Caching Software to Multiple VMs for SSDs

SANRAD announces the VXL software, which maximizes the server virtualization environment for enhanced system performance, higher flash utilization, and lower cost.

"Many organizations are adding flash resources to their virtual server environments but aren’t able to use them efficiently," says Dr. Allon Cohen, SANRAD’s VP Marketing and Product Management. "By combining our software with their infrastructure, they instantly have faster access, more secure data, and resilience."
 
Significantly increasing ROI from flash within a virtual server host infrastructure, the VXL software provides caching services to multiple VMs over the host flash resources. Deployed as a virtual appliance on the virtualization host server, it distributes the flash resources on demand across the application virtual machines to maximize performance of key applications, such as Microsoft SQL, VDI and Microsoft Exchange.
 
SANRAD’s VXL software supports:

• Application-optimized flash acceleration
• Dynamic flash allocation
• SLA protection for high-priority applications
• vMotion, including cache migration
• Live data migration
• High availability and data mirroring

VXL’s caching algorithm provides application-optimized strategies to decide what data to cache on the flash. The algorithm is transparent to the virtual machines, which are exposed to an accelerated virtual volume. With caching over highly available mirrored volumes, it ensures the same amount of flash is used to accelerate both copies of the data, doubling the efficiency of flash utilization. Meanwhile, no guest virtual machine agents are required due to support of nearly all modern operating systems including all variants of Windows and Linux servers via optimized virtual iSCSI connectivity.
 
Running on VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Xen-based hypervisors, it ensures VM migration among hosts without loss of cached data and enables cache migration for vMotion.
 
"SANRAD’s VXL software provides organizations with the most efficient and cost-effective way to accelerate performance of virtual applications without having to reconfigure their virtual server applications," concludes Dr. Cohen. "SANRAD’s solution negates the requirement for caching agents in each and every VM. Flash is dynamically distributed among all accelerated applications, providing optimal flash utilization regardless of the number of concurrently running applications."