V3 Storage Architecture Overview and Implications for VDI. May 2016

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V3 Storage Architecture

Overview and

Implications for VDI

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2 Sphere 3D Corp Proprietary

Our Technology Philosophy

At Sphere 3D, our philosophy is to reduce as

many layers of abstraction between hardware

and software as possible.

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Storage Architectures and Implications

• Summary

• Context

• Storage Architectures to Handle OS & Temp Data

• Performance, Scaling, Management & Cost

• NAS Architecture better than SAN for User & App Data

• What does that mean for a business?

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Storage Choices Inform VDI Feature Set

V3

HCI VDI Vendors*

Implications for Feature Set

• VDI performance subject to network latency of SAN

• Distance of more than 1-10 miles creates multiple, isolated storage networks

• Performance degrades as nodes increase

• All Data needs to be replicated, leading to very slow recover times • Expensive & special networking equipment required

• Skilled storage AND VDI professionals required

• VDI performance with nominal network latency

• Local storage for each node is segregated; therefore no performance degradation as you add nodes

• No need to replicate OS and Temp Data on Recovery, leading to faster Recover times

• No special storage equipment or personnel needed

• No limit on distance between nodes

• Only need to replicate User and App Data on Recovery, leading to faster Recover times

• No special storage equipment or personnel needed

Network or Local Storage SAN or NAS SAN or NAS Local Storage for Speed

SAN for Speed & Fail Over\Recovery NAS for Fail

Over\Recovery

Local for OS &

Temp Data

Network for User

& App Data

VDI

* HyperConverged Infrastructure vendors including Nutanix, SimpliVity, EVO, etc. We are referring to the VDI side of their business, not their server virtualization side.

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Let’s Look at How a Desktop Interacts with Storage

Write

Read

Desktop Storage I\O

OS & Temp

Data

User Data

App Data

Description

Physical Analogy

Opening, saving or closing what users traditionally think of as files (Excel file, Word file, etc.). Read\writes are occasional so speed is not essential.

The customized settings that make a user’s desktop look like his or her desktop: desktop background image, the selection of apps, where the apps are (pinned on taskbar, etc.), the settings within each app (show ribbon, hide toolbar, etc.), browser settings like bookmarks. Read\writes are occasional so speed is not essential.

The hidden things always going on in the background so that the computer can function properly. Read\writes are constant and numerous so speed is essential.

A carpenter’s heartbeat and breathing.

Choosing a carpenter’s toolbox: color of the toolbox, the actual selection of tools in the box, the type of tool and its color.

Taking a tool out of the toolbox and a project (an unfinished chair) out of the storage room. Then putting it back.

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Why OS & Temp Data Constantly Access Storage

Write

Read

OS & Temp Data

Physical

RAM

On the Windows desktop, there is near constant movement of information from physical RAM to virtual RAM (also called the PageFile) which is in Storage and back.

Developers created the PageFile because physical RAM is expensive and there are limits to RAM that can be used (for example, for 64 bit OS, limit is 8GB of physical RAM).

The PageFile allows the Desktop and its apps to use more RAM than physically is available.

Even if there is enough physical RAM, the Windows OS will constantly interact with the PageFile. As Microsoft says “Virtual memory is always being used, even when the memory that is required by all running processes does not exceed the volume of RAM that is installed on the system.”*

RAM

Storage

Virtual RAM

_{or PageFile}

Near constant read\writes of OS & Temp Data

* https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2160852

If the heartbeat and breathing of a system perform badly, then the entire system will perform

badly. OS & Temp Data must be handled efficiently for the entire system to perform well.

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Why OS & Temp Data Constantly Access Storage

Desktop Down

Some things to consider here are:

• Is there a distance limitation on how far the new desktop can be from the old one?

• How quickly will the data replicate?

•Can the new desktop have different computing resources from the old desktop?

App Data

User Data

App Data

User Data

v

New Desktop

• Because read\writes of User &

App Data is much less frequent,

speed and performance are less

important features.

• Much more important is the ability

to move that data so users can Fail

Over and Recover instantaneously.

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Storage Architectures to Handle

OS & Temp Data

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Comparisons of Storage Architectures

to Handle OS & Temp Data

V3

HCI VDI Vendors

Storage RAM Network Card Storage RAM Network Card Storage RAM Network Card

Network

Connections

Combining

VDI & SAN

makes at least

3 Nodes

Required

Some systems

require even

more nodes

than the bare

minimum.

