Video Interview on CSV & Storage Design by Carsten Rachfahl

I already mentioned that during the Experts2Experts Virtualization Conference I met a lot of great people and I presented on High Performance & High Availability networking for Hyper-V clusters (10Gbps goodness). Some of the people I met I already knew from the on line community and others were unknown to me until that event. Among the attendees we found some of the usual virtualization suspects in our community like Aidan Finn, Jeff Wouters, Carsten Rachfahl, Ronnie Isherwood.

Now Carsten Rachfahl is a MVP in Virtual Machine expertise but he’s also a dynamic entrepreneur who shows a lot of initiative. Using social media he is really making in effort to get people & customers to notice important snippets of information by providing easy and fast access to them. He’s very active as a speaker, on Twitter and on his blogs. On top of that he does podcasts and video interviews. For Hyper-V information go to http://www.hyper-v-server.de/  which you can also use  as an entry point for his other sites focusing on several aspects of IT in the Microsoft sphere in Germany. Like cloud computing & Licensing. There you’ll also find the videos of interviews on these subjects. It’s quite an impressive endeavor.

Carsten took the opportunity to make some videos with all the above suspects on various subject and he recently released our interview.

In this video we continued the discussion that Aidan started on CSV and we briefly touched on a subject you could make hour long documentaries about: storage options in Windows Hyper-V now and in the years to come. Enjoy!

Active-Active File sharing with SMB 2.2 Scale Out in Windows 8 Rocks

Introduction

Wow. That’s what I have to say. WOW! I configured a two node virtual machines 

cluster running Windows 8 Server Developer Preview to test the SMB2 Scale Out functionality and I smiling. In my previous blog Transparent Failover & Node Fault Tolerance With SMB 2.2 Tested I already tested the transparent failover with a more traditional active-passive file cluster and that was pretty neat. But there are two things to note:

1. The most important one to me is that the experience with transparent failover isn’t as fluid for the end user as it should be in my opinion. That freeze is a bit to long to be comfortable. Whether that will change remains to be seen. It’s early days yet.
2. The entire active-passive concept doesn’t scale very well to put it mildly. Whether this is important to you depends on your needs. Today one beefy well, configured server can server up a massive amount of data to a large number of users. So in  a lot of environments this might not be an issue at all (it’s OK not to be running a 300.000 user global file server infrastructure, really ).

So bring in “File Server For Scale-Out Application Data” which is an active/active cluster. This is intended for use by  applications like SQL server & Hyper.-V for example. It’s high speed and low drag high available file sharing based on SMB 2.2, Clusters Shared Volumes and failover clustering. The thing is, at this moment, it is not aimed at end user file sharing (hence it’s name ““File Server For Scale-Out Application Data”. When I heard that,  I was a going “come on Microsoft, get this thing going for end user data as well”. Now that I have tested this in the lab, I want this only more. Because the experience is much more fluid. So I have to ask Microsoft to please get this setup supported in a production environment for all file sharing purposes! This is so awesome as an experience for both applications AND end users. The other approach that would          work (except perhaps for scaling) is making the transparent failover for an active-passive file cluster more fluid. But again, early days yet.

Setting  Up The Lab

Build a “File Server for scale-out application data” cluster

You need three virtual machines running Windows 8, two to build the cluster and one to use as a client.Once you have the cluster you configure storage to be used as a Clustered Shared Volume (CSV)

You’ll see the progress bar adding the storage to CSV

And voila you have CSV storage configured. Note that you don’t have to enable it any more and that there are no more warnings that this is only supported for Hyper-V data.

Now navigate to Role, right click and select “Configure Roles”

This brings up the High Availability Wizard

Click Next and select “File Server for scale-out application data”

Give the Client Access Point a name

Click Next and on the following wizard page click confirm

And voila you’re done. Do notice the wizards skips the “Configure High Availability” step here.

Get a share up and running for use

Don’t make the mistake of trying to double click on the you see in the Role. Go to the node who’s the owner of the role and navigate to the role “ScaleOut”, right click and select add shared folder.

Select the cluster shared volume on the server “ScalingOut” which is actually the client access point.

