GreenBytes Enhancing vIO Storage Solution for Desktop Virtualization

GreenBytes,
Inc. announced enhancements to its vIO
virtual storage solution for desktop virtualization.

Version 4.0 offers OEMs and
service providers virtual desktop deployment features, along with the
flexibility required to scale virtual desktop environments. With zero
latency inline deduplication technology, OEMs are able to deliver
cloud-scale, desktop virtualization solutions that enable persistent
virtual desktops, providing end users with a virtual desktop
experience that is similar to the physical desktop they are familiar
with, all with up to 98% less storage space required.

The virtual storage solution
enables OEMs to enter into the VDI market by creating customizable
packages of desktop virtualization solutions that are simple and
scale from departmental to cloud, increasing customer time-to-value.

It diverts OS and swap disk
activity away from primary storage to high-speed flash, solving the
performance and latency problems and poor user experience that occur
during peak usage. Deployed and ready to present storage locally or
externally via iSCSI or NFS in less than five minutes, vIO-based OEM
solutions can deliver persistent or non-persistent desktop images
through their preferred desktop broker interface running on VMware
hypervisors.

Features and Benefits
Include:

• Optimized Deduplication
  Hashing Functions: The file system has modernized the ZFS
  platform, making improvements that increase performance and
  reliability. Compared to the generic ZFS hashing function, the
  platform provides up to 450% accelerated performance.

• Optimized Compression:
  Reducing the storage footprint is an essential requirement when
  planning for a large-scale VDI deployment. This solution offer ~50%
  faster compression rate, ~80% decompression rate, and ~10% better
  compression ratio over the previous version, which enables the
  company to reduce the storage required for virtual desktop
  initiatives by up to 98%.

• VDI Block Size
  Optimization: As the default cluster size for NTFS is 4K (up to
  16TB volume), it improves dedupe performance by 50% by using a 4K
  block size to align with Windows VDI workloads, which results in
  storage efficiency and a better user experience. Alternative
  technologies that use larger block sizes are unable to achieve the
  same level of dedupe percentages, which increases the storage cost.

• LUN-Based QOS:
  Virtual desktop storage I/O varies based on user activity. Keeping
  storage I/O at levels that ensure all users are happy means being
  able to control the so-called ‘noisy neighbor’ problem. The virtual
  storage solution allows administrators to set a quota to limit the
  number of writes per second on a per LUN basis, which enables IT
  managers to control the impact that client VMs might have on each
  other, enabling a predictable user experience.

• Improved SNMP Reporting:
  The health of data center ingredient needs visibility to system
  administrators. The system features an expanded use of the SNMP
  interface to enable integration into third party dashboards, or via
  the company’s packaged monitoring VM. Updates include expanded
  pool/LUN/network reporting, sending traps for error conditions, and a
  downloadable, preconfigured monitoring VM console.

• NFS VAAI (VMware vStorage
  API for Array Integration): To achieve higher speed cloning of VM
  images, which translates to faster time to deploy, the company
  leverages a feature in the VMware ESX hypervisor called VAAI. This
  feature enables cloning locally on the vIO instead of copying the
  data over the network, resulting in a 2x increase in cloning speed,
  as well as decreasing traffic on the network.

It can size to any desktop
virtualization environment by deploying multiple vIO instances. A
single vIO is designed to provide I/O offload for 100 or more
persistent or non-persistent virtual desktops. Customers can also
utilize the pre-configured IO Offload Engine hardware appliance that
supports from 100 to 2,000+ persistent or non-persistent virtual
desktops over 10GbE iSCSI or 8 or 16Gb FC.

The virtual storage solution
is available.

Jim Zakzeski, VP, sales and
marketing, ClearCube Technology,
Inc. said: "The storage
capabilities that the GreenBytes solution provides are leading edge;
cutting through all the hype and white-noise in the VDI storage
marketplace with break-through performance. The practical benefits
from GreenBytes’ patented deduplication efficiency are profound and
impact the economics of the storage component of VDI deployments to
the tune of 15:1 cost savings, making persistent full clones very
attractive."

Ben Woo, MD, Neuralytix,
Inc. IT market research firm, said: "GreenBytes’ vIO 4.0
virtual storage solution for OEMs and service providers addresses the
challenges associated with storage for virtual desktop environments.
Beyond all other measures, time-to-market is the key metric for OEMs
and service providers. They need to deliver high performance packaged
persistent or non-persistent virtual desktop solutions. GreenBytes’
patented zero latency inline deduplication technology does just that
while minimizing the cost and allowing OEMs and service providers to
maximize margin."

Michael Richtberg, VP, product management, GreenBytes, said: "GreenBytes plugs in
a critical fuse for the successful fulfillment of the VDI user
experience. Achieving the elusive combination of cost, performance
and getting users what they want in the virtual ‘personal’ computing
era of cloud-based offerings is a long-awaited industry achievement
that I am pleased to announce we have reached with our vIO 4.0
release."