Advanced Virtualization Using QLogic 8300 Series Adapters

White PaperAdvanced Virtualization UsingQLogic 8300 Series AdaptersEliminate I/O Bottlenecks for Enterprise Applicationsand Accelerate Virtualization DeploymentsKey FindingsSupport for increased workloads, acceleration of application performance, and meeting the growing demands placed on the enterprisedata center is key in the selection and deployment of a 1OGbE Converged Network Adapter with the right architecture to scale andsupport robust databases, mail servers, and secondary storage.••Enterprise Performance: QLogic delivers double the performance of previous-generation adapters with more than 1 million IOPSand 4500 MBps bidirectional throughput.••Application Workloads: QLogic delivers up to 40 percent higher throughput than Emulex ® in Oracle ® and Microsoft ExchangeServer environments.••Advanced Virtualization: Support for secure NIC SR-IOV with more Virtual Functions (VFs) and switch-agnostic NIC Partitioning(NPAR) to enable multi-tenant cloud deployments.••Superior Business Scalability: The scalable architecture of the QLogic 8300 Series Converged Network Adapters provides 75percent more performance when more VMs are added to VMware ® ESXi 5 than the Emulex OCe11102.••Unparalleled Flexibility: QLogic I/OFlex technology—any I/O, any network from the same physical adapter—allows supportingFibre Channel SANs and 10Gb converged networks (FCoE, iSCSI, and TCP/IP) with the same physical adapter.

White PaperExecutive SummaryServer consolidation through virtualization of the enterprise data centerimproves server/processor utilization and lowers data center capitaland operational cost. IT administrators must ensure that none of thesubsystems become a bottleneck for successful deployment of avirtualized and consolidated data center. The evolution of consolidatedserver deployments and the move to 16Gb Fibre Channel and10GbE converged network infrastructures require higher scalabilityin server connectivity to storage. QLogic delivers the performance,flexibility, scalability, and investment protection to meet the needsof the enterprise data center. QLogic is the trusted market leader ofConverged Network Adapters.QLogic compared the overall performance of the 8300 Series 10GbEConverged Network Adapters with Emulex adapters in a real-worldSAN environment with maximum throughput workloads. These testshighlight the advantage delivered by the QLogic 8300 Series architecturein both Microsoft Exchange Server and Oracle environments comparedwith Emulex adapters.QLogic I/OFlex technology provides a free, field-configurablefirmware upgrade, enabling IT administrators to define personality(16Gb Fibre Channel, 10Gb Ethernet, iSCSI, or Fibre Channel overEthernet (FCoE)) on a single adapter with the highest flexibility andinvestment protection.Industry EnvironmentVirtualization of networks, storage, servers, and applications continues togrow in the data center. While virtualization provides many benefits, virtualdeployment workloads have been increasing the demands placed on thenetwork I/O infrastructure, which can significantly impact system andapplication performance.Virtual Machine DensityVirtual machine (VM) deployments are increasing in density ratios. Today,an average implementation may be six VMs per server, but the bestperformers are installing 15 VMs per server. As the technology matures andhardware performance increases, planning for future deployments of up to25 VMs per server will protect infrastructure investments. The QLogic 8300Series Converged Network Adapter offloads all FCoE and iSCSI protocolprocessing to the adapter, freeing up server CPU cycles to deliver thehighest levels of server utilization and virtualization performance. QLogicarchitecture delivers up to 75 percent higher performance than its closestcompetitor as the number of VMs is increased (see Figure 3). The adaptersupports simultaneous data and storage networking across a 10Gb Ethernetconnection and PCI Express ® Gen3 x4 data transfer on the host side.Virtual Machine MobilityQLogic 8300 Series Adapters are the only adapters in the industryto support simultaneous LAN (TCP/IP) and SAN (Fibre