
demands.
Scale deep: Extend the advanced functions of Virtual Storage Platform to external
multivendor storage.
The trend in server virtualization is to consolidate the I/O workload of many servers onto a single storage
system. The consolidation of more VMs onto a physical host requires storage systems to add more storage
resources dynamically to keep up with I/O demand. The 3D scaling capability of Hitachi Virtual Storage
Platform meets that requirement.
The switch matrix architecture of Virtual Storage Platform makes all of this possible. It connects the basic
components, front-end directors, back-end directors, global cache modules and virtual storage directors. As
required, redundant pairs of directors and cache modules can be added without disruption to connected host
servers. A global cache tightly couples all these resources to create a common pool of storage resources, which
can include external storage that is connected through front-end director initiator ports.
Virtual Storage Platform can be doubled using a dual-chassis system with up to 6 racks. The logic box in each
chassis is the same, using the same types and numbers of logic boards. Any front-end port can access any
back-end RAID group. No division within the storage system exists between the chassis.
For more information about Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform, visit www.HDS.com.
Hitachi Compute Blade 2000 supports up to 2 management modules for redundancy. Each module is hotswappable and supports the following:
For this reference architecture, the cold standby feature was not used. Instead, the failover used VMware
vSphere clusters.
Within HDPS, CommCell Management Group defines the scope of control for the CommServe host. All
components under the licensing and control of the CommServe host are defined as being members of the
CommCell group. The CommCell Console is the management graphical user interface (GUI) used for
managing the CommCell.
The media agent (MA) is responsible for the transfer of data from the client computer to the backup media,
whether disk or tape.
This architecture uses 3 iDataAgents (iDA) for communication to execute backups:
Windows File System iDA. By default, this iDA is installed along with every iDA when
detecting a Windows host.
VMware iDA. The VMware iDA, also called the Virtual Server Agent (VSA), is installed on a
proxy host. This proxy host is a physical or virtual machine running Microsoft Windows. The
VSA communicates with vCenter or the ESX host to discover VMs and execute backups
using the vStorage API for Data Protection (VADP).
Microsoft iDA. This application iDA is installed on the application host. It executes backups
on the application server system databases and user databases.
Using the VSA and the MA reduces the impact of backup processes on production servers over traditional
backup methods by offloading processing to a proxy host (see Figure 2). Hitachi Data Protection Suite takes a
snapshot of the VM, and then accesses the snapshot through the proxy server.
Hitachi Data Protection Suite can scale up to thousands of VMs and physical servers. Its configuration allows
the automatic discovery and protection of newly added virtual machines to the environment.
The deduplication capabilities in HDPS can reduce the amount of data being backed up from the source,
shorten the backup window and significantly reduce bandwidth requirements. These capabilities can work with
key data management operations, such as archiving, search, encryption, and direct recovery from deduplicated
tape. The VSA performs deduplication at the proxy host, reducing the overall load to the production virtual
machines and reducing backup traffic.
Client-side Deduplication
Hitachi Data Protection Suite was the first data management solution that embedded deduplication as a core
functionality in the software platform. HDPS extends the deduplication functionality even further to provide
unmatched scalability and extensibility for even the largest enterprises (see
Figure 3).
HDPS = Hitachi Data Protection Suite, ERP = enterprise resource processing, ECM = enterprise content management,
Windows = Microsoft Windows
Source-side deduplication for 90% reduction in network transfer and 50% improvement in
backup speeds
True global deduplication of data from multiple clients and from multiple sites
Higher capacity, higher throughput, higher resiliency and availability using automatic store
rebuild
Deduplication-accelerated DASH copy for rapid creation of secondary or disaster recovery
copies
Deduplication-accelerated Synthetic Full, or DASH Full, for rapid creation of synthetic full
jobs
Retention of long-term data in deduplicated form on tape for 90% reduction in cost of offsite
storage
Client-side de-duplication can help meet backup windows for servers that have large data sets but have limited
bandwidth over which to send backup data. By only sending unique block-level data, just a fraction of the
backup bandwidth is necessary to complete a backup versus traditional backup methods. There is no need to
upgrade client networks or extend the backup network to include these systems as Hitachi client-side
deduplication helps reduce network bandwidth requirements for ongoing backups.
ESX Server Pool = VMware Server Pool, ESXi Proxy = VMware ESXi Proxy, VMFS = VMware Virtual Machine File System,
SPC/VSA = SnapProtect client/virtual server agent, VM = virtual machine, MA = Media Agent
Figure 4. SnapProtect for VSA interacts directly with the storage volume.
SRM Benefits
Leverage backup data for creation of SRM reports (no secondary SRM scan needed).
Employ agentless option to allow SRM scanning of systems that do not contain Hitachi
agent technology.
Analyze and view physical and virtual storage utilizations and maximize their usage.
Make informed decisions on how best to deploy an application in a virtualized environment.
Identify stale data and make informed decisions on your archiving rules and storage
policies.
Leverage file-level analytics for physical and virtual environments.
Reclaim physical and virtual storage capacities using integrated archiving actions within
SRM reports.
Produce chargeback reports based on physical and VM capacities.
By using the integrated SRM tools in HDPS, <company name> can be much more effective around data
protection operations by removing old, redundant data sets from the backup environment. This saves money
and can often cost justify a Hitachi technology acquisition.
and resource constraints amid growing, morphing IT requirements, Storage Economics provides
invaluable business acumen. Assessing the efficiencies, the technologies and integrative capabilities
of Hitachi data protection solutions is relevant to understanding how they can meet high-priority
business and IT drivers, such as reducing costs and meeting SLAs.
