Recently I was able to purchase and test two Drobo storage appliances.
A DroboS with five disks and a DroboPro with eight disks. All the disks are the same size, speed, and manufacturer. The specs are listed further below for your consumption.
The DroboS is attached via USB 2.0 to my desktop workstation – a Dell OptiPlex 745 with 4GB RAM and running Windows 7 (64bit). I have an eSATA card on order. I’ll be posting more details on this specific setup at a later date.
The DroboPro is the device I’m most interested in. Depending on the test results that I get – it may live in a remote campus building attached to two small ESX hosts with six virtual servers on them.
Currently our environment is hosted on three MPC DataFrame 120’s. These units are no longer covered by manufacturer’s warranty due to MPC’s crash and burn bankruptcy. However, I have two HP/LeftHand 2120 storage modules that could replace them, but it may be overkill. The HP units each have 12 disks and use much more power than our existing MPC units or the Drobo. Two domain controllers, two file servers, a print server, and an application server.
Read on for the gory details.
Test Environment
VMWare Host:
· HP DL360 G6 (Sixth Generation)
CPU: 1 x Intel Xeon E5530 Quad Core 2.4 GHz with Hyper threading enabled (8 total cores available)
Memory: 3 x 4GB PC3-10600R RDIMMs DDR3
Network: Six total 1Gbps Ethernet ports (2 on-board, 4 port PCIe NIC)
· Local Storage:
HP P400 Raid Controller with 512MB Cache and Battery Backup Unit (for full read/write caching)
4 x 72GB 10k RPM SAS (2 x RAID1)
· NAS Storage
2 x LeftHand (HP) NSM 2120 Storage Modules (mirrored but not load balanced)
2 x RAID 6 arrays and combined into one storage pool using SAN iQ
· VMFS volumes:
3 x 1TB (vmware default configurations)
1 x 250GB (vmware default configurations)
DroboPro
1 x 1Gbps Ethernet connection
Latest firmware (1.4.1)
8 x 500GB 7200RPM SATA
Single drive failure protection (dual disk disabled for testing)
· VMFS volumes:
2 x 2TB (8MB blocks, per best practice documentation from Drobo)
· Network:
1 x HP 3500 YL gigabit Ethernet switch (24 port – 101Gpps backplane)
· Testing Software:
Host OS: vSphere 4.0
VM OS: Windows XP SP3 (1GB RAM, 9GB HDD)
Notes: VMware tools and latest virtual hardware upgrades applied.
HD Tach 3.0.4.0
Notes:
HD Tach uses base 10 for conversion of bytes to megabytes and gigabytes. I use base 2 to reflect the OS and application measurements.
First Test:
Test VM on LeftHand 1TB VMFS volume.
We start off slow but maintain a high throughput with minimal latency, averaging 8.4ms on the random access tests. Average read speeds are 51.5 MB/s with a burst above 61MB throughout the test. The test bandwidth ranges from 28.6 MB to over 66 MB, but mostly staying above 42 MB during the entire test.
Second Test:
Test VM on Drobo 2TB VMFS volume. 
After migrating the same test machine over to the Drobo, I ran the exact same test. We see much less top end and very low valleys on the ranges of throughput. The test ranges from 10MB on the lowest to a hair over 45MB/s on the bursts. The throughput averaging 27.56 MB/s with a latency of over 450ms. I reran the test at a later time and had a better result.
Third Test:
Test VM on Drobo 2TB VMFS volume (#2) 
I reran the HD Tach test on the Drobo to test, this time using 32MB blocks. The random access latency was much better at 14.4ms. The throughput remained the same – averaging 29.85 MB/s, the difference easily attributed to the larger block size.
Fourth Test:
Test VM on Drobo 2TB VMFS volume during a storage vmotion:
I started a storage VM Motion of a powered off clone of the test VM. This copy was being svmotioned to the second VMFS volume on the DroboPro, and finished during the first 3rd of the test. As you can see, the disk access for the running machine was crushed by the svmotion process of the vSphere host.
Fifth Test:
Text VM on HP local storage.
I also wanted a benchmark in this test to prove the virtual machine and the host are not the bottlenecks in this test. I’ll let the graph speak for itself.
The sustained throughput and burst speeds are more than enough to prove that vsphere host and virtual hardware have opened up the floodgates to high I/O applications.
Final Thoughts:
I’m expecting too much from this SMB storage device. While I point out the performance issues I found, it really isn’t fair – I’m comparing apples to oranges in this environment.
The Pro is really a good unit and has a lot of potential for SMBs or workgroups. It’s brain dead simple to use and manage. The Drobo line of products are devices that “just works” out of the box. Plug it in, slap a pair of hard drives in, and turn it on.
I don’t think I can recommend this unit for the original purpose it was purchased for: Shared storage for two ESX hosts and 4-6 virtual servers in a remote campus. Even though it is certified by VMWare, it’s apparent by the tests that it would not support more than a few virtual machines – and certainly not any file servers that require a decent storage subsystem to keep users from complaining about slow file access or delays.
This is not to say “don’t buy it” because I really do think it’s a worthy product if you need a lot of storage that can be upgraded over time with very few technical skills. What other device out there can you yank a 500GB drive out and slap in a 1TB and start using it right away? That’s the power of these units.
I can think of a dozen situations here at work that this unit would be a perfect fit. Just not this one.
The lack of monitoring (remote or self) also removes it from our production environment. I brought this question up with Drobo support. They were very prompt in their turnaround, as I received a reply in less than an hour with a follow up question and then another 45 minutes with a recommendation.
