Data Center, Grid, and Fabric Virtualization

Virtualizing the Data Center

Data centers are becoming more complex every day. The need to improve asset utilization has led architects to create more dynamic environments which has subsequently led to the need for increased use of automation for administration, provisioning and ongoing management. The result of implementing virtualization solutions is a more streamlined and efficient environment improving key business metrics such as return on invested capital.

Virtualization technologies have been introduced in many data center environments to enable better resource utilization and further simplify IT management and operations.

• Server Virtualization technology enables the creation of multiple virtual instances of a server on a single physical server. Alternatively, it enables using clusters of industry-standard servers to aggregate capacity instead of using costly high-end mainframe machines.
• Storage Virtualization instantiates multiple virtual storage elements on single physical storage system or aggregates multiple physical storage devices to form a single, logical storage volume.
• Networks can be virtualized using technologies such as Virtual LANs (VLAN) and Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
  

In addition to addressing flexible resource allocation and scale-out architectures, the virtualization technologies create an abstraction layer that can provide easier management and isolate users from physical failures.

Voltaire Virtualization Solutions

Voltaire solutions, which include multi-service switches, host channel adapters, software and management, are the building-blocks for the next generation, "virtual" data center. Voltaire solutions provide a virtual backplane for server, storage, and networks that can be re-shaped and re-allocated on demand to meet ever-changing business and application demand.

Voltaire products provide the missing links in today's data center virtualization solutions which address server, storage, and network virtualization in "silos." Voltaire solutions act as the "glue" to unify the different virtualization technologies in the data center by enabling the following virtualization functionality:

Hardware-based Virtual I/O: A single/redundant host channel adapter (HCA) and switch port can provide multiple hardware-enforced Virtual NICs and Virtual storage HBAs to each physical (or even individual) virtual server. Voltaire Virtual I/O technology allos hardware-based prioritizing and provides the highest performance and isolation, unlike software-based Virtual I/O solutions.

Fabric Virtualization: Using Voltaire multi-service Grid Director™ switches, a 20Gb/s-based redundant fabric can be used for multiple data, storage, and cluster networks layers. Each layer can be fully isolated and used to dynamically allocate switching resources. The high-speed I/O router modules that are integrated in the switches enable seamless connectivity to standard Ethernet and Fibre Channel networks. Redundant fabrics can be formed so that fabric failures can be handled transparently.

Application Scale-out: Voltaire server software leverages InfiniBand's low latency, RDMA and Voltaire's unique middleware/protocols so users can form linearly-scaling clusters on top of commodity server platforms. This eliminates the need for high-end servers and mainframes and allow for standardizing on mainstream server platforms for the entire set of applications.

Management Abstraction: Voltaire GridVision™ management platform provides centralized service-oriented discovery, diagnostics, maintenance and provisioning of complete fabrics including the attached switches, host ports, network and storage resources. By integrating with the GridVision APIs and UI, users and higher level automation tools can provide better overall virtual data center solutions.

Commodity-based, scalable rack unit, with a dynamically provisioned internal backplane, virtual I/O, and standard connections to external networks and storage from Voltaire are used here. Multiple racks can be connected together to form a larger topology.

Benefits of Voltaire and InfiniBand Solutions for Server Virtualization

One of the key capabilities of InfiniBand is that it allows the formation of multiple I/O channels (QPs) on top an individual adapter. These channels can be used for network, storage or clustering and are independent from each other. Furthermore, it is possible to prioritize each of the channels and enforce hardware resource allocation for each.

Different server visualization solutions such as Xen and VMWare® can use InfiniBand's channel architecture to provide direct access between the Virtual Machine and its I/O, which significantly improves the I/O performance, provides I/O QoS, and lowers the CPU overhead associated with the typically-used software-based I/O switching. A recent IBM research study revealed that Xen-based virtual server I/O performance with InfiniBand channel architecture has the same performance and latency as using a physical server with the same adapter. It also showed much greater performance than using standard Ethernet/FC adapters.

In addition to the great performance and isolation benefits provided by InfiniBand, single or redundant ports can connect simultaneously to multiple data, storage, and cluster networks to improve efficiency, scalability, and manageability.


The advantages of using Virtual Machines with InfiniBand

Key Benefits of Voltaire-enabled Virtualization Solutions

Voltaire solutions complement existing server and storage visualization technologies by providing the required underlying fabric and I/O services to form a virtual data center.

Key Technical Advantages:

• Single 20Gb/s adapter provides multiple virtual data, storage, and cluster adapters. Each can be isolated and have unique service level attributes.
  
• Direct hardware access to virtual I/O from individual Virtual Machines.
  
• Voltaire Grid Director switches are the industry's fastest switches that provide virtual multi-service switching for server racks and attach seamlessly to Ethernet and FC networks.
  
• Voltaire Server Software consists of high-performance drivers and application libraries allowing application clustering on top of industry standard servers.
  
• Voltaire GridVision provides central service-oriented management of switches, fabric, I/O, and edge resources.
  

Existing solutions today require the use of a variety of application-specific server platforms, multiple adapters, switches, cables per server, and physical provisioning / servicing. By using Voltaire solutions, racks filled with industry standard servers can be wired once and then virtual links/networks and clusters can be formed to dynamically address business and application requirements. In addition, fabric and I/O failures can be decoupled from the applications allowing better business continuity.

By using Voltaire solutions, customers gain the industry's best performance, the ability to consolidate infrastructure while still isolating virtual building blocks and providing differentiated services, and a much greater simplification of the data center life cycle. These benefits translate to immediate savings in capital and operational expenses, require far less resources and allow greater agility and adaptation to changing business requirements.