IOmark Benchmark for HP MSA 2040

IOmark announces benchmark results for HP’s fourth generation MSA 2040, an entry-level enterprise block storage system.

IOmark-VM determined that the HP MSA 2040 is able to support 104 simultaneous virtual applications an average cost of $393.52 per application instance.  

The IOmark-VM tests real world workloads, measuring a standard set of applications running in a virtual environment. The results are audited to ensure uniform testing and reporting of results, enabling IT users the ability to compare products using metrics that matter, price, capacity and application performance.
 
The application mix of IOmark-VM includes databases, webservers and Exchange mail servers, plus additional Hypervisor operations (more details included in the report). Per the benchmark specifications, the MSA 2040 supported 104 applications with a mean response time of 2.49ms.
 
“The HP MSA is the top ranking entry level FC storage system we have tested or audited,” said Russ Fellows, senior partner, Evaluator Group Inc. “It performed efficiently, demonstrating its ability to support many different applications and handling the varied I/O streams required in virtual environments.”
 
“As demonstrated by the IOmark-VM benchmark, the HP MSA continues to be the leading storage platform for small and midsize business virtualization projects,” said Craig Nunes, VP, marketing, storage, HP. “It is a simple, affordable, reliable workhorse for this market with a very strong set of advanced features purpose-built for our small and midsize customers.”
 
The MSA 2040 is a block storage system with multiple protocol connectivity.  The system can be configured with FC, SAS, and iSCSI connectivity in a single controller or dual controller arrangement.  It supports advanced features including VMware integration, remote replication and SSDs.
 
The IOmark-VM workload measures storage system performance by recreating multiple instances of a standard set of virtual application, driving actual I/O streams rather than simulations or synthetic workloads. 

The IOmark-VM benchmark requires the following to achieve passing results:

For the steady-state workload:

• Total test time is 1 hour, with a measured interval of 30mn
• 70% of response times for I/O’s must not exceed 30ms
• A minimum number of storage vMotion and VM clone operations must also be completed during a one-hour test

Other reporting criteria include:

• Storage system configuration and tested environment must be reported
• All storage for measured workloads must reside on the storage system tested
• Total list price for storage system tested must be reported

Evaluator Group is the developer of IOmark which is available to end users or free to Evaluator Group IT end user premium subscribers. Vendors, performance testing labs and channel partners may purchase to use the tool in their lab and for publishing audited results. Free evaluation licenses are available.
 

To read MSA 2040 results