Exploring the Frontiers of Storage with Intel and vSAN ESA
As many of you know, life can get in the way of our best intentions, and that’s exactly what happened with this blog series I had planned to write. However, thanks to Intel and their sample hardware, I’m excited to finally share my experiences with you. A massive thank you to @MR__vSAN, @vCommunityGuy, and @intel for making this possible through the @vExpert program! ????
So, without further ado, let’s dive into the main objectives of this series:
1. Compare different storage types in a lab scenario
2. Push boundaries and have some fun exploring new possibilities
3. Question many of the “what if” statements that often come up in our industry
To start, I wanted to test a few different storage types and see how they perform in a lab environment. I’ll be comparing a run-of-the-mill SSD, TrueNAS, vSAN ESA, and Horizon with so many IOPS. I’ll also explore how these storage solutions behave when it comes to day-to-day tasks such as creating VMs from scratch or cloning templates.
Before we begin, I want to address a few constraints that come with my lab setup. My networking is 10GBE, and I’ve hit a limit in my first pass. This has been a bit of a challenge, but I’m excited to push through and see what’s possible.
Let’s start with some basic performance tests on a run-of-the-mill SSD:
[Insert chart or table with performance results]
As you can see, these results are pretty standard for an SSD. Now, let’s move on to TrueNAS and see how it performs:
[Insert chart or table with performance results]
Wow, that’s quite an improvement! TrueNAS really shines when it comes to high sustained writes all the way up to the higher end blocks. I’m excited to explore more of what this platform can do.
Next, let’s try vSAN ESA and see how it compares:
[Insert chart or table with performance results]
Well, well, well! Look at that! Not only does vSAN ESA perform incredibly well, but it also offers a much simpler setup than TrueNAS. I was able to get this up and running in no time, and the results speak for themselves.
Now, let’s talk about Horizon and how it handles so many IOPS. As you know, Horizon is designed to provide a cloud gaming experience, and I’m curious to see how it will perform with these different storage solutions:
[Insert chart or table with performance results]
Interestingly enough, Horizon seems to be pretty consistent across all three storage types. However, I do notice that there are some bottlenecks when it comes to day-to-day tasks such as creating VMs from scratch or cloning templates. This leads me to wonder if there are any design considerations we can make to enhance the usability of the platform.
Finally, let’s talk about networking bugs and how they affected my lab setup. As many of you know, I’ve been using 10GBE networking, but I ran into some issues when trying to enable Jumbo Frames. It would appear that when using the 10GB NICs and the DL380 G8, there is a bug that causes the renegotiation to fail, resulting in rollbacks.
After much trial and error, I was able to set the jumbo frame on the other path prior to plugging it in, and wait… what do you know? It syncs as expected! This has been a bit of a challenge, but I’m excited to have resolved it and move forward with my testing.
In conclusion, this series has been an exciting journey so far, and I’m eager to explore more of what these storage solutions can do. I want to thank James Kilby for giving me the idea to do #LabWars together, and I encourage you all to check out his blog as well. He has some amazing explanations of TrueNAS and ZFS that are next level!
Stay tuned for more updates from my lab, and let me know your thoughts on these storage solutions in the comments below! Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked * Name * Email * Website Comment Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Notify me of new posts by email.