Storage

Local Bus

Connection

Management

La

yer

(softw

ar

e)

Switch

Yes, you’re seeing that right. V3’s storage architecture for OS & Temp

Data really is that simple vs. every other traditional VDI vendor.

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12 Sphere 3D Corp Proprietary Storage

Local Bus

Connection

Management

La

yer

(softw

ar

e)

Switch

Path of a Write Transaction

V3

HCI VDI Vendors

Network

Connections

A Write Transaction (for example, a keystroke or moving from

app to app) is a series of electrical impulses. In a V3 box, these

electrical impulses only have to hit 1 physical component

before hitting storage and there is almost no management

overhead (software or processing).

In the SAN, the Write Transaction from VDI must be written to 3 different Nodes or

Servers. It is done over a slower network connection. It must be processed with

software (management overhead) and so also requires CPU and RAM at each server.

The electrical impulses of a Write Transaction must be moved through and processed by a variety of hardware components. Most of the latency or delay is due to the LAWS of PHYSICS.

The Windows OS is constantly writing to the PageFile on Storage, so handling this Write Transaction well has profound effects on VDI performance.

Write

Transaction

must hit at

least 3

Nodes

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Performance, Scaling,

Management & Cost

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Choice of Storage Architecture for OS & Temp Data

Creates Dramatically Better Performance for V3

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Law of Physics are Bad for Scaling HCI VDI Nodes

Increasing the number of Nodes or servers increases the length of the path that the electrical impulses need to travel and\or the processing (management overhead) that the software governing the nodes needs to do to determine the shortest path.

There is a hard stop at 1-10 miles. If you locate a Node or Server more than 10 miles away from another Node, then the entire system will stop working or you will add another storage network to implement and manage.

VDI run on SANs are sensitive to distance. You can see why VDI run on SANs have to be centralized, data center installations.

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V3

HCI VDI Vendors

Network

Connections

Storage

Local Bus

Connection

Management

La

yer

(softw

ar

e)

Switch

Management of V3 is Easier

Managing a local bus connection is much easier than

managing a SAN with fluctuating performance based upon

how many users are on the system, how many apps each

user has opened and what apps each user is using.

SANs attached to VDI installations are very unusual animals

and often react in strange ways during normal use.

In fact, SANs themselves without VDI attached is a complex

system that requires highly skilled and expensive people to

manage.

Write

Transaction

must hit at

least 3

Nodes

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Less Stuff means V3 is more Cost Effective

In traditional VDI installations, the “Storage

Costs” include very little actual dollars

allocated to storage.

Most of the Storage Cost is related to

deploying and managing the SAN.

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NAS Architecture Better than

SAN for User & App Data

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Desktop Down

App Data

User Data

App Data

User Data

New Desktop

No limit on distance

Near instantaneous

NAS

4+ hour Recover time (more data to be

moved & restored)

Desktop Down

New Desktop

10 mile limit on distance

App &

User Data

Temp & OS Data

App &

User Data

Temp & OS Data

SAN

Desktop

App Data

User Data

App Data

User Data

Desktop with GPU & More Compute

No limit on distance

Near instantaneous

Moving users

when a

desktop goes

down.

Moving users to

give them a more

powerful virtual

desktop.

NAS

V3 and NAS

HCI VDI Vendors & SAN

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What Does That Mean

for a Business?

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What Does That Mean for a Business?

With Traditional HCI VDI, you have the following restrictions:

• Must deploy at least 3-4 Nodes or servers in your installation;

• As you Scale Up or Out, your performance degrades;

• Cannot do varying size, Multi-Site or Distributed/Cannot do Single Appliance per

Distributed Site;

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Initial Install

Traditional HCI VDI vendors force a customer to

start with at least 3 Nodes or Servers. Most

vendors mandate 4 Nodes or Servers to start.

Initial deployment can be sized to

the number of users in the location.

Traditional VDI Must Start with Large Deployment

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Initial Install

Scaling Out by increasing the size of the total SAN, the length of network

connections, the number of variables (Nodes) that the storage management

software has to deal with, etc., degrades overall performance for every user.

