Nimbus Data Sets Standard for VMware View VDI Scalability at $40/VDI

Nimbus Data Systems, Inc. shared third-party validated test results showing that its Gemini all-flash arrays and 16Gb FC deliver a cost-effective, scalable and high density storage solution for VMware View desktop virtualization.

The Evaluator Group‘s IOmark-VDI test results dispel the conventional notion that hybrid arrays are more affordable and that all-flash arrays are too expensive for VDI, showcasing Nimbus Data’s sub-$40 per VDI image storage cost and 100,000 VDI images per rack cabinet density.

“This is the first all-flash 16Gb FC-based storage system with audited results,” said Russ Fellows, senior partner of Evaluator Group and architect of the IOmark test suite. “Nimbus Data has set a new standard in VDI economics and scale, fully exercising the incredible potential of all-flash technology and 16Gb FC infrastructure, to simplify VDI and ensure its success.”

Importance of VDI is increasingly being deployed due to the enhanced security, manageability and in many cases, lower costs than traditional desktops. Although challenges remain with VDI, organizations have found that VDI can provide both operational and capital cost reductions when compared to the cost of upgrading and maintaining traditional desktops. That said: VDI is one of the most demanding storage workloads that exists in enterprise environments. As a result, VDI adoption has been constrained by storage cost and complexity.

About the IOmark-VDI Test
Due to the multitude of claims around VDI, Evaluator Group and other industry partners created a benchmark to measure VDI storage cost and performance, enabling direct comparison of results. IOmark-VDI measures storage array performance using a real VMware View workload, not simulations or synthetics, to determine the maximum number of VDI images possible without breaching thresholds in response and boot time. This maximum VDI image value is then weighed against the purchase price of the solution to arrive at a storage cost per VDI image. The test uses Gemini F420 HA all-flash array connected to redundant 16Gb FC switches. Load-generating servers, running IOmark-VDI, connect to this all-flash SAN using 16Gb FC HBAs.

VDI Scalability and Affordability
The IOmark-VDI test results show that the Gemini F420 system in a 24TB configuration supports up to 4,032 linked clone VDI images at a cost of $39.68 per virtual desktop. This is accomplished in just 2U of rack space and 350W of power consumption. By comparison, a Cisco-validated design to support 4,000 VDI images features an EMC VNX7500 hybrid SSD/HDD array that requires 20U of rack space (10x larger footprint) and 1,720W of power (5x higher energy and cooling costs). Gemini also scales down to meet midsize requirements, supporting 2,000, 1,000, and 500 VDI images when using the 12TB, 6TB, and 3TB Gemini configurations, respectively. Results also showed that 16Gb FC delivered high bandwidth and low latency to ensure a 2ms average response time for each of the 4,032 VDI images.

“Customers have struggled with the cost and complexity of VDI for too long,” stated Thomas Isakovich, CEO and founder, Nimbus Data. “Tiering, hybrids, and other half-measures only multiply the challenges by putting the incredible burden of VDI storage assessment on the backs of end-users and ineffective data placement algorithms. Gemini all-flash arrays put all data in ultra-fast, ultra-efficient flash memory. The Evaluator Group report not only demonstrates the scalability of this solution, but it also shows that Nimbus Data all-flash storage delivers an exceptionally low cost per virtual desktop.”