I gave the share the name SOFS (Scale Out File Share)

I like Access Based Enumerations so I enable this next to Enable continuous availability that is enabled by default.

Than you get to the permissions settings. Here you have to make sue you set the share permissions to  more than read if you want to do some writing to the share. Nothing new here

After that you’re almost done. Confirm your settings & click Commit

Watch the wizard do it’s magic

And it’s all setup

Play Time

We have a third node “Independence” running Windows 8 Server to use as a client. As you can see we can easily navigate  to the “server” via the access point.

And yes that’s about all you have to do. You can see the ease of name space management at work here.

Now let’s copy some data and turn of a one of the cluster nodes, the one that owns the role for example …

I was copying the content of the Windows 8 Server folder from Independence and failed over the node, the client did not notice anything. I turned off the node holding the role and still the client did only notice as short delay (a couple of seconds max). This was a complete transparent experience. I cannot stress enough how much I want this technology for my business customers. You can patch, repair, replace, file server nodes at will at any given moment en no application or user has to notice a thing. People, this is Walhalla. This is is the place where brave file server administrators that have served their customers well over the years against all odds have the right to go. They’ve earned this! Get this technology in their hands and yes even for end user file data. Or at least make the transparent failover for user file sharing as fluid. Make it happen Microsoft! And while I’m asking, will there ever be a SMB 2.2 installable client for Windows 7? In SP2, please?!

Learn more here by watching the sessions from the Build conference at http://www.buildwindows.com/Sessions

Noticed bugs

The shares don’t always show up in the share pane, after failover.

Conclusion

This is awesome, this is big, this is a game changer in the file serving business. Listen, file services are not dead, far from it. It wasn’t very sexy and we didn’t get the holey grail of high availability for that role as of yet until now. I have seen the future and it looks great. Set up a lab people and play at will. Take down servers in any way imaginable and see your file activities survive without at hint of disruption. As long a you make sure that you have multiple nodes in the cluster and that if these are virtual machines they always reside on different nodes in a failover cluster it will take a total failure of the entire cluster to bring you file services down. So how do you like them apples?

Transparent Failover & Node Fault Tolerance With SMB 2.2 Tested

Transparent Failover and node fault tolerance with SMB 2.2 in Windows 8 Server is something that caught my attention immediately. The entire effort in infrastructure has been to keep the plumbing as invisible & unnoticed as possible. In some areas we had great success in others not so much. Planned & unplanned down time of file servers has always been an issue as there was always a short or longer outage and any failover meant disconnecting & reconnecting leading to all kinds of end users problems and confusion. To them the network is down. But the same issues exist on the server side with apps depending on files shares or servers like SQL Server that are writing backups to remote share or read data from such a share. Often it needs some kind of human intervention to correct the situation. No not even 3rd party clustered file systems and active-active clustering software could achieve this. The SMB protocol prior to 2.2 did not allow for it.

So when one hears it is a possibility now we want to test this! So we throw some virtual machines on the test cluster and build a file cluster with windows 8 server and we also have a 3rd server to act as a client with SMB 2.2. Open the Failover Cluster Manager right click roles and choose to configure a role.

You’ll see the familiar wizard, click next

And choose the file server role

Give the Client Access Point a name and add an IP address.

Add some storage

And voila … after the confirmation we’re asked to configure high availability

This opens the New Share Wizard

…this is all pretty straight forward so I’ll leave out the screenshots but for the most important one where we explicitly uncheck the “Enable continuous availability” as we want to first run a test without it

Continue through the wizard & voila you have a clustered file server with a Client Access Point as a single namespace. Please not that you can connect to this using that single name space. No need for \\serverA\BizzShare & \\ServerB\BizzShare and going fancy with redundant DFS name spaces and the like.

Remember we still need to make this share highly available but let’s do some file copies and fail over the node to see what this looks like without transparent failover. Select the role transparent, right click, choose “Move” and “Select  Node”.

Choose an available node and click OK

As you can see this looks rather familiar.

Let’s make that share continuously available. Go to and double click on the share you want to configure.

