ms exchange server acceleration
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7/28/2019 Ms Exchange Server Acceleration
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MS Exchange Server Acceleration
Using virtualization to dramatically maximize user experience or Microsot
Exchange Server
Allon Cohen, PhD
Scott Harlin
OCZ Technology Group
White Paper
enterprise
http://ocz.com/http://ocz.com/enterprise/literature/white-papershttp://ocz.com/enterprisehttp://ocz.com/enterprisehttp://ocz.com/enterprise/literature/white-papershttp://ocz.com/ -
7/28/2019 Ms Exchange Server Acceleration
2/8White Paper: MS Exchange Server Acceleration
1 Introduction
Microsot (MS) Exchange Server is one o the most widely used e-mail server
platorms in enterprise environments. It utilizes client applications such as MS
Outlook to connect hundreds or even thousands o users in an organization
to central servers to enable e-mail communications and other personal
management capabilities such as calendars, tasks, contacts, notes, journals,
and web browsing. In conjunction with MS SharePoint Server, MS Exchange
Server enables SharePoint sites to be developed or the public exchange or
access o olders, calendars, meeting schedules and databases (DBs).
To maximize the end user experience o MS Exchange Server, storage
latency and transactional input/output operations per second (IOPS) must be
perorming at the highest levels in order to successully service these largenumbers o users, and not adversely aect their productivity especially during
peak usage. These two parameters directly impact the usability o the e-mail
system as well as the number o mailboxes that can be hosted in a virtual server
environment. Thereore, transactional access rates and database read latencies
are key perormance parameters designated by Microsot to determine the
number o users that can be supported in a given environment, and in turn, how
the user experience will be perceived.
This white paper will present a solution that dramatically increases MS
Exchange transactional IOPS and reduces database read latency to maximize
perormance, as well as the user experience. The solution also allows or urther
server consolidation, as well as lower power and cooling requirements, leading
to a reduction in overall Total Cost o Ownership (TCO).
Introduction
Virtualization o the MS Exchange Server Environment
The OCZ VXL Sotware Solution
The OCZ Z-Drive R4 PCIe Hardware Solution
Perormance Testing
Perormance Results
Conclusion
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ContentsPage
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2 Virtualization o the MS Exchange Server
Environment
Virtualization achieves cost reductions through consolidation or MS Exchange
Server environments. With MS Exchange Server running in a Virtual Machine
(VM), multiple VMs can run on one platorm and can be moved or copied rom
one physical host to another to help balance the data center system load or
to expand processing capabilities. From a cost perspective, deploying and
managing less physical hosts (and multiple VMs) signicantly reduces overall
system and maintenance costs versus adding and managing isolated servers
or each application load.
In virtualized environments, storage has traditionally been relegated to external
storage arrays. These external storage arrays are typically lled with hard
disk drives (HDDs) that in most cases experience diculty in servicing a large
number o VMs concurrently due to their preerence or sequential, non-random
access to data. Additionally, external storage increases latency and causes data
bottlenecks as data access occurs through slower, external link protocols such
as FC (Fibre Channel) and iSCSI.
Since all connected VMs and associated applications in a virtualized
environment need access to external storage simultaneously rom the host, the
next logical step is to cache the most requently used data on fash memory that
resides within the virtualization host server. This approach enables any VM on
the host, such as MS Exchange Server, to access data at a much higher speed
and lower latency. The key to this approach is utilizing sotware that delivers
fash caching and storage virtualization into this virtualized server platorm.
To maximize storage capabilities, PCI Express (PCIe) fash cards (such as OCZs
Z-Drive R4 SSD) can be deployed within the virtualization server (that hosts the
MS Exchange Server) enabling fash cache to scale with either the size o the
cluster or the total capacity o the external storage area network (SAN). This
provides complete scalability in deployment and management o the fash within
the cluster.
3 The OCZ VXL Sotware Solution
To achieve the highest transactional IOPS and storage latency in virtualized
MS Exchange Server environments, OCZ Technologys VXL sotware provides
an optimized solution designed to operate in and enhance perormance o
enterprise virtualization environments. The sotware includes a rich eature set
that delivers heightened data acceleration, high availability (HA) and resiliency,
Server virtualization
requires strong randomaccess which is a major
problem or HDDs.
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and is deployed as a virtual
appliance on the virtualization host
server, distributing fash resources on
demand across VM applications to
maximize perormance. See Figure 1.
VXL sotware employs an advanced
caching and virtualization algorithm
that eatures optimized caching
strategies specic to MS Exchange
applications and decides which
data to cache in fash memory in the
most ecient and optimal manner.
This algorithm is transparent to
VMs, and since the fash cache is
shared dynamically between all VMs
supported by the host server, VXLsotware ensures that the fash cache is optimally utilized at all times, regardless
o how many VMs are running concurrently.
