Dell EMC PowerVault ME4024 8,000 Mailbox Exchange 2016 Resiliency Storage Solution using 10K drives Microsoft ESRP 4.0 Abstract This document describes the Dell EMC™ PowerVault™ ME4024 solution for Microsoft® Exchange Server, based on the Microsoft Exchange Solution Reviewed Program (ESRP) – Storage program, with 8,000 mailboxes in two ME4024 arrays containing 10K 1.2 TB drives.
Revisions Revisions Date Description October 2018 Initial release Acknowledgements Author: Damon Zaylskie The information in this publication is provided “as is.” Dell Inc. makes no representations or warranties of any kind with respect to the information in this publication, and specifically disclaims implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Use, copying, and distribution of any software described in this publication requires an applicable software license.
Introduction Table of contents Revisions.............................................................................................................................................................................2 Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................................................2 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................
Introduction 1 Introduction This document describes the Dell EMC™ PowerVault™ ME4024 solution for Microsoft® Exchange Server, based on the Microsoft Exchange Solution Reviewed Program (ESRP) – Storage program. This document details the performance characteristics of ME4024 arrays in a fully hardware-redundant configuration running Microsoft Exchange Server 2016. The solution includes 8,000 typical mailbox users running on two 2U ME4024 arrays with 24 10K (10,000 rpm) 1.2 TB hard drives.
Introduction PowerVault ME4024 PowerVault ME4024 Active data center 0 2 1 4 3 6 5 8 7 10 9 0 0 0 11 10 2 1 4 3 6 5 8 7 10 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 0 11 10 10 11 0 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 11 10 0 10 0 11 10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 0 9 10 2 1 4 3 6 5 7 8 9 10 0 0 11 10 11 52 60 48 56 52 60 48 56 10 2 1 4 3 6 5 7 8 9 10 0 11 10 Dell EMC Networking S5000 10Gb switches DAG1 Powe
PowerVault ME4024 solution overview 2 PowerVault ME4024 solution overview The PowerVault ME4 Series (including the ME4024 array) is next-generation, entry-level storage that is purpose-built and optimized for SAN and DAS virtualized workloads. Available in 2U or dense 5U base systems, the low-cost ME4 Series simplifies the challenges of server capacity expansion and small-scale SAN consolidation with up to 336 drives or 4 PB capacity.
Best practices overview 3 Best practices overview Use the following general steps to set up and configure an ME4024 system for Exchange Server: 1. Download and review the Exchange Mailbox role calculator, and determine the capacity and performance requirements. 2. Review the remaining sections of this document and apply the best practices that are applicable to your workload and environment.
Volumes 4 Volumes All volumes were provisioned to 745 GB, with 340 GB free after database creation. This allows room for growth before additional capacity would need to be purchased. Additional capacity can be added on demand, without downtime. The ADAPT RAID architecture allows RAID groups to be expanded without downtime. As the user count grows or mailbox sizes are increased, capacity can grow quickly and easily.
Tested deployment 5 Tested deployment The following tables summarize the testing environment. 5.1 Simulated Exchange configuration Simulated Exchange configuration 5.2 Configuration item Value Mailboxes simulated 8,000 DAGs 1 Servers per DAG 8 Active mailboxes per server 1,000 Databases per host 5 Copies per database 2 Mailboxes per database 200 Simulated profile (I/Os per second per mailbox) .084 (.1 tested) Database and log LUN size 838 GB Total database size for testing 12.
Tested deployment 5.3 Primary storage software Primary storage software 5.4 Configuration Detail HBA driver Intel Ethernet 10G 2P X520, driver version: 3.12.11.1 Multipathing Microsoft Windows Server 2016 R2 MPIO Round-Robin (in-box DSM) Host OS Microsoft Windows Server 2016, Datacenter Edition with desktop ESE.dll file version 15.01.1034.
