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This chapter addresses Dell and VMware technologies that help with placing data and improving performance in the VMware environment and on the array.
Unlike storage arrays of the past, the Dell PowerMax array contains multiple performance service levels. This feature gives the storage administrator, server administrator, and VMware administrator the challenge of selecting the correct service level for each application being deployed. The trend toward virtualizing the entire environment to optimize IT infrastructures exacerbates the problem by consolidating multiple disparate applications on a few large devices.
Given this challenge, it is common to select a single high-performance service level for all virtual machine deployments. Doing so assigns all applications to the same performance standard regardless of their needs. An example is diamond, which is best suited for the most demanding application. This traditional approach is wasteful since all applications and data are not equally performance-critical to the business. Within applications themselves, particularly those applications that are reliant upon databases, there is the opportunity to further diversify the storage make-up.
Applications can also benefit from array policies that throttle I/O to give the correct performance commensurate with the application requirements.
Both Dell and VMware offer technologies to help ensure that critical applications receive performance that meets the needs of those applications. These technologies can work independently or, when configured correctly, can complement each other.
This chapter addresses the following technologies: