{"id":237,"date":"2020-03-11T18:09:19","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T16:09:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tekmart.co.za\/t-blog\/?p=237"},"modified":"2020-03-11T18:11:56","modified_gmt":"2020-03-11T16:11:56","slug":"a-look-at-hyper-convergence-vs-traditional-server-deployments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tekmart.co.za\/t-blog\/a-look-at-hyper-convergence-vs-traditional-server-deployments\/","title":{"rendered":"A look at hyper-convergence vs. traditional server deployments"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time-approximately:<\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

What features would you consider in a hyper-convergence vs. traditional hardware evaluation? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Alastair Cooke<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\tSearchVirtualDesktop<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\t\n\t\n\tPublished: 29 Oct 2018<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

All but the smallest IT departments can achieve HCI-like simplicity with modern storage and servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) uses clustered local storage to \neliminate storage area networks, but its true value comes from the way \nit simplifies operational tasks<\/a>.\n HCI eliminates disk groups, RAID configurations and Fibre Channel \nnetworks, which makes it easier to go from hardware on the loading dock \nto a virtualization platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT administrators can achieve some of the benefits of HCI using a traditional hardware setup with wizards and automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hyper-convergence vs. traditional setups<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The most common fallacy I see in IT marketing is comparing a new product with the technology it replaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, buyers shouldn’t assume that an HCI cluster with 16 \nnodes in 8U of rack space completely replaces a legacy server and hard disk implementation<\/a>\n that takes up three full racks. A non-HCI setup might use a 2U \nall-flash array (AFA) and a small blade enclosure to replace the same \nthree racks. The real performance comparison is not three racks to 8U, \nbut rather an 8U HCI to 12U AFA and blades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unequal comparisons also occur when companies look at the challenges of building a Fibre Channel network<\/a>,\n a hard disk-based array and Gigabit Ethernet versus HCI with 10 GB \nEthernet; this comparison is neither fair nor accurate. Buyers should \nevaluate a new blade enclosure and AFAs against HCI, both with 10 GbE \ncapabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Automating a hyper-converged architecture deployment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hyper-converged systems simplify three primary elements<\/a>:\n initial hardware configuration, hypervisor deployment and a \nsoftware-defined storage (SDS) implementation. This is why admins might \nthink it is easier to use hyper-convergence<\/a>\n vs. traditional infrastructures; a typical HCI product completes these \ntasks with approximately one hour of effort by a moderately skilled data\n center engineer. The total time to finish can be longer, but the \nprocesses are primarily automated once the setup wizard gathers the \nright information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n