Test results summary 6 Test results summary This section provides a high-level summary of the data from ESRP testing. The detailed HTML reports generated by the ESRP testing framework are shown in the appendices of this document. 6.1 Reliability Several reliability tests were run for 24 hours to verify the storage can handle a high I/O load for a long period of time. Both log and database files were analyzed for integrity after the stress test to ensure no database or log corruption.
Test results summary 6.2.1 Database read-only performance The test measures the maximum rate at which databases could be backed up using Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS). Table 6 shows the average rate for a single database file and the total per server. Database read-only performance 6.2.2 Performance item Detail MB read/sec per database 65.68 MB read/sec total per server 328.
Conclusion 7 Conclusion The testing described in this document shows the scalability and performance of the ME4024 array. This document is developed by storage solution providers and reviewed by the Microsoft Exchange Product team. The test results and data presented in this document are based on the tests introduced in the ESRP v4.0 test framework. Customers should not quote the data directly for pre-deployment verification.
Performance testing A Performance testing This appendix shows the detailed Jetstress results of the concurrent two-hour performance on all servers in the test study. A.1 Server 1 A.1.1 Test results Test summary Parameter Detail Overall Test Result Pass Machine Name JS1 Test Description .1 iops 1.
Conclusion Database sizing and throughput Performance counter Value Achieved Transactional 220.546 I/O per Second Target Transactional I/O per Second 200 Initial Database Size (bytes) 3221225472000 Final Database Size (bytes) 3229043654656 Database Files (Count) 5 Jetstress system parameters Performance counter Value Thread Count 5 Minimum Database Cache 160.0 MB Maximum Database Cache 1280.
Conclusion Database configuration Performance counter Value Instance7460.1 Log path: C:\EX16\db1\logs Database: C:\EX16\db1\db\Jetstress001001.edb Instance7460.2 Log path: C:\EX16\db2\logs Database: C:\EX16\db2\db\Jetstress002001.edb Instance7460.3 Log path: C:\EX16\db3\logs Database: C:\EX16\db3\db\Jetstress003001.edb Instance7460.4 Log path: C:\EX16\db4\logs Database: C:\EX16\db4\db\Jetstress004001.edb Instance7460.5 Log path: C:\EX16\db5\logs Database: C:\EX16\db5\db\Jetstress005001.
Conclusion Log replication I/O performance MSExchange Database ==> Instances I/O Log Reads/sec I/O Log Reads Average Bytes Instance7460.1 0.310 120555.495 Instance7460.2 0.311 121094.604 Instance7460.3 0.310 120434.885 Instance7460.4 0.311 120770.984 Instance7460.5 0.312 121367.
Conclusion A.1.2 Test log 10/5/2018 6:54:15 AM -- Preparing for testing ... 10/5/2018 6:54:21 AM -- Attaching databases ... 10/5/2018 6:54:21 AM -- Preparations for testing are complete. 10/5/2018 6:54:21 AM -- Starting transaction dispatch .. 10/5/2018 6:54:21 AM -- Database cache settings: (minimum: 160.0 MB, maximum: 1.2 GB) 10/5/2018 6:54:21 AM -- Database flush thresholds: (start: 12.8 MB, stop: 25.
Conclusion A.2 Server 2 A.2.1 Test results Test summary Parameter Detail Overall Test Result Pass Machine Name JS2 Test Description .1 iops 1.5GB mailbox 5 dbs/host 4 hosts 5 threads Test Start Time 10/5/2018 6:54:18 AM Test End Time 10/6/2018 8:27:12 AM Collection Start Time 10/5/2018 7:02:04 AM Collection End Time 10/6/2018 7:02:01 AM Jetstress Version 15.01.1019.000 ESE Version 15.01.1034.026 Operating System Windows Server 2016 Datacenter (6.2.9200.0) Performance Log C:\Jetstr
Conclusion Performance counter Value Replace Operations 5% Read Operations 35% Lazy Commits 70% Run Background Database Maintenance True Number of Copies per Database 2 Database configuration Performance counter Value Instance5788.1 Log path: C:\EX16\db6\logs Database: C:\EX16\db6\db\Jetstress001001.edb Instance5788.2 Log path: C:\EX16\db7\logs Database: C:\EX16\db7\db\Jetstress002001.edb Instance5788.3 Log path: C:\EX16\db8\logs Database: C:\EX16\db8\db\Jetstress003001.
