ARCHITECTURE GUIDE

DATA DRIVEN GLOBAL VISION CLOUD PLATFORM STRATEG

ON POWERFUL RELEVANT PERFORMANCE SOLUTION CLO
VIRTUAL BIG DATA SOLUTION ROI FLEXIBLE DATA DRIVEN V

Hitachi Unified Storage VM Architecture Guide

By Hitachi Data Systems

December 2012

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Contents
Executive Summary

Chapter 1: Unifed Storage with Enterprise Virtualization

A Single Virtualized Platform with Hitachi Unified Storage VM

Chapter 2: Hitachi Unified Storage VM Architecture

4
4

One Platform for All Data

Hitachi Unifed Storage VM Hardware Components

High-Performance Switched Network

11

Cache and Control Memory

12

Front-End Design

12

High-Performance SAS Back-End Design

13

Chapter 3: Software Packages

17

Block Module Software Bundles

17

File Module Software Bundles

24

Conclusion: A Single Virtualized Platform for all Data

26

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Hitachi Unified Storage VM Architecture Guide

Executive Summary
Hitachi Unified Storage VM (HUS VM) is a storage platform for small to medium enterprises that combines storage
virtualization services with unified block, file and object data management (see Figure 1). This versatile, scalable platform provides a new storage virtualization system with central storage services for existing storage assets. Unified
management delivers end-to-end central storage management of all virtualized internal and external storage. A
unique, hardware-accelerated, object-based file system supports intelligent file tiering and migration as well as virtual
NAS functionality without compromising performance or scalability.
This storage platform requires less floor space and cooling due to innovative new technologies and packaging. It
offers tighter integration with server virtualization and improved storage administrator productivity through Hitachi
Command Suite. Hitachi Command Suite is an open, standards-based suite of tools that provides comprehensive
management, control and reporting for all file, object and block services. This software suite enables single-pane-ofglass management of all virtualized internal and external storage attached to HUS VM.
Using this system, you can deploy virtual server applications within a new storage virtualization framework. You
can extend new services to your current storage investments and more closely align IT with business objectives by
enhancing capacity efficiency. HUS VM storage systems provide the foundation for matching application service
requirements to different classes of storage and for delivering critical services.

Figure 1. Hitachi Unified Storage VM

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Chapter 1: Unified Storage with Enterprise Virtualization

To achieve growth and efficiency, businesses today must overcome a range of challenges while faced with surging operating expenses and flat budgets. Building an enterprise-level storage infrastructure should not be one of
their challenges. Hitachi Unified Storage VM (HUS VM) changes the storage economics equation by introducing the
worlds first unified storage platform with enterprise storage virtualization. With storage virtualization, businesses gain
higher value and higher functionality, resulting in greater capacity efficiency and extensive cost savings.
A Single Virtualized Platform with Hitachi Unified Storage VM
Hitachi Data Systems offers a unique approach to storage management: a single virtualized platform for all data
(structured and unstructured) with single-pane-of-glass management for heterogeneous environments (see Figure 2).
We are focused on the evolving requirements of structured and unstructured data. And we are the only vendor who
can provide you with a single, virtualized and scalable data management architecture for all open systems platforms
as well as all data and information types.

Figure 2. Hitachi Consolidated Storage Virtualization

Hitachi Unified Storage VM enables a common set of management tools across all storage assets, whether they are
the products of Hitachi Data Systems or our competitors. Our common platform and management tools improve the
productivity of storage administrators and enable better cost management (power, cooling, resource sharing), simplified data migration (block and file storage), and higher availability (IOPS and reliability) with less risk (data protection).

Chapter 2: Hitachi Unified Storage VM Architecture

Like Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform (VSP), which we introduced in 2010, Hitachi Unified Storage VM is based on
the Hi-Star crossbar-switch architecture. This architecture provides a shared resource system where all the primary
components, including front-end ports, back-end ports, cache modules and processors, are connected through an
internal switched network. HUS VM supports up to 64PB of internal and external virtualized storage capacity, and up
to 256GB of directly addressable cache (see Table 1).

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The internal processors share a global cache along with the front-end and back-end I/O modules, which creates a
common pool of storage resources and disk capacity. This disk capacity can include external storage, which is connected through host-initiator Fibre Channel ports.
One Platform for All Data
Controller-based storage virtualization is a key enabling technology to providing one platform for all data. In addition,
the internal architecture of Hitachi Unified Storage VM separates management and control processing from front-end
and back-end processing. It delivers improved performance for any unique processing required by different types
of data. It also provides the flexibility to mix and match front-end and back-end storage services to rapidly achieve
a desired goal. Consolidated and aggregated multivendor storage resources provide a single platform of enterprise
capacity for all file, object and block services functionality.
Operational Simplicity
Hitachi controller-based storage virtualization dramatically simplifies the storage infrastructure. Virtualization enables
the consolidation and aggregation of all multivendor storage resources in a single pool of enterprise storage capacity. Existing LUNs and data on externally attached storage systems are automatically discovered by Hitachi Universal
Volume Manager. The LUNs and data are presented through global cache as if they were still connected to the application server.
Hitachi Command Suite offers a comprehensive set of management, control and discovery tools for file, object and
block storage services. The software integrates solutions for storage resource management, tiered storage, business
continuity and thin provisioning, giving storage managers a unified management solution for all enterprise storage.
Hitachi Unified Storage VM Hardware Components
Hitachi Unified Storage VM can be configured starting with a single diskless system up to a full, 3-rack system (see
Table 1). The full system can include up to 1,152 hard disk drives (HDDs), up to 128 solid-state drives (SSDs) and a
total of 256GB cache. The system provides a highly granular upgrade path, allowing the addition of file modules or
disk drives to the drive chassis in an existing system as storage needs increase. All modules or drives are mounted in
standard 19-inch racks. A basic HUS VM storage system consists of a 5U controller chassis and none or 1 or more
drive trays that contain the HDDs or SSDs. HUS VM supports multiple concurrent operating systems to create a heterogeneous system environment.
The controller chassis has dual controllers, and each controller has a cache blade and a processor blade. All data
passes through the cache blade application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) to cache. The processor blade executes
all I/O jobs and manages cache. HUS VM hardware is composed of the following major components, as shown in
Figure 3:

Block modules storage virtualization system with support for internal and external virtualized storage.

File modules file virtualization system with support for internal and external virtualized storage.

Drive trays support for large form factor (LFF) 3.5-inch drives and small form factor (SFF) drives.

Rack Hitachi Data Systems or standard 19-inch rack using our supplied rail kits.

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Figure 3. Hitachi Unified Storage VM Components

Block Module
Hitachi Unified Storage VM is based on a new block storage system powered by a storage virtualization controller. This virtual storage system is a single controller chassis, available without drives. It contains the control logic,
processors, memory and interfaces to the drive chassis and the host servers (see Figures 4 and 5). Its dual-node,
shared-resource architecture creates a redundant configuration in which the storage system can continue operation
should a component failure occur.
The block module enables virtualized data access by aggregating storage servers with enterprise storage services
without added complexity. It provides common enterprise storage and data services for lower-level, lower-cost storage by leveraging existing investments, and it provides seamless integration for future capabilities.
Main components can be added, removed and replaced in the block module without shutting down a device while
the storage system is in operation. The microcode can also be upgraded without shutting down the storage system.
An integrated service processor, mounted in the controller chassis, monitors the running condition of the storage
system. Connecting the service processor with our service center enables remote maintenance. As shown in Figure
5, the block module features:

Up to 32 x 8GB Fibre Channel (48 without drives).

4 x 8 WL 6GB SAS.

Integrated switching power supplies.

Integrated service processor.

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Figure 4. Controller Chassis

Figure 5. Block Module Chassis Rear Detail

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The block controller module includes 2 cache blades, 2 processor blades, an integrated service processor, and dual
power supplies with built-in cooling fans. Each cache blade has slots for the system cache. Each also contains an
ASIC that includes most of the discrete logic previously found on Virtual Storage Platform front-end director and
back-end director boards, and a battery for data saving. If a power failure continues more than 20 milliseconds, the
storage system uses power from the batteries to back up the cache memory data and the storage system configuration data onto the cache flash memory.
The processor blade contains an Intel Xeon 8-core processor and local RAM.
A basic HUS VM chassis with dual controllers provides a total of:

2 cache blades, each with:

Up to 128GB of cache (16 x 8GB DDR3 DIMMs).

160GB flash for cache backup (2 x 80GB).

Flash battery.

2 processor blades, each with:

1 x 8-core Intel Xeon processor.

8GB of local memory (2 x 4GB DIMMs).

8 host modules (4 x 8Gb/sec Fibre Channel ports each).

4 drive modules (8 x 6Gb/sec SAS links each).

Supports up to 1,152 HDDs housed in the disk trays.

File Module
Hitachi Unified Storage VM file module features a hybrid core architecture that uses the best properties of
FPGA-based design to optimize data movement. These properties are coupled with high-performance, multicore processors for efficient data management. Both classes of activity work at full speed without impacting each other. They
can handle a number of simultaneous workloads and responsibilities, such as serving email to thousands of users
and hosting large-scale online transaction processing (OLTP) applications while maintaining high performance.
The file module provides virtualized file access through a single cluster namespace, unifying the directory structure
and presenting a single logical view (see Figure 6). It provides a virtual NAS to allocate server resources for performance and high availability, and storage pools that simplify storage provisioning for applications and workgroups.
Tiered storage optimizes performance, high availability and disk utilization across multiple tiers of storage.
The file module provides high IOPS performance, utilizing built-in 10 gigabit Ethernet (GbE) and 1GbE for high
throughput NAS and iSCSI networking connectivity. Up to 4 nodes in a single cluster will meet demands for scalable
storage with greater access, capacity and performance. Storage can be added at any time to meet new application
or business needs, or to consolidate disparate storage with a single point of management and without downtime.
These systems offer a total usable capacity from 4PB to 8PB under a single namespace with easy-to-use centralized
system management that enables administration via command-line interface (CLI) or an intuitive graphical user interface (GUI).

