File Server Consolidation and Capacity Planning

Drew McDanielLead Program Manager Microsoft Session Code: SVR320

Agenda

Advantages of Windows Server 2008 R2

Capacity planning for File Server

Migration to Windows Server 2008 R2

Agenda

Advantages of Windows Server 2008 R2

Capacity planning for File Server

Migration to Windows Server 2008 R2

Consolidation from Branch to Data Center

Heterogeneous environments

Explosion ofunstructured data

BranchCache &Offline Files (CSC)

DFS-Replication Enhancements

Remote protocol (NFS and SMB) enhancements

File Classification Infrastructure

Trends & Investments

Offline Files & Folder Redirection

6

Usually OfflineFast Folder RedirectionTransparent CachingBranchCache

"Usually Offline" (Background Sync)Before Win7

Folder redirection was a success with online & offline modes in Windows VistaWas not transparent to users who are on a high latency network with low throughput

Benefits

Full 2-way background synchronization at fixed intervalsTransparent to the end userIT admin can set synchronization intervalsAutomatic transition from slow-link to online mode

Windows 7 Solution

Seamless experience for end-usersCorporate data is in syncOptimizes the network usage for remote workers & branch offices

Folder Redirection – Fast first logon

At initial re-direct user logon was blocked while documents were moved from the client to the server, thus the first logon was dependent on amount of data and network connection

Files are moved to the local Offline Files cache before being transferred over the networkFiles are synchronized transparently in the background after user logon

Transparent experience for end-users – initial logon times are not dependant on amount of data and latency of the network

Benefits

Windows 7 SolutionBefore Win7

Transparent Caching

Read response times for files that were just open took too longOpening a file that was just recently read took just as long as opening a file for the first timeBandwidth consumption was high regardless of how recently a file was opened

Files accessed on shares are automatically cached to diskSubsequent reads to the file are satisfied from the local cacheConfigurable through group policyData integrity and access permissions are maintained

Optimize bandwidth consumption on WAN linksProvide near local read response times for end users working over WAN links

Benefits

Windows 7 SolutionBefore Win7

BranchCache ™

Each client needed to go over the WAN to access the same file in the data centerPoor use of WAN resource and poor user experience

Files accessed are automatically cached using Transparent CachingCached files are ‘published’ to BranchCacheSubsequent accesses to the cached files are satisfied from the branch

Reduces WAN utilizationTransparent to applications Preserves end-to-end securitySimple to deploy and manageData integrity and access permissions are maintained

Benefits

Win7 & Server 2008 R2 SolutionBefore Win7 & Win Server 2008 R2

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Distributed Cache

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Customers say…“We are improving the efficiency of our branch offices and saving bandwidth by using BranchCache in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7,” said Lukas Kucera, IT services manager of Lukoil CEEB, one of the largest integrated oil and gas companies in the world. “Some of our smaller facilities, such as the office in Slovakia and the storage terminal in Belgium, have just five to 10 users, so it’s not efficient to deploy a file server on-site, but it consumes bandwidth to have them continually accessing files from the main servers. BranchCache is the perfect solution.”

“Taking advantage of the BranchCache feature in Windows Server 2008 R2, we can spend $20,000 rather than $50,000 per year on bandwidth by postponing our expansion schedule.”David Feng, IT Director, Sporton International

Convergent Computing (CCO) wanted to improve remote network access for its mobile users. Using the DirectAccess and BranchCache™ features in Windows Server® 2008 R2 and Windows 7, CCO has simplified remote connection to its network and sped the downloading of important files. It has cut costs by eliminating its virtual private network and has seen a 43 percent savings in wide area network (WAN) bandwidth.

DFS Replication

Reduce bandwidth requirementsConsistent user experienceEasier deployment

Read-only Replicated Folders

Accidental deletions by branch office users/admin could cause critical situations.

Read-only mini filter driver , which prevents modifications to read-only replicated folders.No modifications on RO replica propagate out (~ 1-way replication).Only server hosting RO replica needs to be WS2008 R2 – fully backward compatible.