Conclusion Background database maintenance I/O performance MSExchange Database ==> Instances Database Maintenance I/O Reads/sec Database Maintenance I/O Reads Average Bytes Instance5788.1 9.011 261239.875 Instance5788.2 9.054 261207.540 Instance5788.3 9.010 261257.354 Instance5788.4 9.051 261247.733 Instance5788.5 9.010 261216.385 Log replication I/O performance MSExchange Database ==> Instances I/O Log Reads/sec I/O Log Reads Average Bytes Instance5788.1 0.290 112937.
Conclusion Host system performance Counter Average Minimum Maximum % Processor Time 0.206 0.000 1.231 Available MBytes 126037.714 125796.000 126235.000 Free System Page Table Entries 12289032.755 12287867.000 12289432.000 Transition Pages RePurposed/sec 0.000 0.000 0.000 Pool Nonpaged Bytes 211079852.924 205623296.000 217882624.000 Pool Paged Bytes 311363652.065 308834304.000 318840832.000 Database Page Fault Stalls/sec 0.000 0.000 0.
Conclusion A.2.2 Test log 10/5/2018 6:54:18 AM -- Preparing for testing ... 10/5/2018 6:54:24 AM -- Attaching databases ... 10/5/2018 6:54:24 AM -- Preparations for testing are complete. 10/5/2018 6:54:24 AM -- Starting transaction dispatch .. 10/5/2018 6:54:24 AM -- Database cache settings: (minimum: 160.0 MB, maximum: 1.2 GB) 10/5/2018 6:54:24 AM -- Database flush thresholds: (start: 12.8 MB, stop: 25.
Conclusion A.3 Server 3 A.3.1 Test results Test summary Parameter Detail Overall Test Result Pass Machine Name JS3 Test Description .1 iops 1.5GB mailbox 5 dbs/host 4 hosts 5 threads Test Start Time 10/5/2018 6:54:21 AM Test End Time 10/6/2018 8:27:05 AM Collection Start Time 10/5/2018 7:02:05 AM Collection End Time 10/6/2018 7:02:03 AM Jetstress Version 15.01.1019.000 ESE Version 15.01.1034.026 Operating System Windows Server 2016 Datacenter (6.2.9200.0) Performance Log C:\Jetstr
Conclusion Performance counter Value Replace Operations 5% Read Operations 35% Lazy Commits 70% Run Background Database Maintenance True Number of Copies per Database 2 Database configuration Performance counter Value Instance2940.1 Log path: C:\EX16\db11\logs Database: C:\EX16\db11\db\Jetstress001001.edb Instance2940.2 Log path: C:\EX16\db12\logs Database: C:\EX16\db12\db\Jetstress002001.edb Instance2940.3 Log path: C:\EX16\db13\logs Database: C:\EX16\db13\db\Jetstress003001.
Conclusion Background database maintenance I/O performance MSExchange Database ==> Instances Database Maintenance I/O Reads/sec Database Maintenance I/O Reads Average Bytes Instance2940.1 9.018 261270.011 Instance2940.2 9.040 261258.245 Instance2940.3 9.019 261223.866 Instance2940.4 9.053 261229.175 Instance2940.5 9.017 261249.223 Log replication I/O performance MSExchange Database ==> Instances I/O Log Reads/sec I/O Log Reads Average Bytes Instance2940.1 0.293 113824.