Channel overEthernet (FCoE) and iSCSI) traffic at line rate, making the adapterinteroperable across the data center. QLogic delivers the most efficientdata-movement adapter.Unified I/O FabricQLogic I/OFlex technology allows you to use the same hardware for 16GbFibre Channel or 10GbE server connectivity (Figure 1). QLogic FlexSuiteAdapters provide you with the ability to use a single adapter through thelifetime of a server. The unique QLogic I/OFlex technology allows youto extend the useful life of your servers, getting the most out of your ITinvestment dollars. The adapter supports simultaneous data and storagenetworking across a 10Gb Ethernet connection and PCI Express Gen3 x4data transfer on the host side.Advanced Virtualization—Secure Networking SR-IOVSR-IOV allows direct I/O virtualization, where the I/O path from the VMon the server to the peripheral device is now virtualized. This dedicatedI/O path allows a higher ratio of VMs to servers. QLogic’s implementationallows for granular QoS control and up to 128 VFs per adapter.HSG-WP13002 SN0430942-00 Rev. A 05/13 2

White PaperOptimizingVirtualizationPowering CloudAdvanced Virtualization••Full support for networking SR-IOV••Secure SR-IOV for multi-tenant cloud deployments••Switch-agnostic NIC Partitioning (NPAR)••Granular QoS control••Up to 128 VFs per adapterFlexible ConvergenceFigure 1. Same Hardware: Any I/O – Any NetworkEfficient I/O Provisioning Using Quality of ServiceOne of the key areas for a successful server virtualization deployment isproviding tunable network resources to meet Service Level Agreement(SLA) requirements for individual applications without wasting bandwidthdue to over provisioning. QLogic allows dynamic reconfiguration ofbandwidth using QLogic’s VMware vCenter plug-in. The business benefitof applying quality of service (QoS) is a reduction in I/O bottlenecks andthe ability to support a broad spectrum of workloads. QLogic’s SR-IOVimplementation reduces I/O emulation overhead and allows I/O hardwareto be assigned directly to VMs. This gives the ability to dedicate bandwidthfor VMs and associated applications, which conserves PCIe ® slots in allserver environments. QLogic’s enhanced QoS implementation benefitshigher density compute environments by guaranteeing bandwidth forbusiness-critical applications and providing oversubscription capability.QLogic FlexSuite Adapter AdvantagesQLogic 8300 Series FlexSuite Adapters offer unprecedented advantages.••The Ultimate in Performance••Advanced virtualization••Unparalleled flexibility••Investment protection••Simplified management••Leadership, confidence, and trustMore specifically, the benefits are as follows:The Ultimate in PerformanceResilient Data CenterUnparalleled Flexibility••QLogic I/OFlex technology—any I/O, any network (dual personality)••Industry’s only adapter supporting fully offloaded concurrentmulti-protocol support (QLogic ConvergeFlex ® technology)••Granular QoS through QLogic VMflex technology (NPIV and NICpartitioning)••Heterogeneous infrastructureInvestment Protection••QLogic SecureFlex technology ensures highest data integrity (withoverlapping protection domains (OPD) and T10 ready)••Simultaneous multi-protocol converged networking (FCoE, iSCSI, andTCP/IP)••Certified with more than 10,000 productsSimplified Management••Pervasive interoperability—any form factor, any protocol, any operatingsystem, any hypervisor••Simplified adapter management––QConvergeConsole ® (QCC) GUI and CLI––QCC vCenter plug-in––Support for industry-standard management APIsLeadership, Confidence, and Trust••Proven field-hardened stack••13 million Fibre Channel/FCoE ports deployed in data centers••Ninth consecutive year of Fibre Channel Adapter market shareleadership (2012)••Reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS)••Industry’s longest warranty—5 years••1 million IOPS••PCI Express Gen3 x4••Enhanced capabilities for target mode••Enhanced server scalabilityHSG-WP13002 SN0430942-00 Rev. A 05/13 3

