Vecima Networks Ensures SQL Server Quadruple Play With DH2i

DH2i Company, provider of server application virtualization solutions, announced that Vecima Networks, Inc., an OEM solutions provider for the CATV, telco and hospitality industries, has deployed its DxConsole software to ensure failover and HA, simplify management, and reduce the costs of its SQL Server environment.

Vecima’s R&D/production, operations and administrative teams now enjoy uninterrupted access to their respective applications and information. This in turn facilitates the customization and delivery of client-specific solutions in the quickest turn-around time possible. These capabilities allow Vecima to meet its customers’ expectations for performance, reliability, delivery and price.
 
Vecima’s datacenter is responsible for providing the infrastructure and applications that serve as the backbone of the company’s entire business operations – from the manufacturing of the its broadband cable, broadband wireless, and hospitality networks solutions to the systems responsible for testing and tracking errors, to supporting financial, operations and administrative functions.  Its primary platforms are SQL Server 2008 R2, HP blade servers, and HP EVA4400 storage, together with a variety of homegrown and vendor-purchased applications. Recently, the datacenter team sought to upgrade its Windows and SQL Server Environment, but was unable due to the PolyServe software currently in use.
 
“We were on an old version of HP PolyServe that was managing our failover. Unfortunately, PolyServe has been end-of-lifed and is no longer supported. The old version of PolyServe that we were running was not compatible with any type of OS upgrade. Consequently, we were somewhat stuck on Windows Server 2003 and couldn’t upgrade to Windows Server 2008. We were even behind on the latest PolyServe version, as we didn’t have the capacity to carry out an upgrade at the time it was available,” explained Mark Horseman, technical supervisor, software and database services, Vecima Networks.  “And, we were trapped on the SQL Server side too, as we didn’t feel that the PolyServe version we were running would be able to adequately update our databases.“
 
Another challenge Vecima faced with its PolyServe environment was in that its nodes were clustered in pairs, so that one system could failover to another. However, with PolyServe it couldn’t continue down the chain. And, even when a failover completed successfully, it took far too long.
 
Vecima began to explore the available options. One solution Horseman considered was switching to the Enterprise Edition of SQL Server, but even for a company the size of Vecima, it just didn’t make sense from a budgetary or ROI standpoint.
 
After research and a lengthy proof of concept, Vecima decided to opt for the DH2i DxConsole software solution, based on its features, functionality and price. More specifically, Vecima was sold on DxConsole’s failover capabilities – the Vecima team found HA easy to implement with its built-in prioritized and automatic failover. Moreover, by going with DxConsole, they would have an easier to use solution with greater functionality, and would save well into the six-figure range over going with SQL Server Enterprise Edition.
 
“Since production deployment, we have had a couple ‘hiccups’ on the SQL Server side and DxConsole has failed over brilliantly. It has been fantastic to manage – we don’t dread upgrades anymore. We don’t have to worry about the order in which we bring blades backup, like we did before. We can easily define in DxConsole what our highest priority systems are and make sure they get priority on a machine when they come backup,” said Horseman.
 
“Vecima Networks’ dedication to meeting its customers’ expectations for quality and unparalled innovation can be witnessed across the entire company – its datacenter being no exception,” said Don Boxley, CEO and co-founder, DH2i. “With DxConsole, Vecima was able to quickly and easily upgrade its datacenter infrastructure, while saving well into the six-figures over competing solutions.” 

He continued: “Today, Vecima can enjoy the benefits of a more efficiently managed IT environment, that ensures its users uninterrupted and accurate data access.”
 
Vecima plans to leverage DxConsole as it continues to add additional databases, update and add to its blades, as well as update its SAN.

 
Vecima Networks case study
 
Current DH2i promotion: 20% off DxConsole for current PolyServe customers (offer valid until June 30, 2014)