3PAR Supports VMware vSphere 4

3PAR announced compatibility of 3PAR InServ Storage Servers with VMware’s recently announced VMware vSphere 4, the industry’s first operating system for building the internal cloud. In addition to listing 3PAR InServ Storage Servers on the VMware Hardware Compatibility List (HCL) for VMware vSphere 4, 3PAR and VMware invest in joint engineering projects to bring greater innovation to the market, as exemplified by the VMware vStorage initiative and the recently released adaptive queuing technology which became available in VMware Infrastructure 3.5 and is also included in VMware vSphere 4.

The combination of 3PAR Utility Storage and VMware vSphere 4 will allow customers to build next-generation cloud infrastructures in order to realize the promise of IT as a Service. With cloud-like infrastructures – whether they be internally owned or managed by third parties – companies of all sizes can dramatically reduce their capital and operating expenses, maintain control over service levels, and enjoy a great deal of choice. Customers who have deployed 3PAR Utility Storage in conjunction with VMware software regularly cite enhanced efficiency, flexibility, and ROI amongst the chief benefits.

"With 3PAR and VMware, we have built a virtualized environment that has streamlined our operations while increasing the agility of our infrastructure," said Tom Ackerson, Systems Administrator at Martin’s Point Health Care. "3PAR’s certification with VMware vSphere 4 means that we can continue to maximize the efficiency of our mission-critical infrastructure while maintaining complete confidence that our 3PAR arrays and VMware servers will work seamlessly together."

As evidence of the close, customer-oriented relationship between the two companies, 3PAR has worked with VMware on its new adaptive queue depth algorithm. Developed in response to direct customer feedback, this feature — available today in VMware ESX 3.5 Update 4 and to be included in VMware vSphere 4 — dynamically adjusts the LUN queue depth in the VMkernel I/O stack to minimize the impact of I/O congestion detected by the 3PAR InServ Storage Server. As a result, organizations can increase the number of virtual machines and add higher performing applications to their ESX servers when attached to 3PAR arrays.

Some of the other highlights of VMware vSphere 4 will include VMware’s enhanced Storage VMotion and virtual disk thin provisioning. VMware Storage VMotion can be administered through VMware vCenter Server to simplify the process of migrating virtual machine disks from legacy storage arrays to 3PAR InServ arrays with little or no disruption or downtime. As a thin provisioning pioneer, 3PAR is excited that VMware is promoting the enormous benefits of thin provisioning through its new software-enabled thin provisioning capabilities. VMware’s offering complements the range of 3PAR enterprise-class, software- and hardware-based thin technologies — including 3PAR Thin Provisioning software and the 3PAR Gen3 ASIC with Thin Built In – that have enabled 3PAR’s enterprise-class customers to reduce their total cost of data by up to 50%.

"Highly virtualized storage is the perfect complement to VMware’s flexibility and ROI," said Benjamin S. Woo, IDC Vice President, Enterprise Storage Systems. "Datacenters that are currently using or planning to use VMware vSphere 4 should consider the combined benefits of deploying 3PAR’s utility storage systems to support their virtualized server environment."

"With VMware vSphere 4, we are embarking upon a whole new level of business value that will enable IT departments to focus on innovation and rapid responsiveness to changing business demands," said Parag Patel, vice president, alliances at VMware. "Through our collaboration with 3PAR, VMware vSphere 4 will be able to leverage the built-in capabilities of the InServ Storage Server to enable customers to realize the vision of IT as a Service and to realize incredible levels of efficiency, control and choice."

"3PAR’s leadership in supporting VMware’s adaptive queue depth algorithm and qualification with VMware vSphere 4 are solid examples of 3PAR’s continued innovation and collaboration with VMware," said David Scott, President and CEO of 3PAR. "At a time when every organization is looking to do more with less, we are committed to enabling joint 3PAR and VMware customers to push the boundaries of what server and storage virtualization can do for their datacenters."