White PaperQLogic Outperforms EmulexThe QLogic Common Performance Test Platform is used to provideperformance benchmark results, offering IT administrators and systemarchitects visibility into product performance in a clear and unbiasedmanner. QLogic performs testing to evaluate adapter capabilities andadapter performance in real-world enterprise application environments.QLogic has compared the out-of-box performance of its 8300 Series10GbE Converged Network Adapter with the Emulex OCe11102, using thetest setup described in the QLogic Technology Brief, QLogic Platform andMethodology for Product Evaluations 1 .Read-Write IOPS on Benchmarking ToolQLogic’s IOPS were higher than Emulex by 44 percent as shown in Figure 2.Emulex OCe11102 IOPS peaked at 504,000, when running an eight-timesVM load at a 512 bytes block size.800,000700,000600,000500,000VMware ESXi 5.0 Dual Port RWFCoE ScalabilityQLE8362OCe11102Application WorkloadThe results of this testing, which emulates real-world Oracle and MicrosoftExchange Server workloads using the QLogic Common Test Platform, arepresented in this white paper.IOPS400,000300,000200,000100,0000Block size 512BQLogic continues to be the industry leader in delivering high-performanceI/O solutions to data center customers. The IOPS and throughput of theQLogic 8300 Series 10GbE Converged Network Adapter is best in class andprovides an unprecedented level of high performance, superior scalability,and enhanced reliability that exceeds the requirements for next-generationdata centers. The results of the benchmark tests demonstrate the I/Operformance and scalability advantages of the QLogic 8300 Series 10GbEConverged Network Adapter over the Emulex OCe11102 10GbE Adapter inreal-world deployment environments.Scalability Architecture for Increased VM DensityVM scalability was tested by simulating a base workload for a typical VMdensity in today’s environment. The load was then scaled by four times (4X)the VM load, and then eight times (8X). This simulation projects the growthrequired for a typical data center business as the number of VMs increases.QLogic 8300 Series Adapters meet the demand of today’s data center(represented in this section of the white paper as virtual server workload).The figures in this section illustrate how QLogic 8300 Series ConvergedNetwork Adapter performance scaled better than Emulex as the workloadrepresenting VMs increased from one to eight times the load. As theapplication scaled to an eight-times VM load, the QLogic 8300 SeriesConverged Network Adapter maintained high IOPS, showing the I/O supportrequired for high density hypervisor applications. The Emulex adapter, onthe other hand, demonstrated consistently lower performance (72 percentlower IOPS than the QLogic 8300 Series Converged Network Adapter, asseen in Figure 3).1 For the QLogic Technology Brief, QLogic Platform and Methodology for Product Evaluations, visit the followingsite http://www.qlogic.com/Resources/Pages/Resources.aspx. Select “Adapters.” Under Product Literature, select“Technology Briefs.”Figure 2. QLogic Outperforms Emulex by 44 PercentRead-Write Scalability in Real-World WorkloadsTypical real-world SAN workloads represent the block sizes and I/O activitythat models real-world workloads (like MS Exchange or Oracle databases).To show scalability performance in SAN environments, QLogic testedthe adapters using 4kB and 8kB block sizes. Figure 3 shows that eventhough read-write IOPS were at parity at the one-times VM workload, theperformance of the OCe11102 was 45 percent lower than the QLogic 8300Series Converged Network Adapter when the number of VMs scaled to theeight-times load. Across increasing VM loads, the QLogic adapter scaled by220 percent and 150 percent respectively for 4kB and 8kB block sizes, asshown in Figures 3 and 4.IOPS800,000700,000600,000500,000400,000300,000200,000100,0000VMware ESXi 5.0 Dual Port 4kB RWFCoE ScalabilityVM load (1X) VM load (4X) VM load (8X)QLOGICSCALES BY220%QLE8362OCe11102Figure 3. VM Scalability Performance with Increasing VM Load – 4kB Block SizeThe QLogic 8300 Series Converged Network Adapter continued to providescalability and performance as demonstrated in the aforementionedbenchmarks.HSG-WP13002 SN0430942-00 Rev. A 05/13 4