Conclusion Host system performance Counter Average Minimum Maximum % Processor Time 0.206 0.010 1.337 Available MBytes 126031.403 125878.000 126235.000 Free System Page Table Entries 12289080.934 12288059.000 12289426.000 Transition Pages RePurposed/sec 0.000 0.000 0.000 Pool Nonpaged Bytes 233156072.035 227475456.000 239955968.000 Pool Paged Bytes 313117082.883 312905728.000 318722048.000 Database Page Fault Stalls/sec 0.000 0.000 0.
Conclusion A.3.2 Test log 10/5/2018 6:54:21 AM -- Preparing for testing ... 10/5/2018 6:54:26 AM -- Attaching databases ... 10/5/2018 6:54:26 AM -- Preparations for testing are complete. 10/5/2018 6:54:26 AM -- Starting transaction dispatch .. 10/5/2018 6:54:26 AM -- Database cache settings: (minimum: 160.0 MB, maximum: 1.2 GB) 10/5/2018 6:54:26 AM -- Database flush thresholds: (start: 12.8 MB, stop: 25.
Conclusion A.4 Server 4 A.4.1 Test results Test summary Parameter Detail Overall Test Result Pass Machine Name JS4 Test Description .1 iops 1.5GB mailbox 5 dbs/host 4 hosts 5 threads Test Start Time 10/5/2018 6:54:24 AM Test End Time 10/6/2018 8:26:57 AM Collection Start Time 10/5/2018 7:01:54 AM Collection End Time 10/6/2018 7:01:51 AM Jetstress Version 15.01.1019.000 ESE Version 15.01.1034.026 Operating System Windows Server 2016 Datacenter (6.2.9200.0) Performance Log C:\Jetstr
Conclusion Performance counter Value Replace Operations 5% Read Operations 35% Lazy Commits 70% Run Background Database Maintenance True Number of Copies per Database 2 Database configuration Performance counter Value Instance6860.1 Log path: C:\EX16\db16\logs Database: C:\EX16\db16\db\Jetstress001001.edb Instance6860.2 Log path: C:\EX16\db17\logs Database: C:\EX16\db17\db\Jetstress002001.edb Instance6860.3 Log path: C:\EX16\db18\logs Database: C:\EX16\db18\db\Jetstress003001.
Conclusion Background database maintenance I/O performance MSExchange Database ==> Instances Database Database Maintenance I/O Maintenance I/O Reads Average Bytes Reads/sec Instance6860.1 9.010 261259.008 Instance6860.2 9.114 261222.866 Instance6860.3 9.011 261196.175 Instance6860.4 9.115 261260.466 Instance6860.5 9.010 261243.597 Log replication I/O performance MSExchange Database ==> Instances I/O Log Reads/sec I/O Log Reads Average Bytes Instance6860.1 0.299 116123.
Conclusion Host system performance Counter Average Minimum Maximum % Processor Time 0.197 0.000 1.374 Available MBytes 126422.903 126342.000 126580.000 Free System Page Table Entries 12289196.037 12288367.000 12289636.000 Transition Pages RePurposed/sec 0.000 0.000 0.000 Pool Nonpaged Bytes 189654395.345 183762944.000 197025792.000 Pool Paged Bytes 247850936.372 245514240.000 253849600.000 Database Page Fault Stalls/sec 0.000 0.000 0.
Conclusion A.4.2 Test log 10/5/2018 6:54:24 AM -- Preparing for testing ... 10/5/2018 6:54:29 AM -- Attaching databases ... 10/5/2018 6:54:29 AM -- Preparations for testing are complete. 10/5/2018 6:54:29 AM -- Starting transaction dispatch .. 10/5/2018 6:54:29 AM -- Database cache settings: (minimum: 160.0 MB, maximum: 1.2 GB) 10/5/2018 6:54:29 AM -- Database flush thresholds: (start: 12.8 MB, stop: 25.
Conclusion B Technical support and resources Dell.com/support is focused on meeting customer needs with proven services and support. Storage Solutions Technical Documents provide expertise that helps to ensure customer success on Dell EMC storage platforms. B.