Prevents meltdowns caused by accidental modifications in branches.

Before Win Server 2008 R2

Benefits

Windows Server 2008 R2 Solution

Clustered DFS Replication

Planned/Unplanned outages of central hub servers had disruptive potentialOption of adding redundant servers as replica members required redundant storage.

DFS-R can be configured on a Windows Server Failover Cluster for highly available replication services.Only clustered servers need to be WS2008 R2 – (can replicate with WS2003 R2 & WS2008 servers).

Automated failover guarantees business continuity & low monitoring overheads.Facilitates planned failovers to account for maintenance.

Benefits

Before Win Server 2008 R2 Windows Server 2008 R2 Solution

Replication(on schedule)

Retrieval of hashes/updates to

files (WRITEs)

DFSR BranchCache

Full fidelity replica at branch office. - Exact replica of data available at branch office (not access-based) - Data on branch office server always available (no ‘aging-out’). - Server in branch office always required. - Slight delay in replicating recently updated data

Cache of recently accessed data available at BO. - Flexible caching (‘data accessed is data cached’) - Cached data may be ‘aged-out’ per LRU policies. - Server-less ‘Distributed Caching’ mode available for small Bos - Clients always get most current data

Resilient to intermittent WAN outages Files always available to branch office users via BO file server.

Not resilient to intermittent WAN outages Relies on central file server for authentication & latest hashes.

Not in data access path – (background replicator) - Data may be accessed over SMB 1, SMB 2.x, NFS etc. - Client computers may be Windows, Mac, Linux etc. - Replica servers may be WS 2003 R2, WS 2008, WS 2008 R2

In data access path - Works with SMB 2.1 protocol only. - Client computers must be Windows 7. - Server must be WS 2008 R2

DFSR and BranchCache comparison

SMB 2.1

Leasing/oplock optimization Energy efficiency

Leasing / Oplock Optimization

Applications like Microsoft Office broke their own oplocks while accessing the same file from a clientPoor end-user experience and excessive WAN utilization

Oplocks are maintained per client instead of per file handle Full caching when multiple handles are opened by the same client Shared read and handle caching from multiple clients Reduce the number of exchanges required to open and save

Faster open and save operations on application files such as Microsoft Office documents Reduced network bandwidth usage

Benefits

Windows 7 SolutionWin7 & Server 2008 R2 SolutionBefore Win7 & Win Server 2008 R2

Energy Efficiency

Clients and Servers were prevented from going to sleep due to remote file activityEnterprises paid high energy bills

Client is allowed to sleep if editing files backed by Offline FilesMore aggressive sleep option available to administratorServer is allowed to sleep if clients are not actively accessing files (peer file sharing)

Enterprises save energy and pay smaller utility bills in both branch offices and data centers

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Benefits

Windows 7 SolutionBefore Win7

NFS interoperability

Kerberos supportUnmapped Unix user accessNetID/Netgroup support

Improved Services for NFS

Challenges in administering NFS solution on Windows

No support for Unix netgroupsLimited remote management capability

Mapping Windows to Unix credentials mapping was required even in environments with only Unix clients and using NFS accessSecurity of authentication & file integrity for NFS was inherently weak

NFS admin tools can use Netgroups configured in NIS and RFC 2307 databasesImproved remote manageability support using WMIUnmapped Unix User Access eliminates credential mapping for NFS files that will not be accessed over CIFS / SMB / SMB2Support for Kerberos authentication (Krb5) and integrity (Krb5i) over NFS

Easier management of NFS client and server configurationEnhanced NFS security & interoperability

Benefits

Windows Server 2008 R2 SolutionBefore Win Server 2008 R2

File Classification InfrastructureReduce cost of storageManage business critical documentsExtend and adapt to your needs

