EMC VPLEX FAMILY

Continuous Availability and Data Mobility within

and across data centers
DELIVERING CONTINUOUS AVAILABILITY
AND DATA MOBILITY FOR MISSION-CRITICAL
APPLICATIONS
Storage infrastructure is evolving to deliver new methods of making data mobile,
freeing it from physical device limitations. Virtualizing storage extends the benefits
of server virtualization, providing automation, integration with existing
infrastructure and growth on demand.

In the past, application data was tied to a

single array. Providing Availability/mobility was challenging and doing so without

application interruption was impossible.

BENEFITS

Continuous Availability Deliver application and data

availability within the data
center and over distance with
active-active infrastructure
utilization, eliminating planned
and unplanned downtime.

Data Mobility - Move

applications, virtual machines
and data within and across
data centers and over distance
without impacting users

Migrate and relocate virtual

machines, applications, and
data non-disruptively

Eliminate planned and

unplanned application outages

Stretch clusters such as

VMware and Oracle RAC
outside the data center and
across distance

DATA SHEET

The EMC VPLEX family delivers data availability and mobility across arrays in a
single data center and across arrays in data centers separated by distance. VPLEX
is a continuous availability and data mobility platform that enables mission-critical
applications to remain up and running during a variety of planned and unplanned
downtime scenarios, even in the event of a data center site failure. VPLEX enables
non-disruptive data mobility, leveraging technologies like VMware and other
clusters that were built assuming a single storage instance and enabling them to
function across arrays in a single data center and across distance.
So, how does VPLEX work? VPLEX enables the exact same data to be read/write
accessible across two arrays at the same time. The arrays can be in a single data
center, or separated by distance. The way this is accomplished is via VPLEX's
unique implementation of distributed cache coherency. This enables transparent
load sharing between multiple arrays while providing the flexibility of relocating
workloads between arrays in anticipation of planned events.

VPLEX completely changes the way IT is managed and delivered - particularly when
deployed with server virtualization. The VPLEX family breaks down technology silos
and enables IT to be delivered as a service by enabling new models for operating
and managing IT, with the ability to dynamically move applications and data across
sites.
The ability to read and write data to multiple locations simultaneously delivers new
capabilities under a number of use cases:

Stretch cluster hosts and applications across distance including Oracle

RAC, VMware ESX, Microsoft Failover Cluster and Linux Cluster

Non-disruptively move virtual server and storage resources within and

across data centers including VMware vMotion and Microsoft Hyper-V
Live Migration

Maintain a single cache consistent image of federated storage at

multiple sites

Create a single point of control for a consolidated pool of federated

resources

Turn a diverse heterogeneous storage infrastructure into a centrally

managed storage pool

Transparently balance and relocate workloads in anticipation of

planned events and maintenance

Provide high availability for mission critical applications

Perform data migrations to new arrays without scheduled downtime,

during working hours, by the customer, without migration services

Enable the use of resources at a passive site by creating an

active/active environment between two data centers

EMC RecoverPoint native splitter technology for VPLEX Local and

VPLEX Metro combines the benefits of both continuous availability and
disaster recovery in the same deployment

CONTINUOUS AVAILABILITY FOR MORE OF

YOUR WORKLOADS
The EMC VPLEX family has expanded its implementation options to include a set of
virtual appliance working together as a vApp to protect your VMware workloads.
Now you can achieve the same levels of availability and mobility that you get from
VPLEX on a simple, affordable, and virtual appliance that leverages your existing
VMware infrastructure and iSCSI storage.
EMC VPLEX Virtual Edition takes the revolutionary VPLEX technology and
implements it as a set of virtual appliances in a VMware vApp implemented on your
existing ESX infrastructure. VPLEX Virtual Edition creates a storage cluster across
two sites that can be in the same building or up to synchronous distance apart.

This new deployment model stretches your ESX infrastructure between sites and
provides unique capabilities to your VMware applications and VMs

CONTINUOUS AVAILABILITY
VMware High Availability (HA) and VMware Fault Tolerance (FT) solutions require a
single source of data to operate. VPLEX Virtual Edition overcomes the single source
limitation by making two identical copies of the same data read and write
accessible from two locations simultaneously. This can be in a single data center or
spread across two datacenters at synchronous distances (for VMware HA). Now
VMware VMs protected by VPLEX Virtual Edition can recover from even a full site
failure in a matter of seconds with VMware HA at the second site. And with VMware
FT, workloads can continue to operate without interruption after an array or site
failure by continuing to access application data made continuously available at the
second site by VPLEX Virtual Edition.

INSTANT VM MOVES BETWEEN SITES

Traditional tools such as Storage vMotion only copy data from the old location to
the new location when the vMotion request is made. This results in delayed VM
moves that require pre-planning to ensure existing VM workloads arent impacted
by the burst in host resource use caused by the VM data replication activities. By
mirroring data between sites and allowing ESX hosts to access the VM and
application data at both sites simultaneously, VPLEX Virtual Edition allows instant
VM moves across array boundaries and over distance without additional impact to
ESX host CPU allowing for instant moves without host impact and without a need
for extensive pre-planning.

INSTANT LOAD BALANCING BETWEEN SITES

As with vMotion and Storage vMotion, automated load balancing through VMware
Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) relies on Storage DRS to move VMs and
application data when a VM move is requested due to DRS load balancing. The VM
moves are always delayed by the VM data copy process, which also puts a burden
on the ESX host as it reads and transfers the VM and application data to the new
location. By maintaining a constant mirror of VM and application data, VPLEX
Virtual Edition enables VMware DRS to load balance across arrays and over
distance instantly and without additional impact on the ESX host.

