HP Tools Simplify VM, Private Cloud Chores
By By Deni Connor
InformationWeek
Manually moving application workloads in virtual machines is complex and error prone, said HP. Moving data is further challenged by the physical storage's requirements of floor space, power, cooling, and infrastructure.
The new Ethernet Virtual Interconnect (EVI) component is a software update that speeds the interconnections between as many as eight geographically dispersed data centers, the company said. EVI allows optimization of workload migration and disaster recovery. Administrators can connect eight data centers in one step, from a single management console.
EVI, which will be available later this year, is installed on the HP 12500 Switch Series and will be free to existing customers. The technology encapsulates packets of data and creates a tunnel through the Layer 3 network.
[ Want more on HP's cloud strategy? Read HP, Cloudera Extend Hadoop Ties, Plan Appliance. ]
HP's Multitenant Device Connect (MDC) is a Layer 2 routing technology for the HP12500 Switch Series that works in combination with EVI to ensure the security of data between multitenant cloud applications. It eliminates the comingling of data between applications, departments, and business units. MDC is implemented by partitioning a single physical switch into multiple logical devices that each are allocated their own resources and configurations.
HP's new HP StoreVirtual virtual storage appliance (VSA) lets customers create storage pools on x86 servers with VMware vShpere or Windows Server Hyper-V installed. The StorVirtual VSA allows for the movement of data across servers and hypervisors and among different data center locations. The StorVirtual VSA is based on the virtual storage appliance sold by LeftHand Networks, which HP acquired in 2008.
HP Ethernet Virtual Interconnect and HP Multitenant Device Context are expected to be available this fall as firmware upgrades for the HP FlexFabric core switches. The new version of StoreVirtual VSA is available now for $3500 for a 10TB license, and $700 per license for a 1,000-license multi-pack. HP will demonstrate the technologies at VMworld 2012, starting Aug. 26 in San Francisco.
New innovative products may be a better fit for today's enterprise storage than monolithic systems. Also in the new, all-digital Storage Innovation issue of InformationWeek: Compliance in the cloud era. (Free with registration.)
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