You’ll see a progress dialog whilst information is retrieved …

… and then the share properties are presented, most is familiar stuff but we need the bottom one “Settings”. Select the check box to make the share continuously available.

Now let’s try that file copy of again whilst failing over the file server role to another node.

So there is no loss of data, no need to the client to reconnect, you don’t have to retry but you do have a freeze that lasts for about 20 seconds on my test lab. I hope this will still improve before RTM.

What we learned here is that we can have Transparent (File Share) failover with SMB 2.2 in a virtualized environment and we can give it a “Client Access Point” name like “MyOldFileServer” so that users are not confused or need to learn another UNC path. There are many options to achieve keeping old namespaces around for end user ease of use but this is an extra ace up our sleeve. For now planned (patching, server maintenance) or unplanned (crash) is a 20 second freeze experience right now as the file share fails over. This freeze is probably due to active–passive clustering. For now active-active is not recommended/supported for file sharing in an end user scenario. I think they are “worried” of huge file shares with a zillion meta data updates to sync. But this is supported for apps like hyper-V, SQL Server backups or apps needing file data etc. I’m going to try it next and for user data. Things might change before RTM and with multichannel, RDAM, 10Gbps, NIC teaming in the OS perhaps that active-active scenario might be feasible for user file data? PLEASE? Otherwise here’s another request for “Windows 8 Server R2”

The secret sauce is in:

• SMB 2.2 on both client & server
• Resume Key
• SMB 2.2 Witness service which is stet to running when you make an share continuous available.

Go watch the sessions from the Build conference to hear more on al this. The work they’ve put in to this  + some of the complexities are quite amazing. http://www.buildwindows.com/Sessions

Things to find out: how to rename a Client Access Point or how to delete it. Adding a new one is easy.

Warning: It’s September 23rd 2011 and the Developer Preview is a little rough around the edges don’t run this on anything you need to get your bills paid yet 

Windows 8 Server Developer Preview: NIC Teaming In The Operating System Works Just Fine

A short blog to share some first experiences with Window 8 Server functionality. I set up a couple of Hyper-V guests with Windows 8 to start playing with some of the functionality that is very promising. One of the first things I just had to try out was NIC teaming in the operating system. Well, the experience is still a little rough as the product is not yet finished but setting up NIC teaming is rather easy and it works like a charm! If this is the experience of future test, then bring it on!

Set it up, just with all defaults and start unplugging cables or disconnecting virtual NICs for the virtual networks in Hyper-V. I guarantee some fun. No pings dropped, no file copies failed

I can also confirm that iSCSI works just like before, not much change there, walk in the park. So, I’m building a cluster with some virtual machines to play some more with new functionalities. I’ll report on that as I find the time between real work, work that pays the bills and some needed R&R once in a while.

Data Protection & Disaster Recovery in Windows 8 Server Hyper-V 3.0

The news coming in from the Build Windows conference is awesome. The speculation of the last months is being validated by what is being told and on top of that more goodness is thrown at us Hyper-V techies.

On the data protection and disaster recovery front some great new weapons are at our disposal. Let’s take a look at some of them.

Live Migration & Storage Live Migration.

Among the goodies are the improvements in Live Migration and the introduction of Storage Live Migration.  Hyper-V 3.0 supports multiple concurrent Live Migrations now, which combined with adequate bandwidth will provide for fast evacuation of problematic hosts. Storage Live Migration means you can move a VM (configuration, VHD & snapshots) to different storage while the guest remains on line so the users are not hindered by this. I’m trying to find out if they will support multiple networks / NICs  with this.

Now to make this shine even more MSFT has another ace up it’s sleeve. You can do Live Migration and Storage Live Migration without the requirement of shared storage on the backend. This combination is a big one. This is means “shared nothing” high availability. Even now when prices for entry level shard storage has plummeted we see SMB being weary of SAN technology. It’s foreign to them and the fact they haven’t yet gained any confidence with the technology makes them hesitant. Also the real or perceived complexity might hold ‘m back. For that segment of the market it is now possible to have high availability anyway with the combo Live Migration / Storage Migration.  Add to this that Hyper-V now supports running virtual machines on a file share and you can see the possibilities of NAS appliances in this space of the market for achieving some very nice solutions.