A SCALABLE ARCHITECTURE TO MEET FUTURE

REQUIREMENTS
EMC VPLEX introduces a scalable architecture, which incorporates lessons learned
from more than 20 years of expertise in designing, implementing, and perfecting
enterprise-class intelligent cache and distributed data protection solutions.
Built on a foundation of scalable and highly available processor engines, EMC
VPLEX is designed to seamlessly scale from small to large configurations. VPLEX is
an appliance that resides between the servers and heterogeneous storage assets
and uses unique clustering architecture that enables servers at multiple data
centers to have read/write access to shared block storage devices. Unique
characteristics of this architecture include:

Scale-out clustering hardware which lets you start small and grow big with
predictable service levels

Advance data caching utilizes large-scale SDRAM cache to improve

performance and reduce I/O latency and array contention

Distributed cache coherence for automatic sharing, balancing, and failover of

I/O across the cluster

Distributed cache coherence for automatic sharing, balancing, and failover of

I/O across the cluster

An active-active infrastructure fully utilizing all resources

Resource pooling from multiple data centers, separated either by a few feet
within a data center or across synchronous or asynchronous distances,
enabling new models of continuous availability and workload relocation

With its unique scale-up and scale-out architecture, VPLEX advanced data caching
and distributed cache coherency provides workload resiliency, automatic sharing,
balancing, and failover of storage domains and enable both local and remote data
access with predictable service levels.

A SOLUTION FOR ONE OR MULTIPLE DATA

CENTERS
The VPLEX family consists of three products: EMC VPLEX Local, EMC VPLEX Metro,
and EMC VPLEX Geo

EMC VPLEX Local delivers data mobility and availability across arrays. VPLEX is
a unique virtual storage technology that enables mission critical applications to
remain up and running during any of a variety of planned and unplanned
downtime scenarios. VPLEX permits painless, non-disruptive data movement,
taking technologies like VMware and other clusters that were built assuming a
single storage instance and enabling them to function across arrays

EMC VPLEX Metro delivers data mobility and availability across sites. VPLEX is a
unique virtual storage technology that enables mission critical applications to
remain up and running during any of a variety of planned and unplanned
downtime scenarios. VPLEX permits painless, non-disruptive data movement,
taking technologies like VMware and other clusters that were built assuming a
single storage instance and enabling them to function across synchronous
distance

EMC VPLEX Geo delivers data mobility and availability across sites. VPLEX is a
unique virtual storage technology that enables mission critical applications to
remain up and running during any of a variety of planned and unplanned
downtime scenarios. VPLEX permits painless, non-disruptive data movement,
taking technologies like VMware and other clusters that were built assuming a
single storage instance and enabling them to function across asynchronous
distance

A VPLEX Local configuration is defined by up to four VPLEX engines, which are

integrated into a single cluster image through their fully redundant inter-engine
fabric interconnections. The cluster interconnect functionality enables the online
addition of VPLEX engines, providing exceptional scalability for all three VPLEX
product configurations. All connectivity between VPLEX cluster nodes and across
VPLEX Metro and VPLEX Geo configurations is fully redundant, ensuring protection
against single points of failure.
A VPLEX cluster can scale up through the addition of more engines, and scale out
by connecting two VPLEX clusters within synchronous metro distances for a Metro
configuration or two VPLEX clusters connected within asynchronous distances for a
Geo configuration. Both VPLEX Metro and VPLEX Geo help transparently move and
share workloads - including entire virtual machines - consolidate data centers, and
optimize resource utilization across data centers. In addition, it provides nondisruptive data mobility, heterogeneous storage management, and continuous
application availability. VPLEX Metro supports up to two clusters, which can be in
the same data center or at two different sites within synchronous distances.
VPLEX Geo supports up to two clusters at two different sites within asynchronous
distances.

At a single site or across sites, the VPLEX family improves data and storage
resiliency. VPLEX enables you to mirror volumes within and across locations,
providing continuous application availability in the event of a disaster. This
capability can increase protection and availability for critical applications while
leveraging your existing storage resources - without requiring host resources.
VPLEX Metro, in combination with VMware, provides a unique capability that
enables you to extend VMware HA, FT and DRS across distance and move
application data without taking CPU cycles of the hosts. Combined with vMotion,
enables transparent movement and relocation of virtual machines and their
corresponding data over distance.

VPLEX Geo, in combination with Microsoft's Hyper-V technology, further extends

these capabilities by enabling application and data mobility over longer
asynchronous distances (up to 50 ms round-trip latency).
As EMC helps customers build and implement their private clouds, VPLEX will
provide the flexibility, availability, and automation to increase data access while
simultaneously reducing cost and increasing efficiencies.
For more info: Explore and compare the latest VPLEX products in the EMC Store

CONTACT US
To learn more about how EMC
products, services, and solutions can
help solve your business and IT
challenges, contact your local
representative or authorized reseller
or visit us at the EMC Store or at
www.EMC.com .

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VMware, Inc., in the United States and other jurisdictions. Copyright 2014 EMC Corporation. All
rights reserved. Published in the USA. 7/14 Data Sheet H7070.3
EMC believes the information in this document is accurate as of its publication date. The
information is subject to change without notice.