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35 DIAMOND INSTRUMENTS
E TECHNOLOGY
an array of clients or utilities with high memory software/additional cluster machinery.
requirements. Thanks to the support of Windows, NIS or • Thanks to the storage/mirror system,
LDAP domains, the existing IT infrastructure can be easily mirror replication and fail-over can be used
extended. The Web-supported graphics user interface for to safeguard data high availability.
management and administration ensures dependable control of • Backup can be carried out at the same time as daily
the storage unit and processes for backing up vital data. The operations. There is thus no need for any tape replacement
DSS server provides some of the storage space secured by or intervention in the event of problems outside office
RAID-6 as Windows shared folders (synchronised with the hours. In addition, the dedicated admin-network and
existing ADS), as iSCSI targets and NFS shares in the Ethernet protected VPN connection now enable the administrator to
(copper 1Gbit). administer the system at any time.
Server Hardware “We can now access the systems at any time and enter
eXtremetec xtc Server and pureStor storage hardware – a remotes into fault rectification without being directly on the
private brand of losstech GmbH based on the well-known spot,” reported Mr. Nehmer of DieWe. “This has allowed
Supermicro technology. Thanks to self-construction and internal support costs to be substantially cut and the load for
complete control over the components used, customers can administrators to be successively adjusted.” It was also
rely on a standardised, scalable, stable and tested hardware possible to reduce the number of servers to 3 energy-efficient
platform. This platform has been optimised as an out-of-the- hardware nodes in the farm. They provide a 30% reserve for
box solution for the different requirement profiles and stays future growth i.e. lower basic purchasing costs, lower energy
standardised across the entire lifetime or leasing period. requirements, less power to be backed up for the USV
systems, less heat generation and high availability rates at
Virtualisation the same time, no downtime when hardware is being serviced,
Following the setup of the storage solution and test servers extensions by means of extra nodes and space requirement
for virtualisation purposes, the server services were scaling, CPU and RAM possible without any difficulties and at
investigated regarding their virtualisation effectiveness. any time. The same holds good for storage systems in view of
Appropriate technologies made it possible to migrate images the excellent extendibility of the Open-E DSS systems.
of the ongoing servers onto the virtualisation system and The IT system also became extremely “migration
iSCSI drives (a representative section of the data). No transparent”. This will lower the follow-up to a minimum in 36
problems arose – when virtualised all the utilities ran exactly months time, when the hardware is replaced, and ensure
as before. transfer without any outage or faults. In addition, there was
the energy economising effects of the new IT system making
Effective Benefits up 40% of previous costs.
Using XENSource as the virtualisation solution (precisely with
Open-E as the network storage system) produces a multitude Conclusion
of advantages for the customer: “The Open-E and Xen solution from losstech GmbH have
• The Windows servers and services are not hardware- totally complied with our requirements and expectations,”
dependent, which means that the server container can be says Mr. Nehmer of DieWe. “Some of the benefits did not
migrated at any time to another hardware node – without come to light at the very beginning – it was only later that
any downtime. No interruption to operation results, even they did so.” Even for small and medium-sized undertakings,
when system hardware components – for instance given a virtualisation solutions have a lot to offer in many fields. And
fault – have to be replaced. in association with a centralised storage solution, they are of
• High availability of the server services is very much down to real benefit to both classic utilities, such as merchandising
an N+1 redundancy of the server hardware at unrivalled low management, and resource-devouring applications, such as
costs and without the use of expensive cluster databases and communication systems.
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