Replication to complete the picture

To top this of you have replication built in, meaning we have the possibility to provide reasonably fast disaster recovery. It might not be real time data center fail over but a lot of clients don’t need that. However, they do need easy recoverability and here it is. To give you even more options, especially  if you only have one location, you can replicate to the cloud.

So now I start dreaming We have shared nothing Live & Storage Live  Migration, we have replication. What could achieve with this? Do synchronous replication locally over a 10Gbps for example and use that to build something like continuous availability. There we go, we already have requirements for “Windows 8 Server R2”!

NIC Teaming in the OS

No more worries about third party NIC teaming woes. It has arrived in the OS (finally!) and it will support load balancing & failover. I welcome this, again it makes this a lot more feasible for the SMB shops.

IP Virtualization / Address Mobility

Another thing that will aid with any kind of of site  disaster recovery / high availability is IP address Mobility. You have an IP for the hosting of the VM and one for internal use by VM. That means you can migrate to other environments (cloud, remote site) with other addresses as the VM can change the hosted IP address, while the internal IP address remains the same.  Just imagine the flexibility this gives us during maintenance, recovery, trouble shooting network infrastructure issues and all this without impacting the users who depend on the VM to get their job done.

Conclusion

Everything we described is out of the box with Windows 8 Server Hyper-V. To a lot of business this can  mean a  huge improvement in their current  availability and disaster recovery situation. More than ever there is now no more reason for any company to go down or even out of business due to catastrophic data loss as all this technology is available on site, in hybrid scenarios and in the cloud with the providers.

Build Windows Key Note 2011/09/13

Updated as we follow the key note

After the talk about Windows 8 being even better and greater for all form factors (hardware people, the ARM architecture, it will be fun to see how the competition responds) I want to dive into Windows Server 8. Yes I’m here for the server side. But as the Hyper-V is now brought to the client there is a lot to say about Hyper-V here as well. No problem. But not yet, not yet.

First, mobile devices. Lots of touch, looks all very cool with the Metro UI. As I live in the country with the most expensive smart phones & mobile data subscriptions in the world I’m not a heavy user. It’s a great market, it’s cool, it’s important, but it’s not my primary theater of operation so to speak. But I might need to get me some of those devices to play with It really looks cool. It looks all very fast & fluid. And the resource hogging should be reduced. Bring it on I say But don’t worry if you’re a “Grand Pa Box” keyboard & mouse jockey. Windows 8 works just as well for you. the idea is Windows 8 everywhere on every device & form factor.

Now they first need to talk about all the developers will be writing applications for Windows 8. Here comes Metro Style applications development. The bold WinRT API bet (yet another one). The languages used are the one we all know, love or hate . No worries you’re coding skills have not been dumped into the toilet. Oh yes, Silverlight is not dead. An no .NET is not dead either. Really? Even COM+ is not dead yet. But Metro style development is the way ahead. But please dump the hyped drama and o continue coding on your current projects They promised everything that runs on Windows 7 today will run on Windows 8. There you go You might say with less drama that Win Forms & co will be less dominant. Nothing that new. New form factors & mobility ask for new tools. But guess what you’ll be coding those apps in? Metro Style apps will be written in C, C++, C#, Visual Basic, HTML5/JavaScript and/or using XAML. XAML is for “Jupiter,”which is the XAML/UI layer on top of Windows 8 needed for Silverlight and Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) apps to work on the platform.

They are now coding on stage. Perhaps not the best use of time during a keynote but hey, we’ll get to the good stuff eventually. Once again we see the impression launched you can write apps in a couple of minutes with no knowledge at all. Take that devies! We IT Pro’s are not the only ones facing unemployment (cloud) we’re all going to be replaced by a very small easy script with drag & drop. I know some hard core consultants/developers who are now buying stocks in their own company to cash in on the fixing of all that

We’re treated to some very impressive hardware demos. Really impressive. Mobile device OS people we have met your competition and it is called Microsoft. The crowd goes wild when they are told they are getting a Samsung slate machine. Hmmm, why am I working instead of being at Build? My priorities are wrong I guess

We’re shown deep freeze, the new task manager that look pretty neat.  The command line  to set a base line for your machine refresh is very appealing to me. At a point you have your machine just right => grab it for refresh if/when needed.