Customer Challenges - Cost and RiskStorage Growth Storage Cost Compliance

Security and Information leakage

Replicatio

n

Backup

HSM

Security

Archive

Encryption

Expiration

Increasing data management needs / many data management products

For more details: SVR207 Windows Server 2008 R2 File Classification Infrastructure

Performance & Scalability

Multi-threaded Robocopy

With 128 threads, Robocopy is now 3-22 times faster than Explorer on high-latency (WAN) connectionsSyntax: robocopy /mir /mt:128 /log:nul

1 2 4 8 16 1280%

10%

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100B:20064KB:200256KB:2001MB:50

Number of threads

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Legendfile size:# files

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DFS Namespace Scalability

Domain namespaces break the 5,000 link barrier in Windows Server 2008Dramatic improvement in standalone namespaces in Windows Server 2008 compared to Windows Server 2003 (chart above, left)Reduced startup time in Windows Server 2008 R2 (chart above, right)

Current recommended limit: 50,000+ links

Current recommended limit: 50,000+ links

FS Scalability Growth Over Time

Windows Server versions running on server hardware “typical” of release date

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Windows 2008 throughput

Windows 2008 R2 throughput

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Windows 2008 CPU

Windows 2008 R2 CPU

Number of users

FSCT

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WS2008 3,200 users

WS2003 1,200 users

WS2008 R2 4,400

users

*Hardware details in appendix

Windows 2008 (mid range server)

Windows 2008 R2 (mid range server)

Windows 2008 (high end system)

Windows 2008 R2 (high end system)

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FSCT Test Results

Mid-range Servers High-end ServersWindows 2008 Windows 2008 R2 Windows 2008 Windows 2008 R2

*Hardware details in appendix

47% improvemen

t

43% improvemen

t

Agenda

Advantages of Windows Server 2008 R2

Capacity planning for File Server

Migration to Windows Server 2008 R2

File Server Capacity Tool

Overview

Server under test

SMB requests for file operations, simulating home folder workload

e.g. open, save, browse etc

Network 1 - Control

Network 2 - Data

Users

DC

Controller

How to perform FSCT testing

Server

ClientClient Client

Client

Planning

SetupPrepare

Running

Result analysis

Cleanup

Home Directory WorkloadGoal

Simulate actual workload of user home folders for typical knowledge worker

Development methodUsed file servers hosting user directories at MicrosoftTraces gathered for 5 minutes each hour over multiple days on multiple servers

ResultsFrequency of operations: 34% read, 16% query path info, 14% write, 9% query info, 8% create/open, 6% close, 6% Find, 7% otherSimulation of actual application behavior instead of only micro-operations

Running FSCTdemo

Recap - FSCT Demo

Command line executionText file results2 or 3 servers

File server under testControllerOptional DC

Multiple clients

Warning: Not to be used on Production Servers

Agenda

Advantages of Windows Server 2008 R2

Capacity planning for File Server

Migration to Windows Server 2008 R2

Two Methods of Migration

Win Server 2008 R2 Server Roles MigrationSoftware tools and documentationMigration guidance for multiple Windows Server roles (5 roles, 1 feature)

File Server Migration ToolkitFully GUI driven file server migration or consolidation Migration of file shares and file data

Migration Methods Comparison

R2 Role Migration FSMT

File Services Scope All features except NFS and data File shares and data only

Method Mix of command line tools and manual steps

Application with GUI interface

Source Win2k3 and later Win2k and later

Target Win2k8 R2 Win2k3 and later

Consolidation Support No (1:1) Yes (N:1)

Server Core Support Yes No

Cluster Support No Yes (source or target)

File Server Migration Toolkit

File Service ConsolidationWhy Consolidate?

