Azure Stack HCI on HPE Alletra 4110 works magic for hybrid cloud data

[StorageExperts]

The new Microsoft Azure Stack HCI on HPE Alletra 4110 delivers performance like never before for demanding data-intensive workloads running on Azure hybrid cloud infrastructure.

–By Mike Harding, HPE Storage

We’ve heard that good things come in small packages. And with the new Microsoft Azure Stack HCI on the HPE Alletra  4110, it’s a great thing coming in an even smaller package. This solution delivers the latest high-performance hybrid cloud infrastructure for data-centric Windows applications, but in a data-dense 1U system footprint.

Charmed hybrid cloud solution

You may recall the Harry Potter Mokeskin pouch or that charmed wizarding tent that’s larger on the inside than it looks from the outside. This is what we’ve accomplished with the Azure Stack HCI on HPE Alletra 4110. It’s a completely re-engineered platform used for big data software-defined workloads, with a number of performance-oriented improvements. It still delivers ample data storage capacity for Azure Stack HCI cluster nodes, yet it’s now all within just a 1.75 inch high system.

The hybrid cloud solution is still the familiar, reliable validated solution for Windows virtualized workloads, such analytics, computer-aided engineering (CAE), digital and video repositories, secondary storage, and anything related to big data. However, thanks to the new performance enhancing features of the hardware, this solution is even more capable for uses such as lift-and-shift SQL Server, providing an Azure-connected environment, but one that’s still on-premises, safe and directly manageable by IT staff.

Brewing a supreme potion of hybrid cloud

Azure Stack HCI on the HPE 4110 is the solution designed for the most demanding, data-intensive Microsoft workloads. The hardware is high performing all-flash with low latency, high throughput and high IOPS for data storage centric workloads It amplifies the benefits of modern hybrid cloud computing with a next-gen storage server platform that has market-leading performance and capacity. Top features and benefits of the solution include:

• Compact size – space-efficient ultra-data dense 1U footprint
• Future-proofed – Enterprise and Datacenter Standard Form Factor (EDSFF) storage media, the newest SSD form factor for next-gen infrastructure
• High-performance design – high-throughput PCIe 5.0 architecture
• Validated solution – for deployment and licensing flexibility
• Deployment guidance – technical white papers, published documentation, and training

This hybrid cloud infrastructure solution has been crafted to be even better for data-centric Windows applications because of the improvements within the underlying storage platform. The HPE Alletra 4110 is considered HPE Gen11 hardware, running the latest Intel® Xeon® Scalable processors on PCIe Gen4 architecture. The data storage media is also very new and innovative, using E3.S thin EDSFF – the configuration is all-NVMe, maximizing the performance of this solution beyond previous generation offerings.

We’re initially delivering a single validated configuration of this 1U Intel-based all-NVMe storage density-optimized server using up to 20 All-NVMe flash EDSFF. The hardware provides leading performance with low latency, high throughput and high IOPS for data centric workloads.

You can run the most demanding, data-centric workloads with high performance and maximum data capacity while getting familiar Windows ease of use and Azure-connected services. Still store as much data as you need, as the data capacity ranges up to 307TB, approaching the current Azure Stack HCI software capacity per node limit.

 HPE Alletra 4110 is specifically designed to run demanding data storage-centric workloads and is an idea platform for Azure Stack HCI.

How we conjured big data HCI

One of the latest big developments in modern IT has been hybrid cloud computing, which promises both access to the vast resources of the cloud while helping businesses maintain the control and familiarity of on-premises computing. This approach enjoys the benefits of established on-premises infrastructure plus the ability to adopt the latest technologies such as generative AI.

Azure Stack HCI is the hybrid cloud infrastructure service from Microsoft that unifies resource management with a flexible cloud-connected architecture. Now in its third iteration, this established infrastructure environment enables you to run your important Microsoft workloads on-premises while managing them through the Azure portal. And by working as a service, rather than just an OS, it stays up to date with the latest security, performance, and functionality through an Azure Arc–enabled connection to the cloud.

This solution joins other Azure Stack HCI solutions available from HPE, but stands out as the newest choice for the most demanding data centric workloads, and especially where space is at a premium.

This magician reveals his secrets

Azure Stack HCI on the HPE Alletra 4110 is at the core of this unique Microsoft software-defined hyperconverged solution, but there is more to it. HPE solution engineering teams perform extensive testing on all solution designs and publish technical white papers to provide guidance on implementation, administration, and performance optimization. HPE also trains authorized reseller partners to help ensure fast, successful deployments and fast time to solution for customers. A new Windows Admin Center (WAC) server extension will be available, along with the new technical solution guidance, configuration details, training materials and related communications.  

Read more about it in the new Azure Stack HCI on the HPE Alletra 4110 solution brief.

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Meet Storage Experts blogger Mike Harding, HPE Storage.

Mike focuses on launching and growing new enterprise technology offerings.

Storage Experts
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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