Metro over RDP looks awesome remote charms, virtual keyboard and of cause touch! I bet the VDI crow is going a little wild dreaming of the possibilities straight out of the box.

Hyper-V on Windows 8 client! We’re there . The guy is storming through the features. He’s on the clock. We arrived at the business crowd. A lot of stuff for the desktop is also improved. Multiple Monitor support, control of Metro & desktop with shortcuts within the monitors. The UP button should be a good alternative to select delete in Window explorer paths. Lots of stuff to explore.

Windows Live integration with Windows 8 is extensive. The SkyDrive examples are impressive. Windows 8 will be the first mesh /hybrid / integrated OS. WinRT API exposes this so you can use that cloud extensibility in your Metro style apps!

Sorry if all this reads hectic, but it’s kind of hard to keep up. This is a tsunami of information! Keynote is wrapping up. The Hyper-V Windows 8 Server stuff will be for another day.

In the end a call to action for developers. Get the preview and get ahead of the pack delivering Metro style apps to a billion potential users. Up and at them developers!

Hyper-V 3.0 Leaked Screen Shots From Windows 8 Create A Buzz

Well, last Monday, June 20th 2011 was quite a twitter active day about some leaked Windows 8 screen shots that lifted a tip of the veil  about Hyper-V 3.0 / Hyper-V vNext or Hyper-V 3. You can take a peak here (Windows Now by Robert McLaws) and here (WinRumors) to see for yourself.

Now Scot Lowe also blogged on this but with some more detail. The list below is the one form Scott Lowe’s blog http://blogs.virtualizationadmin.com/lowe/2011/06/20/hyper-v-30-%e2%80%93-what%e2%80%99s-coming/ but I added some musings and comments to certain items.

• Virtual Fibre Channel Adapter  ==> nice, I guess the competition of iSCSI was felt. How will this turn out/means with regards to SAN/DRVIVER/HBA support is interesting and there is a mention of virtual fiber channel SAN in the screenshots …
• Storage Resource Pools  & Network Resource Pools   ==> this could become sweet … I’m dreaming about my wish list feedback to Microsoft but without details I won’t speculate any further.
• New .VHDX virtual hard drive format (Up to 16TB + power failure resiliency) ==> This is just plain sweet, we’re no longer bound by 2TB LUNs on our physical storage (SAN), now we can take that to the next level.
• Support for more than 4 cores! (My machine has 12 cores) ==> I say “Bring it on!”
• NUMA – Memory per Node, Cores per Node, Nodes per Processor Socket ==> Well, well … what will this translate into? Help deal with Dynamic Memory? Aid in virtualization of SQL Servers (i.e. better support for scaling up, for now scaling out works better here).
• Hardware Acceleration (Virtual Machine Queue & IPsec Offload)
• Bandwidth Management ==> Ah, that would be nice
• DHCP Guard  ==> This is supposed to drop DHCP traffic from VM “masquerading” as DHCP servers. Could be very useful, but need details. Will a DHCP server need to be authorize?. What with non Windows VMs, do you add “good” DHCP servers to an allow list?
• Router Guard  ==> same as above but for rogue routers.  Drops router advertisement and redirection messages from unauthorized virtual machines pretending to be others. So this sound like an allow list.
• Monitor Port Provides for monitoring of network traffic in and out of a virtual machine. Forwards the information to a monitoring virtual machine.  ==> Do I hear some cheering network engineers?
• Virtual Switch Extensions.So far, there appear to be two filters added: NDIS Capture LightWeight Filter and WFP vSwitch Layers LightWeight Filter.

All of this is pretty cool stuff and has many of us wanting to get our hands on the first beta I’ve been running Windows Server tweaked as desktop since Windows 2003 so I have Hyper-V already in that role but hey bring it on. I ‘m very eager to get started with this. I have visions on System Center Virtual machine Manager 2012, Hyper-V 3.0 with very capable recent SAN technology …