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Figure 6. File Module Rear Detail

HUS VM file modules are designed to meet the high performance and scalability requirements of enterprise missioncritical applications. They can help reduce total cost of ownership (TCO) through consolidation without sacrificing
performance and scalability. We employ BlueArc1 Silicon FS, a patented hardware-accelerated object-based file
system, to enable file system performance and scalability without compromise. In addition, multiple layers of storage
virtualization overcome the complexities associated with large-scale file system management and data availability.
Metadata optimization for improved storage efficiency is included in BlueArc Silicon FS. The number of metadata
operations is significantly greater than the regular data operations and contributes to a larger share of the I/O workload mix. This function enables use of fewer high-performance disks combined with lower cost disks while achieving
the same high performance. This efficiency derives from the automatic separation of metadata from user data.
Metadata is placed on the faster tier of utilized storage and the user data, on the slower, less expensive tier. This
results in improved overall system performance and reduced costs.
The BlueArc Silicon FS also includes core functionality for storage virtualization. Individual file systems belong to
enterprise virtual servers (EVS) within each physical system, each with its own set of IP addresses, policies and
individual port assignments. Virtual servers are used to group server resources to match the needs of application or
organizational requirements. In a clustered environment, file systems can be quickly relocated among physical servers
for load balancing, and virtual servers automatically migrate in a cluster failover scenario.
The file system also organizes RAID storage into a logical pool of shared storage that can simultaneously provision multiple file systems. This allows administrators to provision file systems as needed manually or by setting rules
that automatically enforce policies, distributing data dynamically across available storage to optimize performance.
Intelligent file tiering helps organizations move data among storage and archive tiers, whether internally to the data
center or externally from remote or branch offices, with automated policy-driven migration tools.
The cluster namespace functionality provides a single namespace with a directory structure that is independent of
where data actually resides in physical storage. Virtual servers are used to group server resources to match the needs
of application or organizational requirements. In a clustered environment, file systems can be quickly relocated among
physical servers for load balancing, and virtual servers automatically migrate in a cluster failover scenario.
1

BlueArc is now a part of Hitachi Data Systems.

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Drive Trays
Hitachi Unified Storage VM is available with a choice of disk drives ranging from high-performance SSDs to SAS
drives. Both LFF 3.5-inch drives and SFF 2.5-inch drives are supported. All drive types use a 6Gb/sec SAS interface.
The standard drive tray (see Figure 7) is a chassis that enables the installation of up to twenty-four 2.5-inch SFF disk
drives and 2.5-inch flash drives. It includes 2 enclosure communication cards and 2 power supplies with a built-in
cooling fan.

Figure 7. Drive Tray: 2.5-inch SFF and 3.5-inch LFF

The dense disk drive is configured with up to forty-eight 3.5-inch LFF drives (see Figure 8). The enclosure communication cards and power supplies are individual for each half of the unit and are installed as a duplex configuration.

Figure 8. Drive Tray: 3.5-inch LFF DBX Dense

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TABLE 1. HITACHI UNIFIED STORAGE VM SPECIFICATIONS

Physical Characteristics
Maximum Standard Disk Expansion Trays (2U, 24 x 2.5 disks)

48

Maximum Standard Disk Expansion Trays (2U, 12 x 3.5 disks)

48

Maximum Dense Expansion Trays (4U, 48 x 3.5 disks)

24

Data Cache (GB)

64-256

Fibre Channel Port Performance (Gb/sec)

2/4/8

Maximum Logical Devices (LDEVs)

16,384

Number of Disks per System (with spares) (2.5 or 3.5)

0-1,152

Number of Flash Drives per System (SSD)

0-128

Number of Disk Spares

1-64

Maximum Internal and External Capacity (PB)

64PB

Block Modules
Architecture

Hierarchical star network

Backend SAS links (6Gb/sec)

2-4 2-port modules (32 SAS links, 4 WL links per port)

Dimensions HxWxD

5U, 8.5" (217mm) x 19.0" (480mm) x 33" (838mm)

Weight

156 lbs. (71kg)

File Modules
Nodes per Cluster

1-4

Main Board Memory

32GB (2GB NVRAM)

Number of VLANs

256

1Gb/sec Client Ports

10Gb/sec Client Ports

Protocols

SMB, NFS, FTP

Dimensions Height/Width/Depth

3U, 5.1" (130mm) x 17.2" (437mm) x 27" (685mm)

Weight

55 lbs. (25kg)

High-Performance Switched Network

At the heart of Hitachi Unified Storage VM is the switched network that is used to communicate and transfer information between the various components (see Figure 9).
Each block module contains dual Hi-Star crossbar-switch controllers. All cache data and control data paths are part
of the switched network. This switched network is used to communicate and transfer information between the various components of Hitachi Unified Storage VM.

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Figure 9. Hitachi Unified Storage VM With Hi-Star Crossbar-Switch Architecture for High-Performance Data Movement

Cache and Control Memory

Hitachi Unified Storage VM uses partitioned cache rather than a shared global cache. A portion of this cache space
(4GB to 20GB per blade, mirrored) is reserved for the control memory region. There is also a transfer buffer region
where the host ports and drive ports transfer data blocks. There is also space for 2 or 4 user data cache directories
(500MB each).
The control memory and cache directory regions are backed up to each cache blades SSD on a planned shutdown.
On power loss, all of cache per blade is backed up to its local SSD on power loss.
The remaining cache space is managed as a global pool. This space is evenly divided into 4 partitions for the 4
microprocessor units. A microprocessor unit may borrow some space from another partition under certain circumstances. A microprocessor unit cannot access its own data partition; only the cache blades can do so with DMA
transfers, but the microprocessors manage their partitions. Each processor blade microprocessor unit uses DMA to
access control memory and the cache directories on the cache blades, but the cache blades do not.
Front-End Design
Each host I/O module contains one 4-port Tachyon QE8 8Gb/sec Fibre Channel controller. Each module is connected to one PCIe x8 link on the ASIC on the cache blade. Hitachi Unified Storage VM supports Fibre Channel for
open systems and SAN connectivity. HUS VM supports up to 32 Fibre Channel ports from up to 8 host I/O modules
per controller chassis. Additional ports, up to 48, can be added by replacing 1 to 4 drive modules per controller