Scaling Out does not affect

performance in any way

Traditional VDI Must Start with Large Deployment

V3

HCI VDI Vendors

Best efforts

Internet

Connection

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Initial Install

ROBO deployment can be sized to the number of users in the remote office\branch office.

V3

HCI VDI Vendors

Best efforts

Internet

Connection

Adding a Remote Office/Branch Office

Now there are 2

SANs to manage.

If the ROBO is more than 10 miles away (nearly all are), then the ROBO must have a full new deployment with another storage network.

Now there are 2 SANs that must be connected in some way. There must be a management overlay (more storage software) to manage the 2 SANs.

Fail over or disaster recovery from one site to the other is very cumbersome and time consuming and\or expensive.

Traditional VDI Cannot Do Distributed, Multi-Site

or Single Appliance

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25 Sphere 3D Corp Proprietary Storage RAM Network Card

Still network

connection to

storage

Hyperconverged VDI Explained

Traditional VDI

Hyperconverged

Storage RAM Network Card Mgmt Layer (software)

Switch

Mgmt Layer (software)

Switch

Hyperconvergence claims to solve many problems by moving storage nearer to the compute (VDI). It provides a marginal improvement. Putting everything in 1 physical box does not change the fact that storage is still managed through a SAN. Every Write Transaction must move through a very circuitous path through 3 Nodes in the SAN. Putting Storage physically in the box does not magically make the SAN equivalent to local storage, no matter how it looks visually.

The electrical impulses of a Write Transaction must still be moved through and processed by a variety of hardware components in all 3 Nodes. Most of the latency or delay in a storage network is due to the LAWS of PHYSICS.

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26 Sphere 3D Corp Proprietary Storage RAM Network Card

Still network

connection to

storage

Traditional VDI

Hyperconverged

Storage RAM Network Card Mgmt Layer (software)

Switch

Mgmt Layer (software)

Switch

Hyperconverged Does Not Solve the Storage

Network Problem

Hyperconvergence

simply puts VDI in a

nicer looking package!

Just because it’s in 1 Box

does not make it better.

It does not make it local.

Network

Connections

Storage Server

VDI Server

VDI

Storage

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Why Use a SAN to Handle

OS & Temp Data?

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• The Logical Question

• Some History

• Why a SAN Worked for Server Apps

• Looking at Code as an Archaeological Dig

• How to Deal with Fail Over and Disaster Recovery

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If a SAN is more expensive, much slower and doesn’t scale

anywhere near as well as Local Storage, why are VDI vendors

using SANs in the first place?

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Data Center Installation

Conditions for vMotion \ SAN

• 3+ Nodes required

• Physical proximity to reduce network

latency \Centralized deployment

• High end networking equipment

Multiple VMs sit on each server

In fact, vMotion is DESIGNED for the

DATA CENTER!

SAN is not a Problem in the Data Center

vMotion & the Ability to Fail Over

Jumpstarts Server Virtualization

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App Saving & opening App files (like Word or Excel) Data Sporadic read\writes.

User Data User preferences (bookmarks, default settings) Sporadic read\writes.

Every keystroke, every action taken by the user Temp & OS or the computer results in read\writes.

Data This data is analogous to breathing & heartbeat. If performance here is poor, then everything else will be poor. Massive read\writes!

Windows Desktop Apps

Very little read\writes compared to desktops. Even less Temp & OS Data read\writes which are the ones that degrade performance the most

Server Apps

Path of a Write Transaction

Moving this much data back &

forth through the storage

network is much harder than …

… moving this much data!

Server apps are much more efficient in using the OS than Desktop apps. Because of this efficiency, server apps access the storage network less (less read\writes). Less use of the storage network means the storage network has much less of an impact on app

performance for server apps than for desktop apps.

There is another Major Reason Why SANs Works

with Server Apps

Server Apps Not So Often

Desktop Apps Read/Write to Storage Often

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Hypervisor

Hypervisor Mgmt Layer

Host OS

SAN Mgmt Layer

Guest OS

Desktop App

VDI Vendor

value-add

Storage

Virtualized Storage Pool

Hypervisor

Host OS

Guest OS

Desktop App

Storage

VDI Vendor

value-add

Hypervisor Mgmt Layer

V3’s Desktop Cloud Orchestrator (DCO)

VMWare

value-add *

Sphere 3D

value-add

* Please note that V3 SmartNodes which are designed for the data center does use Network Storage.