They recommend I install the Drobo dashboard software on a virtual machine and setup email alerts from within the software. The catch is that the dashboard is an application – not a service. I would have to remain logged in for the dashboard to be running. This is not an option.
Alternatives:
The DroboPro is not the biggest dog in Drobo’s kennel. They recently released the Drobo Elite which offers a faster processor, a second gigabit nic, and some additional file system features to allow for multiple computer access from the network. The cost is about double what the Pro was.
However, I was hoping for more performance from an 8 drive unit than I got. It’s just not fast enough for my environment. I will post additional test information from my DroboS when I get the eSATA card installed. I’m looking forward to that!
-Update-
I reviewed my test data and methods and wanted a clearer picture of where the DroboPro was on my chart of storage. So I retested the DroboPro with additional software and tests for additional data. Read on to DroboPro Testing, Part 2.
- Image via Wikipedia
VMWorld 2009 and many other VMWarevirtualisation topics are still rolling around in my head. So many ideas, so many paths… so many vendors calling me after the conference.
Some interesting tidbits of discussions included baremetal VMWare View clients. In response to portable thinclients like the WyseMobile Thinclient, VMWare wants to install its hypervisoron your hardware then install the VM workstation on top of that – checking in the deltas to a central server for management, backup, and business continuity.
VMWare View workstations with support for VoIP, presumably leveraging the PCoIP protocol learned from Teradici.
And this week after a 64GB memory upgrade on our virtual desktop environment, the talk of thinclients has risen to a roar. It looks like we’re going to be spending upwards of a half a million on workstation refresh this year – do we plunk down a core duo micro tower twenty five times a room or invest in a virtual desktop environment that’s infinitely easier to manage and much more mobile.
We’re also implementing a new NetAppSAN. The gear just arrived this afternoon – five pallets worth. It’s a thing of beauty, and it’s not even out of the box yet. Dual FAS3140 controllers, 28 x 450GB 15,000 RPM FiberChannel drives and 14 x 1TB 7200 RPM SATA drives.
We’ve already moved the LeftHand/MPC equipment to a temp rack until we can migrate the data off of them.
It’s going to be a busy week.
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I’ve started running with Kathy a few weeks ago – she’s already kicking my arse, but supportive of my efforts to run. Nike+ and my iPod have made running almost fun. Feel free to add me as a friend if you’re out there… just don’t point and laugh – I’m a noobie in this endeavor.
I love deliveries. Especially this time of year. UPS, FedEx, AirTrans, carrier pigeon… I don’t care – it’s usually something expensive and always something that is going to make my job easier.
Today, FedEx delivered a pallet of new HP servers and parts for our new campus. The pallet also contained a few parts for servers we had just got last week.
So I’ve got five new HP DL360 servers, sixth generation. HP just released their new line last month with the new Intel 5500 Xeon processors. I like to compare them like the pro version of the i7 consumer chips. Four hyperthreading cores with onboard memory controller per chip. Yeah, and even though it matches clock speed with our existing G5 servers – it’s smoking fast.
Opening the little 1U server chassis, shows a lot of room for expansion – given the amount of gear this unit has already. It has an onboard raid control card that can address up to eight 2.5” SAS or SATA drives. It also has an IDE controller for optical media. It also includes a USB port and SD Card slot on the motherboard… great for those moronic copy protection dongles or emergency boot drives or utilities.
I’m not going sit here and try and sell you a server by just spewing specs… what HP really did to impress me is cut the noise and power usage so drastically I seriously thought there was something wrong with it. 
These servers are usually so loud I can’t build them at my desk – I had to take them and bench build them in our staging room. Not anymore.
I actually had this DL360 G6 installing windows 2008 64bit from DVD on a bench next to a Dell OptiPlex 755 sitting idle. When I placed my head between the two to check if the fans were actually spinning on the HP – the Dell was louder. I have never actually heard an SAS drive until today… amazing.
After diving into the onboard monitoring systems, I found out how they are able to keep the fans spinning at 19% while keeping cool – 28 onboard temp sensors watching everything in the box… if a section gets warmer – only the fans dedicated to that area increase their speed and only as much needed to move more air to cool it.
With a single quad core processor, three 2GB memory cards, four 10,000 rpm hard drives, and a four port gig nic PCI-x card – this server only pulled 130 watts of power out of both power supplies at its peak. When it was idling it sat at 93 watts. The only time I ever heard the fans is when I started the server after that near silence.
Yes, I’m that impressed with this new line – I’m looking forward to the next year when we upgrade our ESX environment to G6 host servers… Maybe I won’t be able to hear the server room from down the hall.
Tags: data center, HP, servers
I think Microsoft may have finally created an OS that can replace Windows XP. Of course I’m only speaking about my personal experiences with the latest incarnate of Windows, but it’s all pretty positive.
Same spec’ed laptop as the Windows 7 Beta review I posted a while back. Running its native Vista 64bit installation, I decided to try the upgrade path instead of a clean install. The worst result is an unstable install that I would nuke and do a fresh 7 install.
The upgrade took damn near 2.5 hours, mostly thrashing the hard drive moving files around. The installer was detailed enough to give me a percentage of completion on each task plus an overall progress bar – but never an estimated time (that has never been correct in the history of any Microsoft progress bar anyway).
After the upgrade – everything worked. The laptop was still a member of the domain, fingerprint scanner, graphics driver, network adapters, bluetooth… heck even iTunes and Outlook 2007 was working.
I’m fairly impressed and it seems to be catching on around the office – two others have upgraded or installed a VM to see the buzz. I think we made the right choice to skip Vista on the desktops and wait for 7 to bake in the Microsoft oven long enough to be a worthy replacement.