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chassis with host I/O modules. The Fibre Channel ports support industry-standard 2Gb/sec, 4Gb/sec and 8Gb/sec
transfer rates.
Unique port virtualization technology dramatically expands connectivity from open systems platforms to Hitachi
Unified Storage VM. Each physical Fibre Channel port supports 1,024 virtual ports. Each virtual port has access to a
private storage partition called a host storage domain, which includes a bootable LUN0.
Connectivity from all major open systems hosts is supported, including2:

HP: HP-UX.

IBM: AIX.

Microsoft: Windows Server (2000, 2003, 2008, 2012).

Novell: NetWare, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server.

Red Hat: Enterprise Linux.

Oracle: Sun Solaris.

VMware: ESX Server.

High-Performance SAS Back-End Design

The back end of Hitachi Unified Storage VM is a SAS engine that is a cross between the HUS 100 family and Hitachi
Virtual Storage Platform. The SAS engine elements include the drive I/O modules, up to 48 disk trays with their dual
4-link SAS switches (ENCs), and the SAS drives. The cache blade controls all communications between the drive
modules and the processor blades and all DMA transfers to cache. Each drive module is connected to 1 PCIe x 8 link
on the ASIC in the main blade. Each drive I/O module contains 1 SAS controller device with a pair of 4-wide ports (4
x SAS 6Gb/sec lanes).
HUS VM is available with a choice of disk drives, ranging from high-performance SSDs to SAS drives (see Table 2).
Both LFF 3.5-inch drives and SFF drives are supported. All drives types use a 6Gb/sec interface to the back-end
directors.
TABLE 2. HITACHI UNIFIED STORAGE VM DRIVE TYPES

Drive Type

Size

Capacity

Speed
(RPM)

SSD

2.5

400GB

n/a

SAS

2.5

300GB

15K

2.5

600GB

10K

2.5

900GB

10K

3.5

3TB

7.2K

For the most updated list of supported operating systems, refer to Hitachi Data Systems website at http://www.hds.com/products/storage-systems/specifications/
operating-system-support-vm.html

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RAID Implementation Advantages

Hitachi Data Systems drive I/O modules employ advanced algorithms to manage performance. The intelligent
controllers provide disk-interface and RAID management circuitry, offloading these tasks to dedicated embedded
processors. Hitachi Unified Storage VM supports RAID-1+0, RAID-5 (parity RAID) and RAID-6 (see Table 3). All user
data disks in the system are defined as part of a RAID array group of one type or another.
TABLE 3. HITACHI UNIFIED STORAGE VM BACK-END DIRECTOR SUPPORT OF RAID CONFIGURATIONS3
RAID Type

Supported Disk Configuration

RAID-1+0 Mirroring

2D+2D

RAID-5 Distributed Parity

3D+1P
7D+1P

RAID-6 Redundant Distributed Parity

6D+2P
14D+2P

RAID-1+0
RAID-1+0 is available in 2 data plus 2 data (2D+2D) disk configuration. The configuration includes a rotating copy,
where the primary and secondary stripes are toggled back and forth across the physical disk drives for performance.
RAID-1+0 is best suited to applications with low cache-hit ratios, such as random I/O activity and with high write to
read ratios.
RAID-5 Distributed Parity
RAID-5 disk arrangements consist of 4 disks (3D+1P) or 8 disks (7D+1P). Data is striped across disks similar to
RAID-1+0. However, RAID-5 keeps parity information on each stripe of data for fault resilience. If a failure occurs, the
contents of the failed block can be recreated by reading back other blocks in the stripe and the parity. Parity information is distributed throughout the array to minimize bottlenecks when rebuilding data from a failed disk. The overhead
of RAID-5 is equivalent to 1 disk drive, regardless of the size of the array. RAID-5 is best suited to applications using
mostly sequential reads.
Concatenated RAID-5 Array Groups
Concatenated array groups enable users to stripe logical devices (LDEVs) across more disks than are in a single
RAID-5 array group for better performance. The feature supports the concatenation of 2 or 4 RAID-5 7D+1P array
groups. An LDEV created on a standard RAID-5 array group becomes a LUN when it is mapped to a host port. For
concatenated array groups, the LDEV, striped across multiple elements in the joined array groups, forms a virtual
device (VDEV). Mapping the VDEV to a host port creates the LUN.
RAID-6 Redundant Distributed Parity
Like RAID-5, RAID-6 stripes blocks of data and parity across an array of drives. However, RAID-6 maintains redundant parity information for each stripe of data. This redundancy enables RAID-6 to recover from the failure of up
to 2 drives in an array (a double fault). Other RAID configurations can only tolerate a single fault. As with RAID-5,
When using Open V-volumes for RAID-5, RAID-6 or RAID-1+0 configurations, Hitachi Unified Storage VM uses 2 adjacent 256KB chunks from the same disk before
moving to the next disk, so the effective chunk size is 512KB. For example, in a RAID-5 7d + 1P configuration, the stripes are actually 3,584KB (7 x 512KB).

