HP 3PAR Adaptive Optimization Software -
Overview & Features

Overview

The HP 3PAR Adaptive Optimization Software is a granular, policy-driven, autonomic storage tiering solution that delivers service level optimization for virtual and cloud data centers to reduce cost while increasing agility and minimizing risk. Adaptive Optimization Software delivers the next generation in autonomic storage tiering by taking a fine-grained, highly automated approach to service level optimization. Policy-driven, granular data movement takes place autonomically, providing highly reliable, non-disruptive, cost-optimized storage tiering at the sub-volume level to deliver the right QoS to the right data at the right time on a large scale.

Features

• Matches data at the sub-volume level to the most cost-efficient resource capable of delivering the needed service level, so the right QoS is delivered to the right data at the right time.
• Delivers sub-volume optimization that allows customers to reduce costs by meeting stringent performance targets with a lean premium Solid State Disk (SSD) tier while highly economical, widely striped Nearline (enterprise SATA) drives are used to meet broader capacity requirements.
• Leverages SSDs to allow customers to meet virtual and cloud performance demands in a smaller footprint and for up to a 30 percent lower storage equipment costs than using Fibre Channel drives alone.
• Application-specific controls and comprehensive support for "thin" and "fat" volumes, volume copies, and metadata enable service level optimization for broad deployments to deliver maximum savings.
• Starting service levels for each application can be configured independently and flexibly to match the desired service level and cost.

• Enables IT managers to react swiftly to changing business needs while delivering service level optimization over the entire application lifecycle, autonomically and non-disruptively.
• Offers QoS gradients for application prioritization modes (performance, balanced, cost) to shift data at a granular level toward the most appropriate resources according to changing QoS demands.
• Intelligently monitors sub-volume performance and then applies user-specified policies to autonomically and non-disruptively move data.
• Works with HP 3PAR System Reporter Software to allow administrators to prioritize each application by configuring an adaptive optimization configuration with up to three storage tiers defined by drive type, RAID level, stripe width and/or radial placement of data.

• Leverages the proven, fine-grained data movement engine built into HP 3PAR InForm Operating System Software. This data movement engine has been widely deployed by HP 3PAR clients for non-disruptive rebalancing of storage volumes using HP 3PAR Dynamic Optimization Software.
• Protects against user impact by incorporating a high degree of user control and several policy override mechanisms. A flexible implementation allows data movement to be scheduled and resource usage limits and tier definitions to be varied by application.
• Allows for user-configurable analysis periods, collection of performance data after cache, and built-in stability mechanisms that prevent data thrashing.
• Supports multiple Adaptive Optimization configurations and the co-existence of tiered and non-tiered application volumes, delivering the ability to consolidate a wide range of applications onto a single array.