Unlocking Hybrid SAN Storage Solutions: A Comprehensive Guide
Published: April 19, 2023
By: Warren Nicholson, Gene Everette
Hybrid SAN Storage can provide a cost-effective and performance-optimized storage solution for organizations that require a balance of capacity and performance. Hybrid SAN Storage contists of:
- Quality Solid State Drives
- NVMe Drives
- Hard Disk Drives with extended warranties
- Management Software for load balancing
As businesses look to save money but not sacrifice performance, Hybrid SAN Storage solutions have become an increasingly popular option.
Hybrid SAN Storage is a storage solution that combines the benefits of traditional SAN (Storage Area Network), modern flash-based storage technologies, and economical spinner hard drives (HDD). It provides high performance, scalability, and flexibility for modern IT environments.
However, implementing a hybrid SAN can be complex and requires careful planning to ensure optimal performance and efficiency. In this section, we will discuss some best practices for implementing a hybrid SAN for your hybrid flash storage array.
What Is Hybrid SAN Storage?
Hybrid SAN Storage typically includes a mix of different storage media, such as traditional spinning disks, solid-state drives (SSDs), and/or NVMe drives, as well as the necessary components, such as controllers and management software. The system uses algorithms, tier management, caching, and data management, to automatically store active and frequently accessed data on flash drives that can deliver top performance and efficiency while storing less active data on the more affordable HDDs.
The hybrid SAN architecture consists of two tiers – the primary tier comprising of flash-based SSDs, which are used for storing frequently accessed data, and the secondary tier consisting of HDDs that store less frequently accessed data. This intelligent architecture ensures that frequently used data is readily available for quick access while less critical data is stored at a lower cost.
Why Choose Hybrid SAN Storage?
As data volumes continue to double, storing everything on an all flash storage array is prohibitively expensive and unnecessary since a great deal of a company’s data would be perfectly fine residing on more affordable but less responsive archive media.
Hybrid SAN Storage provides a compromise for storing critical data on high-performance flash storage solutions drives while other data resides on less expensive tiered storage. Hybrid SAN Storage enables companies to manage data in a unified storage system while balancing performance and cost.
1. Enhanced Performance: One of the key reasons why organizations are turning towards Hybrid SAN is its ability to provide superior performance compared to traditional HDD-based systems. This is achieved by using SSDs which have significantly faster read/write speeds than HDDs. As data access patterns change, frequently used data can be stored on SSDs for quick retrieval while less active data can be moved to HDDs.
2. Cost Savings: Another major advantage of implementing Hybrid SAN is cost savings. Traditional all-Flash storage arrays may offer better performance, but they come at a higher price point compared to hybrid solutions that use a combination of HDDs and SSDs. By utilizing more affordable HDDs along with few high-performance SSD drives, organizations can save significant costs without compromising on performance.
One of the most common misconceptions about hybrid SAN storage is that it is too expensive for small or medium-sized businesses. While it’s true that all-flash storage arrays can be costly, hybrid SAN offers a more affordable solution by combining both flash and traditional spinning hard drives. This allows businesses to have the best of both worlds without breaking the bank.
3. Scalability: With data volumes increasing at an exponential rate, scalability has become crucial for any business looking for long-term storage solutions. Unlike flash arrays which need complete replacement when capacity needs increase, hybrid SAN uses hybrid flash storage and allows for easy scalability by adding more drives or expanding existing ones.
A misconception about hybrid SAN storage is that it’s only suitable for large enterprises with massive amounts of data. However, with advancements in technology and decreasing costs, hybrid SAN has become accessible to businesses of all sizes. Small and medium-sized businesses can benefit from the improved performance and flexibility offered by a flash storage solution.
4. Improved Data Management: By combining different types of drives in one system, hybrid SAN offers greater flexibility in managing different types of workloads simultaneously. Administrators can determine which applications require high-performance SSDs and which can make do with HDDs, allowing for efficient data management.
There is also a misconception that managing a hybrid system is complex due to its mix of technologies. However, modern management tools have made managing these systems much simpler than before. Additionally, many vendors offer user-friendly interfaces that make it easy to monitor and manage the system’s performance and data placement.
Advantages of Nfina’s Hybrid SAN Storage
High Performace | By combining the speed of SSDs or NVMe with the capacity of traditional disks, Hybrid SAN Storage can provide high performance for both read and write operations.
Scalability | Hybrid SAN Storage can be easily scaled by adding more drives or expanding the system as needed. For cold storage, HDDs can be incorporated into you SAN network by adding Nfina JBODs.
Flexibility | Hybrid SAN Storage can support a wide range of workloads, including virtualization, databases, and analytics.
Cost-Effectiveness | Using a mix of different storage media, Hybrid SAN Storage can provide a cost-effective storage solution that balances performance and capacity.
Configuration | Since Nfina configures your Hybrid SAN Storage before shipping, the SAN setup is done for you.
Management | Nfina-View™ software allows you to monitor and manage your tiered storage, and if a problem arises, you can roll back your system before the incident occurred.
Data Acceleration | Our storage also has cache on the write cycles. We use NVMe drives to accelerate the release of the cpus, and then spool the data off to the disk array. We see an improvement of tens of thousands of iops with this write cache scheme
Compression| Nfina compresses immutable snapshots in flight. When a snapshot is sent to one of the incremental writes, the compression ratio is close to 2, which greatly increases the bandwidth and significantly shortens the length of time it takes to complete a backup cycle.
Disadvantages
Complexity | Hybrid SAN Storage can be more complex to set up and manage than traditional SAN or flash storage array.
Performance Variability | The performance of Hybrid SAN Storage can vary depending on the workload and how the data is distributed across the different tiers of storage.
Nfina’s Flash Storage Array Solutions
Our systems are equipped with advanced features such as deduplication and compression which help optimize storage space and reduce costs. Deduplication eliminates redundant data while compression reduces the size of files without compromising their quality. By implementing these technologies, hybrid storage arrays help organizations maximize their storage capacity while minimizing expenses.
The cost of Hybrid SAN Storage can vary depending on the vendor, the size of the system, and the features included. Overall, Nfina’s Hybrid SAN Storage can provide a cost-effective and performance-optimized storage solution. Hybrid storage is also available with Nfina NAS and Server models.
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