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performance is adjusted by varying stripe sizes. RAID-6 is good for applications using the largest disks and performing many sequential reads.
RAID Rebuild
If a disk in a RAID group fails, the information on the failed drive is rapidly and automatically rebuilt on a hot spare
drive. Hitachi Unified Storage VM also allows logical volumes to be expanded online. Administrators can set rebuild
priority based on the daily processing cycle and RAID configuration installed.
Connecting External Storage
One of the most significant features offered by Hitachi Unified Storage VM is the ability to connect external, multivendor storage. This creates a single virtualized pool of capacity for administrators to centrally manage using Hitachi
storage management software (see Figure 10). HUS VM supports a wide range of 3rd-party storage systems.

Figure 10. A Single Virtualized Pool of Capacity

For the latest information, see the Externally Attached Storage Systems for each enterprise array including the HUS
VM at: www.hds.com/products/storage-systems/specifications/supported-external-storage.html.
Power Subsystem
The power subsystem used in Hitachi Unified Storage VM has redundant power supplies in the controller. The power
supplies are hot-pluggable, hot-swappable and N+1 redundant. This means power supplies can be removed or
installed without affecting system operation.
Each controller chassis in HUS VM consists of 2 redundant controller halves. Each half contains all physical and logical elements needed to sustain processing. Both storage halves support alternate connection path schemes, so if
one fails, the other can continue processing for the entire storage system.

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Redundant power supplies are provided to power each half of the controller. In the event of a power supply failure,
the power supplies in each half are capable of providing power for the entire system.
System Monitoring Network
The system monitoring network in Hitachi Unified Storage VM connects to all cabinets and reports on a variety of
system conditions, such as component failure, fan speed, voltages and temperature. The network enables efficient
predictive maintenance, so components can be replaced before they fail. It also expedites system repair after a failure, through the failure alert system.
The system-monitoring network passes information to the service processor or remotely across a private LAN on a
UNIX or Microsoft Windows console. Failure information is also available via Simple Network Management Protocol
(SNMP). Copies of all system status and alerts are sent to Hitachi Data Systems customer support centers via the
Hi-Track Remote Monitoring system.
High Availability
Hitachi Unified Storage VM places emphasis on high availability to satisfy the needs of the most demanding enterprise applications. Hitachi Data Systems offers a combination of unique industry solutions and best-in-class 3rd-party
software integration to deliver unbeatable resilience and availability.

Nondisruptive microcode and hardware upgrades.

Automatic failover architecture with redundant, hot-swappable components.

Dual data paths and dual control paths connecting every component.

Active-active dual-ported disk drives.

Nonvolatile backup of cache using a combination of battery and flash disk drives.

Hi-Track Remote Monitoring system, which immediately sends notification of any incident that may affect availability to the Hitachi Data Systems customer support center.

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Chapter 3: Software Packages

Hitachi Data Systems storage solutions support a full range of file, object and block storage services (see Table 4).
The solutions give IT the ability to mix and match services to satisfy a desired goal. All solutions use open protocols,
rather than proprietary APIs, to promote interoperability and maintain scalability. When combined with Hitachi Unified
Storage VM, this complete offering of software solutions allows a single storage solution to support all data types.
Block Module Software Bundles
TABLE 4. HITACHI UNIFIED STORAGE VM BLOCK MODULE SOFTWARE BUNDLES
Bundle

Hitachi Solution

Application

Hitachi Base Operating System (BOS)

Hitachi Device Manager

Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning
Hitachi Universal Volume Manager
Hitachi Virtual Partition Manager
Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager

Baseline management tools for Hitachi Unified

Storage VM, including virtualization.

Hitachi Command Suite Analytics

Hitachi Tuning Manager

Hitachi Command Director

Seamlessly gathers and reports storage and

application performance.

Hitachi Command Suite Mobility

Hitachi Tiered Storage Manager

Hitachi Dynamic Tiering

Optimizes tiered storage at the volume or

sub-LUN level.

Hitachi Local Protection

Hitachi ShadowImage Heterogeneous

Replication
Hitachi Replication Manager

Create and manage internal full and snapshot

copies of volumes.

Hitachi Remote Protection

Hitachi TrueCopy synchronous remote

replication
Hitachi Universal Replicator

Simplifies data replication between storage

systems.

The following sections describe the complementary storage capabilities and software components in depth.
Hitachi Command Suite Storage Management
Hitachi Command Suite is an application-centric storage management solution (see Figure 11). It incorporates
the internationally recognized Information Technology Infrastructure Library services management best practices
to simplify administration of a common pool of multivendor storage. This suite of management software gives
administrators the tools to deliver dependable storage system availability and performance. The software offers comprehensive management, control and discovery for file, object and block storage services and reduces complexity,
costs and risk in the storage infrastructure.

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Figure 11. Deep Integration Through a Common Hitachi Command Suite GUI, Showing Usability, Data Repositories and
Task Workflows.

Hitachi Base Operating System (BOS)

Hitachi Base Operating System is a set of fully integrated tools for simplifying storage management and enabling the
partitioning and virtualization capabilities of Hitachi Unified Storage VM (see Table 5). BOS utilizes an easy-to-use and
intuitive GUI to centrally manage Hitachi storage systems and also includes a complete CLI. It provides user, logical,
physical and host management views that enable provisioning and storage pooling for primary and secondary storage. Base Operating System includes the following individual software components:
TABLE 5. HITACHI BASE OPERATING SYSTEM INTEGRATED TOOLS

Tool

Function

Hitachi Device Manager

yy Primary control point for Hitachi Base Operating System.

yy Provides a single point of management for all Hitachi physical and virtual storage.
yy Acts as the interface for integration with other systems.

Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning

yy Provides thin provisioning for simplified provisioning operations, automatic performance

optimization and storage space savings.

Hitachi Universal Volume Manager

yy Enables virtualization of external heterogeneous storage.

Hitachi Virtual Partition Manager

yy Supports up to 29 virtual cache partitions.

Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager

Advanced

yy Provides advanced SAN multipathing with centralized management.

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Hitachi Device Manager

Hitachi Device Manager provides centralized management of multiple Hitachi storage systems. Hitachi Device
Manager v7 features a new GUI, integrated workflows for improved usability and significant improvements to both
scalability and performance. By providing a single console for managing complex storage environments, Hitachi
Device Manager software unifies and simplifies storage management.
Featuring both an intuitive GUI and a complete CLI, Device Manager centrally manages single or multiple Hitachi
storage systems. With highly efficient context-sensitive workflows, Device Manager supports multiple management
views, including physical, logical, host, NAS and virtual server for provisioning and storage pooling for primary and
secondary storage.
Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning
Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning provides Hitachi Unified Storage VM with thin provisioning services. This gives applications access to virtual storage capacity (see Figure 12). As an application writes data to a virtual volume, the storage
system dynamically allocates physical disk space from a common pool. Unused capacity in the pool is available to
any application that needs it, eliminating the waste of overallocated and underutilized application storage capacity.
The automated allocation of application storage capacity also dramatically simplifies the storage provisioning process.
Dynamic Provisioning reduces the need to perform complex storage system tuning to improve I/O performance. HUS
VM automatically stripes thin provisioned volumes across the entire width of the physical pool of disks. This wide
striping balances the I/O load across many disk spindles, giving consistently high performance for all I/O.

Figure 12. Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning Deployed to Reduce the Size, Cost and Complexity of the Enterprise Storage
Environment.

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HUS VM implementation of thin provisioning is unique. All internal and externally attached storage resources virtualized by the Hitachi storage controller can participate in the common physical pool used by thin provisioned volumes.
Dynamic Provisioning also simplifies storage provisioning and automates data placement on disk for optimal performance. Administrators do not need to micromanage application storage allocations or perform complex, manual
performance tuning. In addition, physical storage resources can be added to the thin provisioning pool at any time,
without application downtime.
Hitachi Universal Volume Manager
Hitachi Universal Volume Manager simplifies migration of applications using 3rd-party storage to HUS VM. The software eliminates the need to reformat LUNs or perform complex extent mapping, providing a minimally disruptive
migration process. Once virtualized behind HUS VM, external LUNs gain access to all Hitachi storage services.
Hitachi Virtual Partition Manager
Hitachi Virtual Partition Manager enables the logical partitioning of cache into independently managed virtual
machines (VMs). The number of partitions and partition sizes can be adjusted nondisruptively while HUS VM is in
operation. These partitions can be allocated dynamically to utilize resources based on changes in business requirements by assigning different I/O workloads to different areas of cache. Hitachi Resource Partition Manager is also
available as an option for administrative partitioning of Hitachi Unified Storage VM resources.
Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager Advanced
Hitachi Dynamic Link Manager Advanced offers robust multipath SAN connections between servers and storage systems. It provides fault-tolerant failover, failback and load balancing, and centralized path management, for improved
information access, usability and availability. Automatic workload balancing helps to maintain outstanding system
performance across all available paths. If one path were to fail, Dynamic Link Manager Advanced would automatically
switch the I/O to an alternate path, ensuring that an active route to data is always available.
Hitachi Command Suite Analytics Package
Hitachi Command Suite Analytics Package software gathers information and reports on storage network resources,
enabling storage administrators to make informed storage management decisions. It includes the following individual
software components:
Hitachi Tuning Manager
Hitachi Tuning Manager is an automated, intelligent and path-aware storage resource management tool that maps,
monitors, analyzes and measures storage network resources and performance from the application to the device. By
monitoring all storage network resources, including hosts, file systems, databases, SAN switches and Hitachi storage systems, Hitachi Tuning Manager provides the necessary visibility for complete performance management of the
entire storage environment. Through a Web-based interface, Tuning Manager facilitates monitoring of the storage network with a comprehensive range of performance statistics combined with predefined reports and custom reporting
capabilities.
Hitachi Command Director
Hitachi Command Director centralizes management and reporting across Hitachi Command Suite (see Figure 13).
By consolidating reporting of storage configuration, capacity, performance and tier information, Command Director
provides a business-oriented view into the storage environment. This view allows you to easily align Hitachi storage
assets with critical business applications and simplify application-to-storage reporting. It also ensures compliance to
application-specific storage service levels.