One o the key benets o VXL sotware is that no guest agents are required
within the application VM so IT deployment, management, and maintenance are
much simpler. Utilizing hypervisor connectivity, VXL works with any operating
system supported by a virtualization platorm including Windows, Linux,
OpenSolaris and FreeBSD. This is in contrast to other cache sotware solutions
that require agent or driver installation on every VM in the virtualized cluster. The
OCZ VXL no-agents approach dramatically simplies both the deployment and
management o storage especially since there can be thousands o VMs in a
virtualized environment.
As VXL sotware virtualizes the local fash resources, connected VMs are
transparently accelerated and continue to unction as they would regularly in
virtualized environments. All key virtualization capabilities such as vMotion, HA,
and ault tolerance are ully supported. Furthermore, VXL uses PCIe fash as a
single, dynamic resource as opposed to the static allocation per-VM perormed
by competitive solutions. As a result, VXL sotware dynamically distributes thefash between VMs based on need, making sure no VM holds the fash idly
when it can be used elsewhere in the environment. This provides the highest
return on investment (ROI) in a virtualized environment, where many VMs
share the same fash and oten do not reach peak work load requirements
concurrently.
VXL sotware also enables virtualization o fash cards as a highly available
network resource. It achieves this through VXLs SAN-less Data Center mode
VMware(ESX)
Microsoft(Hyper-V)
Citrix(Xen)
Host Server
VM-1 VM-2 VM-3 OCZ VXL
Much less data
required from SAN
SAN (HDD)
Z-Drive R4
What is VXL?
VXL is Flash Caching and
Storage Virtualization sotware
Unleashes Virtualization ull
potential by dissolving HDD
storage bottlenecks
How Does it Works?
Monitors VM data requests
to/rom external SAN
Keeps critical data in Z-Drive
R4 inside the server
SAN by 90%
Figure 1: Combining the power o fash with the power o virtualization using OCZ VXL sotware and
OCZ Z-Drive R4 PCIe SSDs
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that enables the fash to be exposed to any VM in a virtualized cluster without
negating any o the virtualization capabilities o the hypervisor layer. This
approach sets the precedence or an all silicon, SAN-less data center while
still delivering high availability and mirroring without the need or costly external
SANs.
4 The OCZ Z-Drive R4 PCIe Hardware Solution
OCZs Z-Drive R4 PCIe card provides a compact, power-ecient solid-state
solution that ts directly into a systems PCI Express slot to increase server
application perormance while delivering ast and reliable access to data
without burdening host CPU and memory resources. When combined with
OCZs VXL sotware, any PCIe-based Z-Drive R4 model (including the Z-Drive
R4 CloudServ) can be utilized as an accelerator or traditional iSCSI and FC
storage.
This combination o VXL sotware with a Z-Drive R4 PCIe SSD enables the
delivery o a complete virtual perormance system or enterprise customers
looking to eciently distribute fash resources across VMs as a means to
maximize perormance o key applications. Since cached data is treated as
a virtualized storage entity, VMs can be migrated seamlessly between host
servers without perormance loss. This also eliminates the need or costly tier-1
SANs in a wide range o enterprise IT inrastructures and is simpler and more
cost eective to maintain.
5 Perormance Testing
This white paper presents the accelerated perormance
achievable with VXL sotware in virtualized MS Exchange
Server environments. Using Microsot Exchange Servers
Jetstress trac generator, the tests perormed compare
a VM running an MS Exchange Server database beore
and ater VXL sotware and a Z-Drive R4 PCIe fash SSD
are added to the host, testing or both transactional
IOPS and database read latency. The baseline reerence
environment (beore VXL sotware and the Z-Drive R4
PCIe SSD is added) eatures a VM that implements
the MS Jetstress trac generator deployed on a Dell
PowerEdge R710 host server and is connected to an IBM
DS3400 storage array system utilizing a RAID 0 SATA
LUN or database, and a RAID 5 SAS LUN or logs. A
VMware ESX 5.0 hypervisor was used on the host server,
containing 2 six core Intel XEON X5690 processors. See
Figure 2.
Another more efcient way
is to add an SSD into theserver and have it unction
as an accelerator by
caching the most requently
used data.
VMware ESX 5.0
Host Server
(Dell PowerEdge R710)
Exchange
Jetstress on
Win 2008 VM
Much less data
required from SAN
4Gb FC SAN
(IBM DS3400)
Figure 2: The baseline reerence environment beore VXL sotware and the
Z-Drive R4 PCIe SSD is added
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The fash accelerated environment utilizes the baseline
reerence host with the addition o VXL sotware (as a
virtual acceleration appliance) and a Z-Drive R4 PCIe
card. In read cache mode, the fash is used to accelerate
reads while all writes are directed to SAN storage
(write-through). In the fash virtualization (SAN-less
Data Center) mode, VXL virtualizes the Z-Drive R4 PCIe
solution and exposes it as accelerated storage to the
Microsot Exchange Virtual Server. See Figure 3.
