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Dell EMC integrated automated tiered storage into the fluid data architecture of SC Series storage. This approach enables organizations to move data dynamically, intelligently, and efficiently among multiple storage tiers and RAID levels. All write transactions and frequently accessed data are placed on high-performance drives with performance-optimized RAID levels, while less frequently accessed data cascades to more cost-effective drives and lower-overhead RAID levels.
A virtualized (or pooled) storage environment provides an ideal foundation for tiered storage. With a virtualized environment, there are no constraints on where data can reside because the data is not confined to conventional disk groups. Data can be moved without limitation to a tier with a particular drive type or performance level, or to a particular RAID level within a storage tier, depending on business needs.
The SC Series Storage Center feature virtualizes storage by grouping disks into pools of storage called storage types, which hold small chunks of data known as pages. Block-level storage is allocated for use by defining volumes and mapping them to servers. The storage type and storage profile that are associated with the volume determine how a volume uses storage. For more information, see the latest Dell Storage Manager Administrator’s Guide.
For more information about the Dell EMC-recommended settings, see Configuring SC Series array storage for SAP HANA using Dell EMC DSM Client on page 19.
A storage type is a pool of storage with a single data page size and specified redundancy levels. The Storage Center assesses the disks that are available in a disk folder and presents the applicable storage type options. We recommend:
Redundancy levels provide fault tolerance for a drive failure.
Note: Be sure to add sufficient SSD counts for the SC Series deduplication and compression feature if it is required for your solution.
Storage profiles control how the array Storage Center manages volume data. The selected storage profile for a volume dictates which disk tier accepts initial writes as well as how data progression moves data between tiers to balance performance and cost. The storage type determines the available storage profiles.
Predefined storage profiles are the most effective way to manage data in the Storage Center.
For SAP HANA production installations, we recommend using flash drives for the SAP HANA persistence (data and log volumes) to meet the SAP HANA KPIs.
Flash devices provide benefits for SAP HANA production installations as follows:
SAP HANA persistence for SAP HANA nonproduction installations on SC Series hybrid models
Although the SAP performance KPIs do not apply to SAP HANA nonproduction installations, those installations are still critical components in an overall SAP landscape. For SAP HANA nonproduction installations, we recommend using the SAS drives on the SC Series hybrid models in Tier 3 storage.