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Figure 13. Hitachi Command Director Business-Oriented View of Storage

Hitachi Command Suite Mobility Package

Hitachi Command Suite Mobility Package software is used to optimize the systems tiered storage capabilities at the
volume or sub-LUN level. It includes the following individual software components:
Hitachi Tiered Storage Manager
Hitachi Tiered Storage Manager provides the unique ability to migrate volumes between heterogeneous tiers of storage, without affecting application access to data. The software supports up to 64 simultaneous migrations, using 64
processor threads, and it offers a single interface for all data movement between storage virtualized by Hitachi Unified
Storage VM.
Hitachi Dynamic Tiering
Hitachi Dynamic Tiering extends Hitachi Dynamic Provisioning and takes the automation of tiered storage to a new
level (see Figure 14). It enables the management of multiple storage tiers as a single entity. It presents a new kind of
virtual volume with embedded smart tiering that monitors access and moves data at the fine grain page level.
Dynamic Tiering uses a dynamic storage pool that is divided into 42MB pages. Virtual volumes are made up of pages
from the dynamic storage pool. Each page is mapped to a tier within the pool and can be anywhere in the pool on
any tier within that pool. HUS VM, through Dynamic Tiering, determines which pages it is best to place in higher tiers
and which in lower tiers. The pages can be moved up and down between the tiers within the pool for performance
optimization purposes.
A Hitachi Dynamic Tiering environment will have most of the highly referenced pages in the highest tier and the least
referenced pages in the lowest tier. Dynamic Tiering will try to use highest tiers as much as possible. This can provide
the effective appearance that all the data is on the fastest tier of storage; in fact, most of the data resides on lower
cost, lower performance storage tiers composed of SAS drives. The lowest tier also contains much of the spare
capacity.
A Dynamic Tiering volume is another type of volume in a virtualized storage architecture. Just like disk types and
RAID configurations, multitier volumes are another way of delivering storage with tailored cost and performance service levels. Capacity can be dynamically added to or removed from a tier at any time, which means that sizing a tier
for a pool is much easier.

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Figure 14. Volume, Page and File System Tiering

With Dynamic Tiering, the storage administrator does not need to classify data or define policies. Once the tiers are
configured, the storage system does all the work, freeing up the storage administrator to focus on other storagerelated responsibilities.
Hitachi Local Replication Package
Hitachi Local Replication Package software is used to both replicate full volumes as well as create snapshot copies of
internal volumes. It includes the following individual software components:
Hitachi ShadowImage Heterogeneous Replication
By providing nondisruptive, high-speed data replication within any Hitachi storage system or virtualized storage pool,
Hitachi ShadowImage Heterogeneous Replication software enables immediate use of data in decision support, software testing and development, and data protection operations. ShadowImage cloning operations are independent
of operating system, application or device, allowing efficient and centralized replicated storage volume management.
ShadowImage software provides heterogeneous replication between any storage systems within a virtualized storage pool managed by Hitachi Unified Storage VM. Leveraging the storage virtualization capabilities of the platform,
administrators can move data that resides on an externally attached storage system from the source to a target data
volume anywhere in the storage pool, including to another externally attached system.
Hitachi Replication Manager
With Hitachi Replication Manager, administrators can configure, monitor and manage any replication systems that are
based on Hitachi storage systems. Combining robust reporting, mirroring and features previously available in separate
offerings, it manages in-system or distance replication for open systems environments. Replication Manager simplifies
and optimizes configuration, operations, task management, automation and monitoring of the critical applications and
storage components of your replication infrastructure.
Hitachi Remote Replication Package
Hitachi Remote Replication Package software is used to replicate volumes between primary and secondary data centers. It includes the following individual software components:

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Hitachi TrueCopy Synchronous Remote Replication

Hitachi TrueCopy synchronous remote replication software duplicates data from one Hitachi storage system to
another, across any distance. It automates the recovery process and enables normal business operations to resume
in minutes rather than hours or days following an outage at the primary site. TrueCopy software provides hostindependent data replication, including heterogeneous replication capabilities for any type of data across any distance, without affecting application performance. Copies generated by Hitachi replication software products can be
used for the rapid recovery of production systems or the restart of production on disaster recovery systems following
an outage. They can also be used for data warehousing, data mining or data migration applications.
Hitachi Universal Replicator
Hitachi Universal Replicator delivers the industrys first multiplatform, multivendor, remote copy capability. Supporting
asynchronous, real-time replication of data from one Hitachi Unified Storage VM to another, the software gives storage administrators a consistent replication approach using a common set of procedures, tools and skills for all data
center storage.
Conventional replication solutions push updates from the primary storage system to a remote location. Universal
Replicator running on HUS VM at the remote site pulls changes from journal volumes maintained by HUS VM running
Universal Replicator at the primary site. This approach offloads replication overhead from the primary storage system
and dramatically reduces the impact of replication on the business application. Transmitted record sets include a
sequence number, enabling the replication engine to verify receipt of all records at the remote site and to sequence
writes in the correct order for storage replication.
Resource Partition Manager (optional software package)
Hitachi Resource Partition Manager software enables administrative partitioning of Hitachi Unified Storage VM
resources (see Figure 15). It can be used with local authentication, or it can be integrated into corporate directory
services and security systems using standard management interfaces such as Active Directory, LDAP and RADIUS.
Solving both security and audit or compliance issues, Hitachi Resource Partition Manager enables management of
shared storage assets by different groups.