To simulate the sustained storage loads in a production
MS Exchange Server environment, a standardized 2 hour
Jetstress test o 200 mailboxes each, with 2 gigabyte
mailbox sizes, was used or both environments. The total
transactional IOPS and database latency metrics, beore
and ater VXL acceleration, were then compared and the
results appear in the next section.
6 Perormance Results
The results o the acceleration tests indicate that deploying VXL sotware
using a VMware ESX operating system with host-based fash provides a
dramatic increase in transactional IOPS or MS Exchange running as a VM in
the environment. The transactional IOPS increased more than 18x (rom 252
IOPS to 4581 IOPS) in the SAN-less Data Center mode, and more than 6x
(rom 252 IOPS to 1473 IOPS) when writes are directed to SAN storage viawrite-throughs. This increase in IOPS perormance was accompanied by a large
decrease in the database read latency (rom 16.2ms to 1.5ms), reaching access
times that were 13x aster than the Microsot usability requirement o 20ms.
Table 1 below summarizes the transactional IOPS and database read latency
beore and ater acceleration with VXL sotware and host based fash.
VMware ESX 5.0
Host Server(Dell PowerEdge R710)
Exchange
Jetstress on
Win 2008 VM
Much less data
required from SAN
4Gb FC SAN
(IBM DS3400)
OCZ VXL
Z-Drive R4
Figure 3: The ater or baseline reerence environment with the addition o
VXL sotware as a virtual acceleration appliance and a Z-Drive R4 PCIe
card
VM w/o Acceleration
VM accelerated w/
VXL (Write throughSAN mode)
VM w/ VXL SAN-less
Datacenter (FlashVirtualization Mode)
Transactional IOPS 252 1473 4581
Acceleration Factor x6 x18
Latency 16.2 1.4 1.5
Table 1: MS Exchange transactional IOPS and database read latency with and without VXL acceleration
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As outlined in Graph 1, the incorporation o VXL sotware
and host-based fash provides an up to 18x increase in
transactional IOPS perormance. For IT proessionals, this
addition o VXL sotware translates into support or many
more users in a VM environment as well as the capability
to support heavier usage loads and usage peaks without
aecting a clients usability experience.
As is evident in Graph 2, database read latency with
VXL acceleration was reduced to less than a tenth o its
previous value. It should be noted that beore VXL and
fash acceleration was added, the Exchange VM was
close to ailing the Microsot recommended threshold
requiring latencies o less than 20ms. When VXL and
fash acceleration was added, latency was ar below the
20ms requirement indicating that the Exchange VM easily
passed Microsots usability requirement, which in turn,enables additional users within the same environment.
6 Conclusion
OCZ VXL sotware, when combined with an OCZ Z-Drive
R4 PCIe SSD, provides an enterprise-class solution
to fash-based virtualization and acceleration in the
data center. As demonstrated rom the perormance
tests, when PCIe fash with host-based virtualizationand acceleration sotware was added to the VMware
environment, perormance o MS Exchange VMs
increased by a actor o 18 times. This increased
perormance translates into a higher ROI in the enterprise
as the same virtual inrastructure can now support a
much larger number o users. Employee productivity also
increases since peak usage no longer adversely aects
end user perormance.
The combined OCZ hardware/sotware solution alleviates the storage issues
that bog down virtualized server deployments. Enterprise IT departments and
cloud providers can enable virtualization or even heavy application loads, such
as MS Exchange Server, with condence. In addition, reduced CAPEX and
OPEX eciencies are realized that transorm the data center into a dynamic,
high-perormance environment that is able to handle the ever-increasing loads
and requirements typically associated with accelerating access to data in the
enterprise.
$0
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
MS Exchange Transactional IOPS
VM w/ DB in SAN VM w/ VXL Flash Virtualization(SAN-less data center)
Graph 1: MS Exchange Transactional IOPS with and without VXL
acceleration
Graph 2: Database read latency with and without VXL acceleration
0
5
10
15
20
Latency (Lower is Better)
VM w/ DB in SAN VM w/ Flash Virtualization
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Contact us or
more inormation
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San Jose, CA 95119 USA
P 408.733.8400
E sales@oczenterprise.com
W ocz.com/enterprise
VISIT OCZ ENTERPRISE
EMAIL SALES TEAM
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inormational purposes only and may contain technical inaccuracies, omissions and typographical errors. Any perormance tests and ratings are
measured using systems that refect the approximate perormance o OCZ products as measured by those tests. Any dierences in sotware or
hardware conguration may aect actual perormance, and OCZ does not control the design or implementation o third party benchmarks or websites
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rmware changes, or the like. OCZ assumes no obligation to update or otherwise correct or revise this inormation.
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