Hitachi Unified Storage VM, Product Overview Manual

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Hitachi Unified Storage VM Product Overview Guide
1–6
System overview
Non-disruptive service and upgrades
The HUS VM block module storage system is designed so that service and
upgrades can be performed without interrupting normal operations. These
features include:
• All main components can be “hot swapped” — added, removed, and
replaced without any disruption while the storage system is in operation.
The components include the Main blade, Cache memory module, Control
PCB, Cache flash memory, power supplies, fans, disk drives, and flash
drives. However, while additional cache memory is installed, the channel
ports and drive ports of the affected cluster are blocked.
• A Service Processor mounted in the controller chassis monitors the
running condition of the storage system. Connecting the SVP with a
service center enables remote maintenance.
• The firmware (microcode) can be upgraded without disrupting the
operation of the storage system. The firmware is stored in shared
memory (part of the cache memory module) and transferred in a batch,
reducing the number of transfers from the SVP to the controller chassis
via the LAN. This increases the speed of replacing the firmware online
because it works with two or more processors at the same time.
Economical and quiet
The three-speed fans in the controller chassis and drive boxes are
thermostatically-controlled. Sensors in the units measure the temperature
of the exhaust air and set the speed of the fans only as high as necessary
to maintain the unit temperature within a preset range. When the system is
not busy and generates less heat, the fan speed is reduced, saving energy
and reducing the noise level of the system.
Power Saving Mode . When the storage system is in standby mode, the
disk drives spin down and the controller and drive chassis use significantly
less power. A system in standby mode uses approximately 70% of the
power that it uses during normal operation.
File module storage system
This section describes the Unified Storage VM file module.
Overview
The Hitachi Unified Storage VM file module features a hybrid core
architecture using the best properties of FPGA-based design to optimize
data movement coupled with high performance, multi-core processors for
efficient data management functions. Both classes of activity work at full
speed without an impact on the other. They can handle a number of
simultaneous workloads such as serving email to thousands of users and
hosting large scale OLTP applications, while maintaining high performance.
They also provide high IOPS performance and utilize built-in 10 Gigabit and
1 Gigabit Ethernet for high throughput NAS and iSCSI networking
connectivity. Up to 4 nodes in a single cluster will meet demands for scalable
storage with greater access, capacity and performance. Storage can be