Fujitsu Limited Corporate IT Unit Infrastructure Systems Planning Dept

"Now with VS900, we can create mechanisms that provide disk space when and as they're needed. For instance, by using multiple storage systems as a single virtual storage unit, disks can be used much more flexibly. They can be matched to operations, so when system A needs additional disk space due to rapid business growth, unused capacity in systems B and C can be diverted for use by system A"

Note: The Corporate IT Unit became Fujitsu CIT Limited from April 1st. This article was written in March 2008.

Despite the data explosion, nearly 50% of available storage capacity reportedly remains unused in enterprises. That is why storage virtualization has gained traction as a technology able to provide management agility, improved asset utilization and effective systems deployment. To quickly achieve such a practical virtual storage environment, Fujitsu's Corporate IT unit, Infrastructure Systems Planning Department, installed an ETERNUS VS900 Virtualization Switch. This allowed them to establish a mechanism to quickly provide in-house users with the disk space they needed when they needed it. They then concentrated on speeding up new system and service deployment, improving investment efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership (TCO). They also constructed an integrated backup environment using an ETERNUS LT270 tape library, which succeeded in improving operation management efficiency dynamically.

System introduction background

Virtual Storage was the answer to managed data growth and return on investments

The Infrastructure Systems Planning Department, at Fujitsu, is in charge of four in-house data centers and their networks; from design to operation and management. Currently, there are thousands of servers operating in the company, with more servers are being added as strategic data increases year on year.
With both TCO and environmental load reductions as objectives, the Infrastructure Systems Planning Department has aggressively promoted systems integration including server consolidation. During this activity, two significant additional objectives arose. These were improved efficiency from storage virtualization and the building of an integrated backup environment.

"While we have controlled the overall IT systems in Fujitsu, backup data has grown on a daily basis. However, just continuously adding storage systems could generate unnecessary investments and reduce efficiency in terms of operation management. In addition, as well as using previous-generation storage systems freed up by replacement equipment, we needed to respond to business changes more flexibly and allow creation of new systems and services as quick as possible. Storage virtualization was the key to resolving all these issues," says Mr. Saito, head of the Infrastructure Systems Planning Department, explaining the background to implementation.

Key point of introduction

Flexible use of disks matched to operations

Virtual storage based asset utilization was a critical factor when building integrated backup environments. It also coincided with the service concept in the next-generation data center they were planning to build. "By establishing a mechanism that enabled us to lease resources such as CPU, memory and HDD quickly on an as-needed basis, we accepted the offer of an ETERNUS VS900 Virtualization Switch, at the right time." says Mr. Saito.

"Now with VS900, we can create mechanisms that provide disk space when and as their needed. For instance, by using multiple storage systems as a single virtual storage unit, disks can be used much more flexibly. They can be matched to operations, so when system A needs additional disk space due to rapid business growth, unused capacity in systems B and C can be diverted for use by system A." (Mr. Saito)

While expecting much from VS900, there was however some anxiety at the beginning.

"It was the first time we had introduced virtual storage in our data center, so we were especially concerned about performance degradation. We observed the development process of VS900 and assured ourselves it would benefit us in terms of response. This brought us to the decision on VS900." Mr. Inagaki from the Infrastructure Planning Department recalls.

A large focus was put on business continuity. For critical systems in the data center that underpin the entire business of Fujitsu, business continuity was a high priority. "By configuring VS900 redundantly, business operation can continue even if an unexpected failure event occurs." (Mr. Inagaki)

System Outline

Ability to backup without affecting operations

In-house operation using a virtual storage system commenced in May 2007. Virtual storage was created by connecting the existing ETERNUS3000 and GR710 storage systems to a VS900. As this can be allocated independently from the physical disk configuration, the 6TB of overall disk capacity can be utilized effectively. Using the replication function of VS900, backup data created through an initial disk to disk backup inside the virtual storage pool, is then backed up to an ETERNUS LT270 tape library. This ensures dynamic reductions in backup times. "Previously, we had to stop operations for three hours to execute a backup operation. Now in cooperation with ETERNUS SF AdvancedCopy Manager, data in the virtual pool can be backed up without using any server resources or stopping operations." (Mr. Saito) ETERNUS LT270 and VS900 now work together to streamline operation management through integrated systems backup, which includes the company's largest mission critical systems.

From that point on, needs based storage expansion became much easier. "Servers accessing virtual storage are unaware of the storage structure; therefore data migration associated with storage addition is able to be processed seamlessly." (Mr. Inagaki)

Installation benefits and future expectations

Provision of required disk space is available within an hour.

"Providing disk space used to take from a few days to few weeks. Now we can process requests in an hour or less. Previously, when additional capacity was required, we struggled to find disks with enough unused space and had to spend much time in setup. But once the virtual storage pool was created with VS900, we could provide the virtual disk easily and quickly just using the operation management tool ETERNUS SF Storage Cruiser." (Mr. Saito)
The solution was also attractive in terms of cost. "About 50% of physical storage capacity is said to be unused in enterprises. This meant around 3TB out of 6TB disk capacity was now available to us by virtualization. Compared to installing new storage devices, as much as ¥1 million could be saved. We expect more benefits in investment efficiency and TCO reduction in the future" (Mr. Saito)

Fujitsu also enjoys more efficient data migration from old to new storage devices. "Two characteristics of VS900 ensure secure migration. First it removes the need for operational halts even during migration. Second it enables us to easily detach the old storage system once the migration has checked complete. Plus, this can all be executed at reduced cost." (Mr. Inagaki)

On the subject of operation management, Mr. Inagaki explains "Through the ETERNUS SF Storage Cruiser GUI operation panel we can, not only perform operations more easily, but also quickly grasp the overall status of our systems - both storage and the physical network connections - in an integrated manner. In addition, device management for the entire system has become easier, enabling stable operation and management cost reductions."

On future prospects, Mr. Inagaki says "In-house implementation is one of our most crucial missions. There are many ways to utilize VS900 such as: applying it to file servers, combining it with blade servers, and configuring for different data priorities using different types of disks. We'd like to work with the product division to explore further utilization opportunities for VS900 and cumulate know-how though in-house implementation, so that we can also contribute to the investment efficiency of Fujitsu's customers."

Mr. Saito also comments on building a next-generation data center. "Our data center is in the midst of change and must respond to more changes in the future, including green center construction. When it comes to building a human and environmentally friendly next-generation data center, virtualization technology like VS900 is crucial."