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Figure 15. Resource Groups That Allow Greater Administrator Granularity and Flexible Partitioning

File Module Software Bundles

Hitachi Base Operating System F provides multiprotocol file services, dynamic provisioning, intelligent file tiering, file
virtualization and unified directory structure. Intelligent file tiering helps organizations move data among storage and
archive tiers with automated, policy-driven migration tools. This integration of NAS with Hitachi Content Platform and
Hitachi Data Discovery Suite features combines NAS, archive, index and search technologies.
Tiered file system (TFS), also known as metadata optimization, separates file system metadata from user data
and automatically places metadata on the highest tier for improved performance and storage cost-efficiency.
Complementary to the policy-based intelligent file tiering capability, it migrates data between different file systems.
Cluster namespace creates a unified directory structure across storage pools and servers. Multiple file systems
appear under a single common root, and both Server Message Block (SMB) and Network File System (NFS) clients
obtain global access through any cluster node. Virtual file system supports SMB and NFS protocols for flexibility and
power to handle very large files and millions of small files plus concurrent file system operations with no performance
impact. Automatic file system expansion is also available.

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TABLE 6. HITACHI UNIFIED STORAGE VM FILE MODULE SOFTWARE BUNDLES

Bundle

Hitachi Solution

Options

Basic Operating System F (entry level)

CIFS and NFS

File system recover from snapshot

2x virtual server

Cluster namespace

Storage pool

Replication bundle

FS audit

Data Migrator

File system rollback

XVL (cross volume links)

Quick snapshot restore

Virtual server migration

HA cluster

iSCSI

Entry 90-day trial license

Read caching
Virtual server security
WORM

Basic Operating System F (value level)

CIFS and NFS

Replication bundle

4x virtual server

Data Migrator

Storage pool

XVL (cross volume links)

FS audit

Virtual server migration

File system rollback

iSCSI

File system recover from snapshot

Read caching

Quick snapshot restore

Virtual server security

Cluster namespace

WORM

HA cluster
Value 90-day trial license
Basic Operating System F (ultra level)

CIFS and NFS

Virtual server migration

64x virtual server

iSCSI

Storage pool

Read caching

FS audit

Virtual server security

File system rollback

WORM

File system recover from snapshot

Quick snapshot restore
Cluster namespace
Replication bundle
Hitachi Data Migrator
XVL (cross volume links)
HA cluster
Ultra 90-day trial license

Disaster Recovery
The disaster recovery capabilities of BlueArc JetMirror, based on object replication, bring data back online quickly and
efficiently through enhanced tools that automate system failover and failback. A source file system can be included
in multiple replication schedules, allowing for multitarget replication. The snapshots and replication states for each
replication job are separately maintained. This software also supports file replication, which allows it to recover a more
granular subset of files compared to object replication, which works only at the file system level.

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BlueArc JetClone software performs cloning at the file level. Using this software, multiple copies or clones of single
files are made by taking snapshots of that file and saving subsequent differences separately. By referring back to the
original file for most of the data, the software avoids making multiple copies of the common elements of the file. Using
BlueArc JetClone, entire development and production environments can be deployed in a matter of minutes with little
incremental storage cost.
Hitachi NAS Virtual Infrastructure Integrator, specifically developed for VMware environments, provides snapshot
management from within a vCenter console. As an integrated plug-in to vSphere, Hitachi NAS Virtual Infrastructure
Integrator allows vSphere administrators to work from their existing management interface to create snapshots for
backup or recovery of virtual machines and VMDK files. Possible choices are instant on-demand snapshots taken
by the user, policy-based snapshots, or orphan snapshots from deleted file module storage systems and VMs.
Policy-based retention allows the administrator to define the preservation timeframe by snapshot, freeing up storage
capacity. The administrator can define snapshot retention by the number of backups, the number of days, or a mixture of both backups and days.

Conclusion: A Single Virtualized Platform for all Data

Hitachi Data Systems offers a unique approach to storage management: a single virtualized platform for all data
(structured and unstructured) with single-pane-of-glass management for heterogeneous environments. We are
focused on the evolving requirements of structured and unstructured data. HDS is the only vendor that can provide
you with a single, virtualized and scalable data management architecture for all open systems platforms as well as all
data and information types.

Figure 16. Hitachi Storage Virtualization

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Hitachi Unified Storage VM enables a common set of management tools across all storage assets, whether they are
the products of Hitachi Data Systems or our competitors. Our common platform and management tools improve the
productivity of storage administrators and enable better cost management (power, cooling, resource sharing). They
support simplified data migration (block and file storage), and higher availability (IOPS and reliability) with less risk
(data protection).
The technologies at the core of HUS VM have been developed over multiple generations and many years. Our overriding goal has been to provide a highly scalable high-performance platform for storage services.

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Hitachi Data Systems Corporation 2012. All rights reserved. HITACHI is a trademark or registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. Innovate With Information, ShadowImage, TrueCopy,
BlueArc and Hi-Track are trademarks or registered trademarks of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. IBM and AIX are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business
Machines Corporation. Microsoft and Windows Server are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks, service marks, and company names are
properties of their respective owners.
AG-002-A DG December 2012