Accelerate and secure data replication with F5 WAN optimization - Dell

Storage optimization

Accelerate and secure data replication with F5 WAN optimization By Fred Johnson, Ujjwal Rajbhandari, and Puneet Dhawan

Combining Dell™ EqualLogic™ PS Series storage with F5® BIG-IP® application delivery systems and WAN Optimization Module™ technology can have significant performance and security benefits for data replication over wide area networks (WANs), helping reduce WAN-related costs.

A

pplication availability, data center

equipment, and administration, these performance

capacity, and business continuity can

advantages can quickly lead to bottom-line savings.

all depend on the timely movement of applications and data between remote

F5 BIG-IP application delivery controllers provide

completion times typical of wide area networks

the flexibility to support multiple feature sets

(WANs) can make remote WAN replication difficult

on a single platform. For example, a BIG-IP

or even impossible. Additionally, the need to meet

device providing high availability, traditional

regulatory and compliance standards—including

load balancing, and Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)

controlled access to and encryption of replicated

offload can also incorporate WAN optimization,

data—is often a paramount consideration for

Web acceleration, application security, and other

enterprise storage administrators.

features without the need for additional dedicated

With these challenges in mind, Dell and F5

appliances—helping to simplify management

have completed proof-of-concept (POC) lab

and save on hardware, rack space, and power

testing to demonstrate how organizations can

consumption.

help accelerate and secure Dell EqualLogic PS

70

F5 BIG-IP WAN optimization features

sites. The low throughput and long data transfer

F5 BIG-IP WOM technology is designed to

Series Internet SCSI (iSCSI) storage area network

accelerate TCP traffic for data center applications,

(SAN) replication over WANs using version 10.1 of

with the ability to scale to meet high bandwidth

the F5 BIG-IP WAN Optimization Module (WOM).

requirements. The module includes special

By overcoming the effects of limited bandwidth,

acceleration profiles for Common Internet

high latency, and packet loss, WOM technology

File System (CIFS) and Messaging Application

helps to dramatically increase throughput, reduce

Programming Interface (MAPI), and supports Web

replication completion times, and enhance

Cache Communication Protocol version 2 (WCCPv2);

bandwidth utilization and efficiency. When taking

because it must be deployed symmetrically, it

into account the costs of WAN bandwidth,

requires two or more BIG-IP devices.

2010 Issue 02 | dell.com/powersolutions

Reprinted from Dell Power Solutions, 2010 Issue 2. Copyright © 2010 Dell Inc. All rights reserved.

Figure 1. F5 BIG-IP WOM performance dashboard

A variety of features help

• Symmetric encryption:

preventing redundant data

to boost performance, secure

iSessions can be secured by

patterns from crossing the

communications, and manage

controlling access, encrypting

WAN. A cache is built on

traffic, including the following:

the control channel, and

the device at each end, and

optionally encrypting the

when a duplicate pattern in

iSCSI replication traffic; the

the network traffic is found, a

network tunneling feature

SSL encryption is designed

small reference to the cache

integrates security,

to operate with only minimal

is transmitted instead of the

acceleration, and traffic

impact on performance.

entire pattern—an important

management. This feature

Administrators can easily

way to help reduce the

is designed to work through

enable encryption by

amount of WAN traffic. The

firewalls: for example, iSCSI

modifying the iSCSI virtual

Dell and F5 POC testing used

requires only TCP port 443 for

server using the Web

a memory deduplication data

the secure control channel

browser–based BIG-IP

store, an approach well suited

and TCP port 3260 for iSCSI,

management interface.

for replication traffic. The

• iSessions: The F5 iSessions

and iSessions encryption can

• Symmetric data

deduplication cache can also

be enabled without changes

deduplication: In the WOM

be stored on disk to support

to the port assignments.

context, deduplication means

increased cache sizes.

