DataCore Empowers Virtualization at Clinical Center Garmisch-Partenkirchen

DataCore Software announced that Klinikum Garmisch-Partenkirchen, supported by solution provider ASSISTRA AG, has carried out a storage virtualization project and implemented a high-availability SAN (Storage Area Network) with DataCore Software.

The combined virtual server and storage infrastructure provides for failsafe business operation of all production systems and meets the demand of performance-hungry applications such as the iMedOne hospital information system, SAP and its Oracle data base.
 
For the two symmetric data centers, ASSISTRA AG implemented two disk subsystem arrays from HDS along with two DELL servers to run the SANmelody software. These storage servers provide the virtualization and storage provisioning of the disk resources and capacity for the VMware environment that supports 60 virtual machines. In normal operation, they are run in Active/Active mode meaning both systems run independently but can cover for the failure of the other and thus they enable high overall performance and productivity. Should a system fail, the remaining storage server will automatically take over its tasks thanks to DataCore’s automatic failover and failback function. Thus, VMware’s high availability capabilities for servers are being complemented optimally by DataCore on the storage side.
 
Currently, the clinical center uses over 15 TB from a heterogeneous mix of SATA and FC disk subsystems. The hospital information system iMedOne registers the highest performance demands since it needs to support the workloads for about 450 workstations from three virtual servers. The complete SAP environment, including Oracle databases and the Microsoft Exchange, file and print services, also support approximately the same number of access workstations. Both of these resource-consuming systems are now integrated into the SAN.

Savings from Virtualization
”The centralization of the entire working IT system was a strategic decision in order to reduce the variety of systems needing to be supported and to increase the system stability," explains Dr. Thomas Schmeidl, head of IT and quality management department at the clinical center Garmisch-Partenkirchen. "ASSISTRA’s detailed proposal fit our needs both in terms of price and performance: The new DataCore SAN solution fulfills our demand for high availability business continuity, performance and flexible storage expansion to meet our requirements. Besides the purchasing savings achieved through hardware independence, we see significant advantages in administration. Resource-intensive tasks which were painful and time consuming can now be accomplished in the shortest time."
 
”The integrated virtualization of server and storage resources means greater efficiency and the ability to cut hospital overhead costs. The hardware independence, better resource utilization and benefits of automation allow the data center to improve efficiency and enable decision makers to keep costs under control. With DataCore, we have the right partnership; they offer field proven technology and the best price performance ratio in storage virtualization," adds Dirk Neumann, Chairman of ASSISTRA AG.
 
The clinical center Garmisch-Partenkirchen, a university teaching hospital of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, is a modern hospital with more than 500 beds and approximately 19,000 patients per year. The hospital has around 1,000 employees as well as state-of-the-art diagnostic and therapeutic equipment delivering a high level of medical care that is available 24 hours every day. The clinic is especially renowned for its department for joint replacement (endoprothetics), the center for internal medicine as well as for accident surgery and sports orthopedics.