Some of the key metrics that Storage Economics will use to evaluate the cost efficiencies of file and
content solutions include:
Return on Investment (ROI). This is a method for calculating the benefits of a particular
investment. ROI is effective when challenging the status quo with a proposition to replace
an existing solution by analyzing financial pros and cons of a purchasing decision. The ROI
analysis would illustrate how much is to be invested, how quickly the investment is to be
recouped, and what net savings are to be expected.
Return on Assets (ROA). ROA is method for calculating how profitable an organization is
relative to its total assets, or how an individual asset impacts profitability. ROA can be a key
metric to justify investments that improve aggregate utilization of IT assets in general, and
storage specifically, even beyond the depreciation life of those assets.
Capital Expenditure (CAPEX). CAPEX is the cost of purchasing or extending the useful
life of a fixed or physical asset such as equipment or property.
Operating Expenditure (OPEX). OPEX is the ongoing expenses for managing, supporting,
maintaining and upgrading a system over its lifespan. This may include such items as
electricity to power it, and administrative, labor-related, day-to-day costs incurred by the
system to support the business.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). TCO is a method for calculating all costs that will be
incurred over the assets useful life. TCO analysis is used when expansion is anticipated
and the financial benefits of 2 or more proposed solutions must be assessed. The analysis
places the total lifetime operating and purchasing costs of the assets side by side for
comparison.
To ultimately calculate these economic metrics, Storage Economics first examines and considers 34 various
cost elements of storage TCO, which are not necessarily equal in weight, importance or time relevance, but
important to better understanding the true cost of storage infrastructure. IT planners usually select between 6
and 10 of these hard and soft costs to create their own TCO baseline, based on business needs. The critical
value of citing cost elements is to help the IT organization develop and implement a plan for reducing TCO.
Storage TCO cost modeling is likely to be inclusive of the entire storage infrastructure, not just storage devices
or storage systems only. So many of the cost elements can be derived from backup, SAN, remote and local
circuits, tape systems, and management or monitoring consoles.
management foundation. We could have pieced together a solution with separate products, but it was clear
we'd get so much more with HDPS software, which would be so much easier to manage, too, said Mark
Connolly, senior network engineer for IMG. We projected IMG could save more than $1 million over 3
years by replacing our existing solutions with HDPS software, while also decreasing our reliance on tape
at remote sites worldwide. With HDPS software, we have the global building blocks in place that can be
easily and economically added to over time."
Ellis Medicine
Ellis Medicine replaced multiple disparate backup and recovery solutions, including Tivoli Storage Manager
and Symantec Backup Exec, with Hitachi Data Protection Suite backup and recovery and archive modules.
Now the company reports reduced risk and email storage costs of up to 75% lower than with its previous
solutions. Ellis Medicine also states that integration with McAfee ePO platform has provided unparalled
enterprise-wide visibility to the status of backed up and archived critical patient and application data. This
allows them to more effectively correlate data management and security to further reduce costs and
administrative overhead while improving threat protection and overall compliance. We wanted an
enterprise-wide solution that would fit in one console. We realized HDS could back up SharePoint,
Exchange, SQL, Oracle, AIX, Windows and mailboxes everything we wanted to do, said Rodney
Kowalczyk, network engineer.
CI Investments
By investing in Hitachi Data Protection Suite enterprise data and information management software, CI
Investments projects a 12-to-18 month ROI and forecasts a savings in storage-related costs of more than US$1
million over a 4-year period. The closer we looked at HDPS software, it became clear that we could take
advantage of a single platform to deal with rapid business growth as well as facilitate fast data recovery
without overburdening our infrastructure, said Terry Tick, vice president of infrastructure at CI
Investments. HDS HDPS software's flexibility, scalability and ease of use combined to clinch the deal.
We also were able to project a 12-to-18 month ROI in HDPS software, which enabled us to build a
compelling business case for standardizing on HDS.
"HDS's global dedupe works across all data types, sources and platforms without the same limitations
as dedupe appliances. With HDS's hardware-agnostic solution, scaling would be more affordable since
we could add commodity hardware as our data grew without being tied to a dedicated and expensive
appliance, said Brian D'Souza, manager of UNIX infrastructure at CI Investments.
Customer Comments
We expect to reap significant operational efficiencies and cost savings, from being able to centralize
administration of backup and recoveries from our dispersed offices. Adding deduplication to the mix
also is a big plus as we are expecting to reduce up to 90% of United Waters backup and archive
data currently stored on disk and tape.
United Water
With HDPS software, the company (BT) gains a more flexible, scalable solution, which BT expects
will deliver greater management visibility for better control of its massive environment, which
includes more than 6 PB of data and a large-scale Oracle deployment.
BT
Texas Tech has achieved a reduction in its overall tape and disk storage costs by up to 40% and
has stated it uses approximately 80% less disk for backup data.
Texas Tech University
the team claims that this allows their IT department to improve application performance and cut
unnecessary administrative overhead from 45 minutes a day to less than 30 minutes a week.
Cleveland Indians
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Notice: This document is for informational purposes only, and does not set forth any warranty, expressed or implied, concerning any equipment or service
or to be offered by Hitachi Data Systems Corporation.
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2012. All Rights Reserved. BR-497-A July2012