Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Verified DataCore Ready

DataCore Software Corp. announced that Microsoft SQL Server 2012 is verified ‘DataCore Ready’ and integrates with SANsymphony-V.

SANsymphony-V storage hypervisor helps boost performance of underlying and often diverse storage resources and enhances the BC and data protection of databases. As a result, it provides a storage infrastructure that is suited for resource intensive database applications supported by Microsoft SQL Server 2012.

Databases are one of the most demanding applications in terms of their need for performance and HA due to the volumes of data and transactions they typically store and use.

The hypervisor includes critical features which make it a storage platform to leverage the benefits of SQL Server 2012, including:

Centralized storage management under a single pane of control with an intuitive graphical user interface and automated wizards that implement best practices
Automated storage tiering to maximize price/performance of available storage assets
Adaptive caching for performance acceleration
Thin provisioning for space efficiency
Synchronous mirroring for HA
Low-impact online snapshots for high-speed disk to disk backup
Pass through disks for non-disruptive migrations
CDP for any point in time backup and recovery
Unified storage for managing file shares (NAS) and SANs

SQL Server 2012 helps address the challenges of increasing data volumes by rapidly turning data into actionable business insights. It expands on Microsoft’s commitment to help customers manage any data, regardless of size, both on-premise and in the cloud. Customers choosing SQL Server 2012 enjoy the benefit of a hardware and software partner ecosystem that enables solutions for the demanding data management needs.

Platform for SQL Server 2012
SANsymphony-V abstracts and presents disk storage from different devices to applications as a shared pool of resources. With an ability to process multiple database requests in tandem, the system can absorb random I/O spikes. Built-in adaptive caching leverages available memory to boost I/O performance of both read and write traffic. Database administrators (DBAs) have the option of using flash memory/SSDs, high-speed arrays, capacity disks or cloud storage, all of which can be managed and auto-tiered efficiently by the storage hypervisor. Automated tiering also ensures active data files don’t compete with inactive blocks of data for I/O cycles. Additionally, transaction logs and other active data can remain on Tier 1, while backups and other inactive read-only data move to lower tiers.

DataCore also empowers high performance flash and SSD-based storage systems from alliance partners Fusion-IO, Texas Memory Systems, Violin, Savage IO, X-IO Technologies and other SSD vendors to deliver the best price/performance to meet the needs of demanding SQL application workloads.

For SQL database protection, DBAs can schedule ongoing space-efficient snapshots with application-aware recovery points, or utilize DataCore’s CDP feature to capture and log all changes and allow recovery back to any point in time versus to a specific snapshot image.

Benefits for Database Applications
The storage hypervisor software enables enterprises to improve the efficiency, performance and availability of their storage infrastructure through virtualization, transforming disparate storage resources into a unified and efficient infrastructure that is flexible, fast, reliable and scalable.

Key benefits include the ability to:

Optimize performance and create a performance pool of virtualized storage for SQL databases, eliminating most storage-related I/O bottlenecks for business-critical applications.
Provision virtually any size volumes for SQL applications upfront, and increase utilization and I/O capacity on the fly.
Balance cost and performance by storing transaction logs and active data files on higher performance storage devices, while moving backups and inactive data files to lower cost higher capacity drives or cloud storage.
Continuously protect databases against downtime and disaster with stretch HA design to maximize BC.
Scale storage for throughput, transactions and capacity that meet the needs of applications.
Automate and simplify storage management that has been integrated and tested ‘DataCore Ready’ with SQL Server.

DataCore and Microsoft
DataCore has been developing storage virtualization solutions designed specifically to work on Microsoft platforms for nearly 15 years. It is a longtime member of the Microsoft Partner Solutions Center and the Microsoft System Center Alliance.

"DataCore remains committed to creating solutions designed to enhance the capabilities of Microsoft platforms and can virtualize and manage enterprise storage environments with ease and efficiency," said Carlos Carreras, VP of alliances and business development for DataCore. "SANsymphony-V’s rich capabilities, such as auto-tiering and thin provisioning, efficiently handle extensive demands placed on storage environments by intensive database applications. Together with SQL Server 2012, DataCore is enabling enterprises to have the robust storage infrastructure critical to attaining maximum returns on their virtualization, cloud and database investments."

DataCore has worked with Microsoft technologies since it was founded in 1998. The company has deployed over 20,000 systems around the world leveraging the technology, many with intensive database applications. Users are also already experiencing some of the benefits of SQL Server platforms because Express Local Edition is integrated into SANsymphony-V to store historical performance data

DataCore customers represent a spectrum of IT organizations, spanning all major vertical industries, and ranging from large enterprises to SMBs. Their physical environments consists of systems from major storage manufacturers including Dell, EMC, Fujitsu-Siemens, Hitachi, HP, IBM, NetApp, and others.

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