White PaperCustomers integrating 10Gb Ethernet technology into their SANs andinfrastructure expect optimum levels of throughput and IOPS with increasedVM density on a single server and adapter. The QLogic 8300 Series 10GbEConverged Network Adapter demonstrates the required performancecharacteristics to meet these needs.IOPS600,000500,000400,000300,000200,000VMware ESXi 5.0 Dual Port 8kB RWFCoE ScalabilityQLOGICSCALES BY150%QLE8362OCe11102Learn MoreQLogic offers complete solutions to some of the most complex issuesfacing the data center. To visit the QLogic solutions Web page, click “QLogicSolutions” under the Solutions tab at www.qlogic.com.QLogic has created demonstrations that showcase QLogic technologies,such as SR-IOV in a Microsoft Windows 2012 environment using theQLogic Converged Network Adapter. In addition, demonstrations oftechnology performance or proof of concepts can be configured for yourspecific environment. To register for a demonstration of QLogic productcapabilities, visit www.qlogic.com/solutions/Pages/qos.aspx and click“Schedule a future ‘live’ demo.”Related Video: Next-Generation Server Attach Strategy100,0000VM load (1X) VM load (4X) VM load (8X)Figure 4. VM Scalability Performance with Increasing VM Load – 8kB Block SizeSummaryQLogic continues to be the industry leader in delivering high-performanceI/O solutions to data center customers. The performance of the QLogic8300 Series 10GbE Converged Network Adapters is best-in-class andprovides highest performance, superior scalability, unparalleled flexibility,and enhanced reliability.Meeting the demands of more data, more devices, and more users than everbefore and planning for growing data, application, and storage requirementsdictates the need for high-performance I/O delivery. IT administrators knowthat choosing the right adapter for their SAN infrastructure can have a strongimpact on the performance, flexibility, and scalability of their enterprise datacenters. The results discussed in this white paper demonstrate that QLogic8300 Series 10GbE Converged Network Adapters deliver the requirementsneeded in the data center and outperform and provide higher scalabilitythan Emulex OCe11102 Adapters in real-world environments. The QLogicadapters also allow IT administrators to set their convergence strategy attheir own pace by enabling the same physical adapter to support 16GbFibre Channel SANs or 10GbE converged networks. The QLogic 8300 Series10GbE Converged Network Adapters will be in the data center throughoutthe lifetime of the server.Click on the Image to Watch a YouTube VideoHSG-WP13002 SN0430942-00 Rev. A 05/13 5

White PaperDisclaimerReasonable efforts have been made to ensure the validity and accuracy of these performance tests. QLogic Corporation is not liable for any errorin this published white paper or the results thereof. Variation in results may be a result of change in configuration or in the environment. QLogicspecifically disclaims any warranty, expressed or implied, relating to the test results and their accuracy, analysis, completeness or quality.Follow us:Share:Corporate Headquarters QLogic Corporation 26650 Aliso Viejo Parkway Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 949-389-6000www.qlogic.comInternational OfficesUK | Ireland | Germany | France | India | Japan | China | Hong Kong | Singapore | Taiwan© 2013 QLogic Corporation. Specifications are subject to change without notice. All rights reserved worldwide. QLogic, the QLogic logo, ConvergeFlex, FlexSuite, QConvergeConsole, SecureFlex, and VMflex are trademarks or registered trademarks of QLogic Corporation. Emulex isa registered trademark of Emulex Corporation. Microsoft Exchange Server and Microsoft Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Oracle is a registered trademark of Oracle Corporation. PCIe and PCI Express are registered trademarks of PCI-SIGCorporation. VMware is registered trademark of VMware, Inc. All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Information supplied by QLogic Corporation is believed to be accurate and reliable. QLogic Corporation assumes noresponsibility for any errors in this document. QLogic Corporation reserves the right, without notice, to make changes in product design or specifications.HSG-WP13002 SN0430942-00 Rev. A 05/13 6