“The goal of WAN optimization is to increase

performance by minimizing latency—helping to increase the perceived bandwidth, seamlessly recover from packet loss, and enable WANs to provide performance characteristics similar to LANs.”


dell.com/powersolutions | 2010 Issue 02

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• Symmetric adaptive

to reduce TCP overhead

compression: As with

and increase network

symmetric deduplication, compression helps to reduce

performance and reliability. • Layer 7 (L7) quality-of-

the amount of WAN traffic

service (QoS) rate shaping:

and increase bandwidth usage

L7 QoS rate shaping allows for

efficiency. Adaptive means that

the enforcement of bandwidth

BIG-IP devices can intelligently

minimums and maximums per

select compression based on

application, including burst

the type of data. Compression

control, and supports terms-

can also be offloaded to

of-service and differentiated

hardware compression cards

services code point (DSCP)

on high-end F5 platforms to

features. For example, the

help reduce processor usage

bandwidth associated with an

and increase throughput. The

iSCSI BIG-IP virtual server can

Dell and F5 POC testing used

be limited, helping prevent

adaptive compression, yielding

iSCSI replication from affecting

a combination of Lempel-Ziv-

other critical applications that

Oberhumer (LZO) and Deflate

share the same WAN link.

(level 1) compression. Volume data set characteristics such as

The WOM performance

compressibility influence the

dashboard offers integrated

performance gains associated

monitoring and reporting tools,

with WOM technology.

providing administrators with

• TCP Express: The BIG-IP

a quick look at real-time data,

network stack implements a

performance, and bandwidth

variety of TCP optimization

gains for WOM-optimized traffic

techniques and performance-

(see Figure 1).

F5 BIG-IP configuration In this Dell TechCenter video, Fred Johnson demonstrates how to configure the F5 BIG-IP WAN Optimization Module for a central office.

related IETF Request enhancements designed to

Proof-of-concept test environment

offload and optimize TCP

The goal of the Dell and F5 POC

network traffic, helping

testing was to demonstrate Dell

for Comments (RFC)

delltechcenter.com/ video/9320147/ f5+big+ip+configuration

Simulated data center 1

Simulated data center 2

Dell PowerConnect 6248 switch

Dell PowerConnect 6248 switch

WAN emulator iSessions

Dell EqualLogic PS6000XV iSCSI SAN array

F5 BIG-IP 3600 devices with WOM technology

F5 BIG-IP 3600 devices with WOM technology

Dell EqualLogic PS6000XV iSCSI SAN array

Encryption, compression, symmetric deduplication, and TCP optimizations

Figure 2. Proof-of-concept test environment incorporating F5 BIG-IP WOM technology

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800 15m10s

Throughput (MB/min)

700

16m40s

17m20s

600

19m36s

500 400

1m20s

2m35s

13m55s

500 MB (1:1)

1 GB (1:1)

5 GB (1:1)

Figure 3. Dell EqualLogic replication throughput and completion times with F5 BIG-IP WOM acceleration over a 45 Mbps WAN with 100 ms of latency and 1 percent packet loss

300 200 100 0 10 GB (1:1)

10 GB (2:1)

10 GB (4:1)

10 GB (4:1 with encryption)

Volume size and data compressibility

EqualLogic iSCSI SAN replication

The test team used the Web

increase the perceived bandwidth,

throughput and completion

browser–based EqualLogic

seamlessly recover from packet

times when using F5 BIG-IP

Group Manager user interface

loss, and enable WANs to provide

WOM technology to accelerate

to configure the volumes,

performance characteristics

and encrypt iSCSI traffic as it

manage the replication jobs,

similar to LANs. Figure 3 shows

crossed a WAN. The tests were

and report throughput and

Dell EqualLogic iSCSI replication

performed in November 2009

completion times. The test

throughput and completion times

at the Dell Interoperability Lab in

runs included asynchronous

with F5 BIG-IP WOM acceleration

Round Rock, Texas.

full-volume replication jobs, with

over a 45 Mbps WAN with 100 ms

no incremental replications, and

of latency and 1 percent packet

lab configuration included two

each run was limited to single-

loss (10,000 packets per million)

EqualLogic PS6000XV iSCSI

volume replications.

across a variety of volume sizes.

As shown in Figure 2, the

SAN arrays with sixteen 420 GB,

Similarly, the Web

The WOM-accelerated tests for the

15,000 rpm Serial Attached SCSI

browser–based BIG-IP

10 GB volume additionally show

(SAS) hard drives in a RAID-50

management interface was

the throughput and completion

configuration connected by

used for WOM configuration,

times for 2:1 and 4:1 volume data

two Dell PowerConnect™

including endpoints, virtual

compressibility as well as 4:1

6248 L3 switches. F5 BIG-IP

servers, encryption profiles, and

compressibility with encryption.

3600 appliances with WOM

acceleration profiles and routing,

technology were connected

as well as an iSCSI acceleration

context, using WOM technology

to the switches at each

policy. The performance

enabled the WAN link at 45 Mbps

simulated site. A WAN emulator

dashboard was monitored to

with 100 ms of latency and

interconnected the switches;

observe WAN optimization

1 percent packet loss to provide

the emulator functions included

statistics, network throughput,

results roughly comparable to

limiting bandwidth, injecting

and processor and memory

what could be expected of a

latency, and dropping packets

utilization during the test runs.

100 Mbps LAN with no latency

to simulate two remote data

To put these results in

or packet loss, even when using encryption—helping make

The two arrays then replicated

F5 BIG-IP WOM acceleration test results

volumes over the emulated

The goal of WAN optimization

volumes possible in a much

WAN, benefiting from WOM

is to increase performance by

shorter period of time than it

acceleration and encryption.

minimizing latency—helping to

would otherwise require. As an

centers connected over a WAN.


remote replication of large data

dell.com/powersolutions | 2010 Issue 02

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“F5 BIG-IP WOM technology can help organizations reduce administration costs and avoid the need to purchase additional bandwidth while continuing to meet overall organizational and compliance requirements.” Typical latency range

Typical average latency

Regional within the United States or Europe

10–40 ms

30 ms

U.S. East Coast to West Coast

80–120 ms

100 ms

South America to North America

90–170 ms

150 ms

250–400 ms

300 ms

Asia Pacific to Europe

Figure 4. Typical latencies that might be expected across a variety of WAN link distances

additional point of reference when evaluating the

technology can help organizations reduce

results, Figure 4 shows typical latencies that might

administration costs and avoid the need to

be expected across a variety of WAN link distances.

purchase additional bandwidth while continuing

Organizations can further increase iSCSI WAN

to meet overall organizational and compliance

data transfer throughput by configuring concurrent

requirements. Combining WOM technology

replication of more than one volume at a time,

with Dell EqualLogic iSCSI SAN arrays enables

helping maximize overall bandwidth utilization.

organizations to create a shared storage solution

They can also enhance network efficiency by

supporting accelerated and encrypted site-to-site

using remote point-in-time replication, which helps

data transfers over WANs.

minimize the amount of data crossing the WAN by transferring only the changed volume data to the replication partner.

Fred Johnson is a strategic partner engineer at F5 Networks dedicated to Dell Labs.

Reduced costs through WAN acceleration

Ujjwal Rajbhandari is a product marketing consultant for Dell storage.

Because bandwidth, equipment, and administration for WAN operations can represent significant costs over time, the performance advantages of F5 BIG-IP WOM technology with Dell EqualLogic storage demonstrated by the

Learn more

Dell and F5 POC tests can lead to bottom-line

F5 and Dell:

savings. By accelerating data transfer times

f5.com/dell

over WANs, enabling encryption with minimal performance overhead, and providing an easyto-use management interface, F5 BIG-IP WOM 74

Puneet Dhawan is a technical marketing consultant for Dell storage.


Dell EqualLogic PS Series: dell.com/psseries dell.com/equallogic
