SanDisk Solutions for VMware Horizon 6 and Virtual SAN

SanDisk Corporation announced support for VMware Horizon 6 and Virtual SAN with a series of VDI and end-user computing solutions for Horizon 6, utilizing the ULLtraDIMM SSD and Fusion ioMemory.

When coupled with VMware’s Horizon 6, ULLtraDIMM and Fusion ioMemory allow customers to deploy high-performance, cost-effective VDI solutions and increase virtual desktop density. Additionally, through the combination of solid-state hardware and software technology, SanDisk enables enterprise organizations to select the right deployment option for their environment, providing flexibility and reducing barriers to adoption.

“Software-defined storage allows enterprise customers to break traditional barriers between the compute, storage, and network layers of the data center. We can create innovative models leveraging software to increase ROI of existing storage infrastructure,” said John Scaramuzzo, SVP and GM, enterprise storage solutions, SanDisk. “The solutions for Horizon 6 and Virtual SAN are prime examples of how SanDisk continues to collaborate with VMware. These solutions are just the beginning of many advances that our partnership with VMware will bring to VDI deployments.“

ULLtraDIMM memory channel storage solution enables performance and end-user productivity for virtualized environments. Because of its position relative to the server CPU, five micro-second write latency, and scalable performance of up to one million IO/s for a typical deployment of 8-ULLtraDIMMs working in parallel, the ULLtraDIMM reduces VDI boot storm impact. It also enables up to 5X faster VDI desktop pool creation over traditional disk storage solutions1. Servers using ULLtraDIMM deliver greater VDI density per host, improve VDI response times and reduce the cost per VDI session.

The Fusion ioMemory VDI solution delivers up to 90% SAN offload potential and up to 16X increased desktop density per server when used in conjunction with flash-enabled SAN storage2. The result is an enhanced end-user experience for VDI deployments along with the ability for organizations to scale their VDI environments while reducing the total cost per virtual desktop. These solutions scale from a few hundred to several thousand virtual desktops without adding complexity into a VMware environment.

“We are thrilled by these new flash-powered solutions from SanDisk which provide our mutual customers with increased levels of VM performance density with fast, cost-effective and highly scalable, virtual desktops for key customer deployment options whether it is with SAN, in-server or with Virtual SAN,” said Erik Frieberg, VP marketing, end user computing, VMware, Inc. “We look forward to working with SanDisk to drive cost-effective EUC/VDI adoption across all market segments.”

The three new reference architectures combining the power of ULLtraDIMM and Fusion ioMemory with Horizon 6 and Virtual SAN to be demonstrated at VMworld include:

In-Server ULLtraDIMM
This construction of an 8-node ULLtraDIMM SSD configuration running Horizon 6 highlighted the advantages of utilizing an ultra-low latency, high-performance configuration for VDI deployments. In addition, the demonstration illustrated how ULLtraDIMM can handle challenging VDI issues including providing fast, consistent boot times.

Virtual SAN
This live demonstration of a 3-node Virtual SAN cluster for Horizon 6 highlighted how organizations with heavy user VDI workloads can benefit from a combination of SanDisk’s enterprise-grade SSDs.

SAN Storage
For customers using SAN storage, this reference architecture showcased the option of using the Fusion ioMemory VDI solution and a flash-enabled SAN storage. This configuration provides the ability to increase virtual desktop density by 16X and scale a single, half rack block to accommodate 1500 virtual desktop sessions with fast, consistent performance, to ensure rapid, consistent start-up times for ‘boot storms.’