Dynamic Tiering

After using Dynamic Provisioning software to virtualize LUs and pool storage into a thin provisioning strategy, the array now has all the elements in place to offer automatic self-optimizing storage tiers provided by Dynamic Tiering (HDT). Using Dynamic Tiering, you can configure a storage system with multiple storage tiers using different kinds of data drives, including SSD, SAS, and external volumes. This helps improve the speed and cost of performance. Dynamic Tiering extends and improves the functionality and value of Dynamic Provisioning. Both use pools of physical storage against which virtual disk capacity, or V-VOLs, is defined. Each thin provisioning pool can be configured to operate either as a DP pool or a Dynamic Tiering pool. Dynamic Tiering is supported on only VSP Gx00 models.

Automated tiering of physical storage is the logical next step for thin provisioned enterprise arrays. Automated tiering is the ability of the array to dynamically monitor and relocate data to the optimum tier of storage. It focuses on data segments rather than entire volumes. The functionality is entirely within the array without any mandated host level involvement. Dynamic Tiering adds another layer to the thin provisioned environment.

Using Dynamic Tiering you can:

  • Configure physical storage into tiers consisting of multiple kinds of data drives, including SSD, and SAS. Although host volumes are conventionally configured from a common pool, the pool is efficiently configured using multiple kinds of data drives. Placing data that needs high performance while reducing storage costs by using high cost disks such as SSDs as efficiently as possible, resulting in data that is accessed infrequently being placed on lower cost physical storage.
  • Automatically migrate small portions of host volumes to the most suitable tier according to access frequency. Frequently accessed data is migrated to higher speed, higher cost data drives (for example, SSD). Infrequently accessed data is migrated to lower cost and lower speed data drives (for example, SAS7.2K) to use the storage efficiently.

Dynamic Tiering simplifies storage administration by automating and eliminating the complexities of efficiently using tiered storage. It automatically moves data on pages in Dynamic Provisioning virtual volumes to the most appropriate storage media, according to workload, to maximize service levels and minimize total cost of storage.

Dynamic Tiering gives you:

  • Improved storage resource usage
  • Improved return on costly storage tiers
  • Reduced storage management effort
  • More automation
  • Nondisruptive storage management
  • Reduced costs
  • Improved performance
Parent Topic
  • Dynamic Tiering

    Dynamic Tiering (HDT) simplifies storage administration by automatically optimizing data placement in 1, 2 or 3 tiers of storage that can be defined and used within a single virtual volume. Tiers of storage can be made up of internal or external (virtualized) storage, and use of HDT can lower capital costs. Simplified and unified management of HDT allows for lower operational costs and reduces the challenges of ensuring applications are placed on the appropriate classes of storage.