StoreVirtual Storage
1745797 Members
3795 Online
108722 Solutions
New Discussion юеВ

Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

 
SOLVED
Go to solution
a_o
Valued Contributor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

The only issue is that when one does an apples to apples 3PAR StoreServ vs. Lefhand StoreVirtual, the value in StoreVirtual quickly jumps out at you.

 

A few of the critical features in StoreVirtual have to be licensed at an additional cost with 3PAR StoreServ.

For instance, Snapshots and Replication require additional licenses with StoreServ.

It's unclear if De-dupe requires licensing.

 

Regardless, these things add up. So I would take the $2/GB pricing being bandied around with a grain of salt.

In fact, that pricing factors in compression and de-dupe.  IMO, the real pricing is closer to $8-$10/GB.

 

It's ironic that we shorlisted StoreVirtual and Starwind, after also looking at Dell and EMC before finally going  with HP.

I'm seriously contemplating moving to Starwind so as to be able to leverage the existing hardware investments.

 

PavelOn
Occasional Advisor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

Fast translate from Czech via G.Trans. - email from HP supp.:

 

Hello,

I react about an service request number 4648625700

Date of release of a new version of OS Lefthand (SAN / iQ) 11.5. There have not been clarified. It is but expected in a few weeks or months maximum.
Function unmap most likely not included in the version 11.5

If and when added so in version 12, but is not yet issued any release notes and adding to unmap are only speculation.

Regards

Martin Tlapak
Technical Solutions Consultant
Hewlett-Packard Company

 

Viva HP! Tens of thousand thrown out the window:(.

PavelOn
Occasional Advisor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

a_o: Starwind was(is) Lefthand?

a_o
Valued Contributor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

No, Starwind is a different company.

 

Seems to be an upstart from one of the former Soviet republics.

Lefhand was acquired by HP a few months before we bought their products.
Their product has now been re-branded by HP as "StoreVirtual"

oikjn
Honored Contributor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

lol.  "a few weeks or months"... or years... or never...  or when god wills it ;)

 

 

 

We looked at starwind and HP/Lefthand at the time and went Lefthand since we wanted to go with a "VSA" solution.  These days some people could probably get away with the ESX version of their VSA or the microsoft iSCSI target solution for those with Hyper-V.

 

I haven't outgrown our current investment in StoreVirtual, but when the time comes, I'm sure we are going to give some serious looks elsewhere as the other VSA options have all pretty much become at a minimum feature-equivalent and most have added additional feature benefits over StoreVirtual.  If you think about it, there hasn't really be any new feature other than support for the latest OS or "now with 64bit VSAs" for at least three years and that is ages for a software to be static in such a developing area such as iSCSI storage.

 

Bart_Heungens
Honored Contributor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

I understand the frustration but I cannot understand some of the remarks here...

Adaptive Optimization is a cool feature which you get without additional licenses in the VSA... The entire product line is quite complete, space reclamation is on it's way this year and the VSA has a proven install base that the others only can dream of...

My VSA based SAN at home has an uptime of more that 4,5 years... Don't think many others can say this...

 

Personally I would have preferred too that there was faster evolution in the product, but I am not the HP management... If they say that 3PAR is the way to go... Shout at them...

 

But I still love the product...

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If my post was useful, clik on my KUDOS! "White Star" !
Gediminas Vilutis
Frequent Advisor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume


@Bart_Heungens wrote:

I understand the frustration but I cannot understand some of the remarks here...

Adaptive Optimization is a cool feature which you get without additional licenses in the VSA... The entire product line is quite complete, space reclamation is on it's way this year and the VSA has a proven install base that the others only can dream of...

My VSA based SAN at home has an uptime of more that 4,5 years... Don't think many others can say this...

 

Personally I would have preferred too that there was faster evolution in the product, but I am not the HP management... If they say that 3PAR is the way to go... Shout at them...

 

But I still love the product...


 

Ok, please tell me what of these new great features of last 3 or 4 LH OS releases I could use with my old installation of ~20 P4000 G2 nodes? FC? AO? I'm personally sick of that 'clean storage' routine - each 6-8 months copy data out, delete LUN, create LUN, copy data in... 

 

 

I completely understand HP - they add new 'sellable' features, like mentioned FC connectivity, AO, etc. - everything is to done to differenciate the product and boost new sales. But by doing so they forgot the needs of old users... :(

 

oikjn
Honored Contributor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

very true.  AO IS a new feature and definitely a good one, so I stand corrected, there has been one new feature added in the last three years.

 

As for uptime and install base...  agree 100% as well and that is why we chose Lefthand over Starwind or another option.  That said, the uptime and availability feature of this soltuion was novel and unique in this price range 3-5 years ago, but that just isn't the case anymore and today starwind can achieve similar numbers (for a small VSA install, not for a larger SAN solution).  

 

I won't say the VSA solution is a bad one now, but features like unmap are quickly becomming mandatory instead of cutting edge optional items and given the recent track record of the StoreVirtual team and their scilence on any developement roadmaps leads me to be concerned about my plans for when we do grow out of our current solution.

 

I see the StoreVirtual solution analagous to the NSX sportscar.  Back in the day it was a cutting edge machine capable of new supercar performance and even today you cannot say its a "bad" car, but if I'm in the market for sportscar today, a "like new" NSX just isn't going to hold up against against almost any used late model "low end" porsche or something like a nissan z-series car.

Patrick Neuner
Regular Advisor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

I also don't say Lefthand is bad. But at the time we bought the solution, thin provisioning was one of the features we requested and their sales sold us. Our bad we figured out too late, that it wasn't real thin provisioning as unmap was missing.

 

Back in 2012 they said, it will come but can't state when. If the support guy is right (which I hope is not) we have to wait until 2015 until it finally comes. If we read other resources, it will come this year. Anyway, it's already 2-3 years, that a feature "will come" - for planning it is mandatory to have a definit road map and not - waiting for next release, 10.0, no unmap, oh great, fast 10.5, no unmap, great 11 came out, no unmap... 11,5 might have it, probably not. So it's just a guessing and no info, when to really expect it, like rumors said Q2 2014, then somewhen 2014, then yes unmap is in 11,5, then unmap will not be in 11.5. 

 

Our distributor talked to HP directly First week in May with the info, 11.5 will be released within next 4 weeks, as we all know, this time passed too. I say "Yes to change", "YES to change the information published by HP". 

 

For our environment, we loose over 50 % Data and I dare to extend our Lefthand as the information politics is so bad and no mather to whom you talk 3 people, 3 answers. If I know - unmap will come Q1/2015, my decision is different, as if said, will be Q3/2014. 

 

If I would have the knowledge I have 2 years later, I would have never bought a lefthand. 

Sure - I would have tested unmap right away and through the offer back at them telling, feature missing, that was our fault - not to test thin provisioning in depth and just to believe in sales. 

 

And 2 years back, lefthand wasn't the only solution within this price range, but we have all HP and didn't really want to move to a non HP solution. Now we think of getting boxes with IODrives inside, using VSAN like solution, pay less and get more. And yes, this wasn't an option 2 years back, now it is and no Unmap means, we have to switch earlier than expected, as again, I dare to extend our current Lefthands, when we should have more than 60 % free storage but only have 15 % left. 

 

So not talking about Lefthands Quality, but bad Quality of HP disclosing information. 

 

Thanks

Patrick  

Patrick Neuner
Regular Advisor

Re: Reclaiming Space from a thin provisioned netword raid-5 volume

Version 11.5 is here... and guess what. 

NO Trim, at least I couldn't read it somewhere, correct me if I am wrong.