Dell EMC SC Series: Performance and Availability Dell Storage Center OS (SCOS) 7.3 Abstract This white paper provides recommended best practice guidelines for installing and configuring Dell EMC™ SC Series systems for best performance.
Revisions Revisions Date Description December 2018 Initial release November 2019 vVols branding update 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.
Table of contents Table of contents Revisions.............................................................................................................................................................................2 Executive summary.............................................................................................................................................................5 Audience ..........................................................................................................
Table of contents 3.2 Replication ........................................................................................................................................................14 3.2.1 Replication topology .........................................................................................................................................14 4 3.3 Live Migrate and Live Volume ....................................................................................................................
Executive summary Executive summary This best practices document delivers guidance to customers using Dell EMC™ SC Series storage systems in a mixed-business environment. This paper focuses on system performance and maximizing the usability of automated storage features while avoiding mismatches of technology. These guidelines are intended to cover most use cases. They are strongly recommended by Dell EMC but are not strictly required. Some exceptions are addressed in this guide.
System configuration 1 System configuration SC Series arrays are virtualized, automated, intelligent storage systems designed with optimal combinations of flash drives and HDDs at a competitive cost. This guide introduces specific configuration recommendations that maximize the performance and efficiency of the SC Series system. 1.1 Essential guidelines At the highest level, optimal design follows a few simple rules.
System configuration 1.2 Maintain the latest release of SCOS Dell EMC regularly updates Storage Center OS (SCOS) to improve performance, reliability, functionality, and provide new features. Dell EMC recommends running the latest generally available version on your system. 1.3 SAS cabling and drive placement SC Series systems are installed with resilient cabling so that each controller has two paths to every disk.
System configuration 1.6 Front-end connectivity SC Series storage provides multiple options for front-end connectivity with on-board ports directly on the controller and optional host bus adapters (HBAs). This section discusses recommendations for the different types of connectivity. In general, front-end ports need to be connected and configured symmetrically across the both controllers to facilitate high availability and continued connectivity in case of a controller failure.
System configuration 1.7.1 FCoE (SC8000 and SC9000) SC Series storage supports FCoE on the SC8000 and SC9000 platforms only. See the Dell EMC Storage Compatibility Matrix for supported FCoE HBAs, CNAs, and switches. 1.7.2 NAS SC Series storage supports NAS file shares by attaching the Dell Compellent FS8600 NAS appliance to the SAN. For further information, refer to FluidFS technical documents and videos or contact your business partner or a Dell EMC specialist. 1.
System configuration Example: An array needs to provide 20,000 IOPS at a 70/30 read/write mix with an average block size of 32K. The target for designing the array would be 26,000 (14,000 reads + [6000 writes * 2]) IOPS to accommodate the RAID write penalty and future growth. A 15K rpm spinning drive can do approximately 200 IOPS each with a sustained bandwidth of about 200 megabytes per second (MB/s). To meet the 26K IOPS design, you would need 130 x 15K drives for this array.
Storage configuration 2 Storage configuration This section provides general recommendations for optimizing the SC Series array to meet your specific needs. 2.1 Disk folders and volumes In general, it is recommended to use a single disk folder in SC Series arrays because this reduces complexity and increases flexibility. However, it may be appropriate to configure multiple disk folders in some cases: • • • 2.
Storage configuration The disk tier redundancy should be chosen prior to setting up the SC Series system. If you need help determining which type best suits a particular need, contact your Dell EMC storage specialist or business partner. Note that larger drives will default to dual redundancy by the system, and in some case may be forced to use dual redundancy. 2.4 Dual redundancy requirements Dual redundancy in a tier allows for a dual drive failure within that tier without data loss.
Storage configuration Example: In an all-flash system, use only 1.92 TB flash drives. 2.7 Hybrid array Hybrid arrays can contain more than one type of HDD (SAS or NL-SAS) as well as flash drives in the same disk folder. Hybrid arrays typically provide greater capacity at a lower cost than all-flash arrays, but also have lower performance and higher response times. Use of hybrid arrays can greatly improve overall performance if properly sized and configured.
SC Series features 3 SC Series features This section describes the different SC Series features and how they can be configured to optimize SC Series storage performance. 3.1 Data Progression Data Progression is the data movement engine in the SC Series array that converts data to a more efficient RAID type when a snapshot is taken. It also moves data to an appropriate tier of storage based upon the data’s access frequency in conjunction with the storage profile of the volume. 3.
SC Series features addition, the included Volume Advisor helps automate the process. The combination of this feature and the Volume Advisor allows data to move freely and transparently across local, campus, metro, or geographically dispersed distances, without interrupting workloads or reconfiguring hosts.
SC Series features Rules for compression (HDD-only systems) include the following: • • Tier 1, tier 2, tier 3: Compression on tier 3 only Tier 1, tier 3: Compression on tier 3 only In a three-tier system, only tier 1 and tier 3 will be deduplicated and compressed because the amount of datareduction domains may exceed the memory requirements needed for a failover.
Application considerations 4 Application considerations This section presents best practices for optimizing SC Series storage with certain applications. 4.1 VMware Dell EMC has a robust set of best practices for SC Series systems when implementing VMware® applications. Find the latest resources at SC Series technical documents and videos. 4.1.1 Virtual Volumes SC Series storage supports VMware® vSphere® Virtual Volumes™ (vVols) through Dell Storage Manager.
Conclusion 5 Conclusion This best practices guide provides configuration and usage recommendations for SC Series storage systems in general use cases. For a detailed discussion of the reasoning or methodology behind these recommendations, or for additional guidance around specific use cases, see the additional resources in appendix A, or contact your Dell EMC representative.
Technical support and resources A Technical support and resources Dell.com/support is focused on meeting customer needs with proven services and support. Storage technical documents and videos provide expertise that helps to ensure customer success on Dell EMC storage platforms. A.1 Related resources For additional information regarding any of the topics covered in this white paper, or the areas listed below, refer to the following resources available on SC Series technical documents and videos.