Reduced operating costsEnhanced performance

Hardware improvements in CPU, Storage, NetworkSMB and NTFS improvements in Windows Server 2008 R2

High availability and reliabilityLoad Balancing with DFSWindows Server Failover Clustering

Challenges with ConsolidationHard to retain existing file pathsOne server cannot handle duplicate share names Consolidation process complex and error proneDifficult to maintain existing security settings

FSMT Overview

DFS Consolidation Root Wizard Facilitates configuration of DFS Consolidation RootsAutomates steps described in Support KB 829885Performed in addition to the File Server Consolidation Wizard

File Server Consolidation WizardSimplify and centralize consolidation stepsAutomate and centralize error checks, recovery and reportingVerify settings and environment before starting consolidationMigrates actual files, file shares and associated security settingsProvide reports and visual indication for progress Ability to stop/re-start process at any step

DFS Consolidation RootsEnabling Seamless Server Replacement

\\SVR1\Docs

\\SVR2\DocsClient

\\SVR3\Docs

DFS

Client \\SVRC\S1Docs\\SVRC\S2Docs\\SVRC\S3Docs

\\SVR1\Docs\\SVR2\Docs\\SVR3\Docs

Before Consolidation After Consolidation

File Server Migrationdemo

Recap - FSMT Demo

Optional step to create Namespace Consolidation Root

Multiple phases for data migrationSetup and ValidationInitial CopyFinalize

Recommendation: Configure new DFS Namespace to support future deployments

Related Content

SVR207 Windows Server 2008 R2 File Classification Infrastructure: Managing your file data more effectively

SVR306 BranchCache Deep Dive: An IT Administrator's Primer

http://download.microsoft.com - search for FSMT, FSCT or Folder Redirection

File Services Team Blog – http://blogs.technet.com/filecab

Technical Learning Center – File Services Booth

question & answer

www.microsoft.com/teched

Sessions On-Demand & Community

http://microsoft.com/technet

Resources for IT Professionals

http://microsoft.com/msdn

Resources for Developers

www.microsoft.com/learning

Microsoft Certification & Training Resources

Resources

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© 2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and other product names are or may be registered trademarks and/or trademarks in the U.S. and/or other countries.The information herein is for informational purposes only and represents the current view of Microsoft Corporation as of the date of this presentation. Because Microsoft must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of Microsoft, and Microsoft cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information provided after the date of this presentation. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS,

IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PRESENTATION.

Results - Time-capsule configurationWin2k3 (SP2) Win2k8 (SP2) Win2k8 R2 (RC)

Client OS Vista SP2 Vista SP2 Windows 7 RC

DriversProLiant Support Pack for Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions - 8.20 (A)

HP Software support pack 8.20 (A)

HP Software support pack 8.20 (A)

CPU 2x2, 2.33GHz 2x2, 2.33GHz 2x4, 2.33GHz

Memory 1GB 4GB 8GB

Network 2x100Mbps 2x1Gbps 3x1Gbps

Disks(storage) P800 controller, MSA60, (12x146GB 15KRPM SAS), RAID 0

High end configurationServer / Configuration Windows 2008 Win2k8 R2

Hardware

CPU Intel(R) Xeon(R) E7340 4-socket quad-core (16 cores )2.4GHz

Memory 64GB

Network Broadcom BCM57710 NetXtreme II 10Gbps NIC(16 queue RSS enabled, TOE disabled)

Disks(storage) 2 x HP MSA70 enclosure, 2x HP P800 controller50 x 72GB 15KRPM SAS drives, RAID 0

ResultFSCT Max users 10240 14848

FSCT throughput 932 1335

Mid-range configurationServer / Configuration Windows 2008 Win2k8 R2

Client OS Vista Windows 7 RC

Hardware

CPU 2x4, 2.33GHz

Memory 8GB

Network 3x1 Gbps

Disks(storage) P800 controller, MSA60, (12x146GB 15KRPM SAS), RAID 0

Performance

Avg. CPU 14.4% 18.5%

Avg. Free memory 6052MB 2734MB

Avg. bytes/sec (net) 89MB/sec 128MB/sec

Avg. bytes/sec (disk) 89.21MB/sec 112MB/sec

ResultFSCT Max users 3000 4400

FSCT throughput 276 405